Page 33 - QARANC Vol 20 No 4 2023

The Gazette QARANC Association 33
and who made it very difficult, especially when they found out I was self-funded and not on a Defence Sponsored pathway.
I think this goes back to my earlier comment about perceptions of research and higher academia being an officer sport or perhaps it was simply their lack of understanding.
A second and more surprising experience was that my peers largely didn’t see the point in doing a doctorate whilst not being commissioned. Well, I can’t stress the point enough, you do not need a commission to be a ‘doctor...’ not only has it been a hugely rewarding experience in terms of personal development it has also opened my eyes to aspects of nursing I would not have been otherwise exposed to.
The way I approach tasks, the way I communicate with others and the way I can influence situations has changed dramatically because of my studies. For these reasons alone, I would recommend doctoral study.
A third unexpected outcome was the number of job offers and other opportunities that came my way as a result of the networking associated with conducting and disseminating my research. You might consider this a positive however, for someone who had always planned to have a full career in the Army, suddenly receiving other, often more lucrative offers at the 18- year point certainly causes a lot of uncertainty and self-reflection.
This is something you should prepare for if you are considering a doctorate as it has caused me to spend almost as much time thinking about my future as I did about my study.
As you are all aware, it is a busy time to be a
I urge you,
if you take anything from reading this article
it is that despite
your rank, experience or perceived ability, a PhD is achievable
QA and the constant threat of MACA taskings, OP INTERFLEX and other such deployments may cause you to delay starting any research degree but, throughout my studies I deployed on OP RESCRIPT, OP ATLAS and OP INTERFLEX as well as on several overseas placements and exercises and let me reassure you, these were the times when I got the most work done.
As a corps we have a wealth of experience and knowledge within our ranks and yet we conduct little research and publish even less, this is a great shame. I am by no means an intellectual, I achieved average grades in school (when I bothered to turn up) and left college after just one year (because it bored me senseless) so I urge you, if you take anything from reading this article it is that despite your rank, experience or perceived ability, a PhD is achievable.
It is my hope for the corps that in future we have a healthy cohort of junior and senior NCOs passionate about conducting and disseminating research and that can only be achieved by those of you who are prepared to prove that this is not an officer only sport.
SSgt C Elliott