Clinical Research MSc

COURSE INFORMATION (2013 ENTRY)

1 year full-time

Health and Life Sciences
Coach Lane Campus

The MSc Clinical Research course aims to fully equip nurses, midwives, medical practitioners and allied health professionals with the skills and critical understanding to manage and deliver research in diverse clinical settings, in collaboration with NHS partners and service users, and focussed on improving patient experiences and outcomes. Throughout the course students will be encouraged to draw on their own professional practice, culture and geographies. The course has been closely mapped against professional competencies and Research Council guidelines.

Aims of the programme
On completing this programme, successful students would be expected to be able to:

• Demonstrate critical awareness of clinical research theory and practice including philosophical foundations of enquiry and knowledge production; conceptualisation; the research process; research design; methodologies; methods; and data analysis appropriate to research within chosen clinical subject areas;
• Demonstrate a nuanced and critical application of clinical research processes e.g. selection of specific methodologies, sampling, data collection and analysis;
• Demonstrate critical and reflexive appreciation of quality assurance issues in the conduct of clinical research e.g. validity, reliability, trustworthiness, rigour and authenticity;
• Demonstrate the ability to explore and analyse complex data sets using appropriate qualitative or quantitative approaches, with full cognisance of the capabilities and limitations of such data;
• Demonstrate a critical appreciation of the significance of embedding a wide range of stakeholder knowledge and experience throughout the whole research process as a means of facilitating translation and transformation in practice; and,
• Demonstrate advanced understanding of the processes of research management and governance within the context of clinical practice.

Who is this course aimed at?
Typically, students accessing this programme are likely to be individuals either (a) working as research practitioners in clinical environments, and / or (b) clinicians who have demonstrated a clear career commitment to research for the benefit of patients and the NHS and who wish to undertake study on a part-time or full-time basis. The programme aims to facilitate their career development in clinical research through the enhancement of their abilities in:

• Dealing with the complexities of clinical research at all levels from conceptualisation, through planning / design, data collection and analysis to the communication of research findings to specialist and non-specialist audiences;
• Self-direction and originality in tackling and solving clinical research issues, and acting autonomously in managing clinical research processes;
• Transferable research skills as identified by the Economics & Social Research Council;
• Independent learning required for continuing professional development.

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LEARNING AND TEACHING METHODS

MSc Clinical Research students will be offered academic guidance and research supervision during their study experience to support personal, academic and professional learning. Opportunities will be available for all students to discuss study issues and assessment feedback, and it the intention that students’ career and future academic development will be enhanced through the acquisition of these skills.

The teaching, learning strategies used will be creative and varied. Students will experience lectures, seminars, group work, case studies, problem-solving exercises, skills development (including statistical software), project related work (facilitated by guidance supervision), directed and independent learning. In all cases students will be required to apply these skills to their current field of clinical expertise / practice. Where appropriate visiting specialist lecturers will contribute.

The assessment strategy entails varied range of approaches i.e. students will write research proposals, complete a draft funding application, analyse both quantitative and qualitative data sets, critique existing research papers both generally and specifically (in relation to the extent that the approaches specified have successfully engaged stakeholders), and develop and implement a small scale research study followed by the submission of a dissertation.

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