Hi everyone, I’m Aishah, an Advanced Orthoptist working at Nottingham University Hospitals Trust with an interest in research. In March 2022 I was awarded a Chief AHP Fellowship, which enables AHPs to complete a service improvement project, build applied research skills and plan career development. My project was on orthoptic-led vision screening in patients admitted with fragility hip fractures. Mentorship played a vital role during the fellowship and encouraged me to continue research in this area. I subsequently applied for and was awarded an NIHR Pre-Doctoral Clinical and Practitioner Academic Fellowship in September 2023. This fellowship allowed me to build further academic skills to prepare for a PhD. I have since been successful for a fully-funded PhD in Rehabilitation and Healthcare research.
If you are interested in research careers, but are unsure of available opportunities; have a read of my article. I have used my experience of the fellowships mentioned, to discuss opportunities for AHPs to develop and pursue their research ambitions. I have also discussed the invaluable role of mentorship in guiding AHP career development.
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If you are interested in finding out more:
Read Aishah’s full article here.
Get more advice and information on getting into research on our Research page.