Even though many of our graduates will have progressed in their careers since completing a case study, they are still of interest to students who wish to gain an understanding of the world of work.

Data collection and analysis;
Grant and proposal writing;
Report and paper writing;
Attending conferences;
PhD and MSc supervision;
Personal tutor;
Reviewing journal articles.

I work as a part-time research associate on a National Institute of Health Research programme grant where we are trying to improve adherence to nebuliser medication in adults with cystic fibrosis. My days are varied but I typically arrange and conduct different types of interviews with participants, analyse interview data, and feedback analysis to colleagues to help design an intervention. We have just completed a pilot trial and I am analysing and writing up the results of that. We are due to start a randomised controlled trial of the intervention in September that will last two years. I will conduct a process evaluation of the trial to find out about acceptability of the intervention and the mechanisms of action that participants and interventionists perceive to be the most important. I also do some MSc and PhD supervision, teaching on the MSc in Clinical Research and am a personal tutor. I also spend time writing journal articles, conference posters and presentations and book chapters.

I love talking to lots of different participants and finding out about how they deal with a condition. There is always something new to learn so intellectually the work is involving and interesting. I love working with colleagues on challenging tasks and feeling like part of a team although I do work quite independently at times. I also believe it or not sometimes enjoy the writing process, particularly the satisfaction when you see an article in print or online. I also like the supervision process, helping someone else to start researching a topic.

The multiple demands on your time, particularly when you work part-time. It is difficult to fit everything into your day.

I enjoy the intellectual challenge of researching new areas and gaining new knowledge. I am always excited when I start a new project on a different subject area because I never know what people are going to tell me and how my thinking about something will develop.

Teamwork.
Organisation and planning.
Analysis of qualitative data.
Supervision and mentoring skills.
Communication skills.
IT skills such as Microsoft Office, NVivo (qualitative software), mindmapping software.

Jul 2010 - Feb 2011 Research associate ScHARR
Feb 2011 - Mar 2012 Maternity leave
Apr 2012 - Present Research associate ScHARR

Continuing in academia as a researcher but running my own projects as PI.

Doing a PhD is a great opportunity to do something that you have a real passion for. There will be times when it seems overwhelming but it’s important to talk to other PhD students and your supervisors when that happens to get you through it. Also I would encourage you to become involved in all aspects of your department, to get to know people in a social aspect and go to seminars to learn about different areas. You never know what might spark a train of thought in your own research.