A Poem from the Heart: Alexandra Woods Shares Her NIHR HCP Internship Journey

At Royal Manchester Children’s, my day begins,
With gloves, compassion and curiosity within.
On every patient I search for veins so small, so shy
Veins are like tiny rivers where medicines lie.

Each cannula I place, each dressing I mend,
Holds hope and healing for patients at journey’s end.
But beyond the bedside, I yearned to see,
How research could shape vascular access reality.

So, the NIHR internship opened a door,
To questions and knowledge I’d longed to explore.
A line of discovery, slow but profound,
New pathways of learning began to surround.

I hoped to find confidence, build my research skill,
Shadow research delivery teams, to climb the next hill.
To bridge the gap from clinical practice, care to debate,
And turn bedside wonders into evidence-based fate.

I observed research ethics meetings where studies take flight,
Each protocol balanced, debating is this quite right
At conferences surrounded with child health and care,
I saw the value of forming connections everywhere.

I began building my research CV, with passion and pride,
Found mentors and networks to walk by my side.
From workshops and creative writing to planning my career goals,
Each moment just like a smooth flush for my nursing soul.

We took the Myers–Briggs test and saw ourselves anew,
Learning to see each other through a much clearer view.
The research capabilities framework shaped our minds to think,
And slowly but surely, the imposter’s voice began to shrink.

Completed good clinical practice training, foundations laid strong,
Understanding ethics and standards to guide me along.
With library services I ventured in literature searches so deep,
Through databases and journals where new insights sleep.

Learning to question, to analyse, critique, to find,
Spinning threads of evidence into clinical practice refined,
Some days were tough, emails unanswered from those who inspire,
At times I felt lost, not sure where next to enquire

Yet from every occlusion, I’ve learned to renew,
To pause, reflect, and gently keep pushing through, 
For research, like cannulas, demands patient care,
And determination and courage to start-just insert and prepare.

At every residential, we paused to reflect,
Group coaching showed that leadership starts with respect.
In voices and experiences, a strong connection was found,
A circle of trust where new ideas and concepts abound.

A service evaluation marks the next path I’ll chart,
Then the Associate PI scheme, a goal close to my heart.
With a pre-doctoral plan and proposal in hand,
My research knowledge will continue to expand.

Then onward to PPIE where patients belong,
Their stories and insights make our clinical practice strong.
Together we’ll shape care, transparent and true,
For the best innovations are built with them too.

Now I hold new research skills, both steady and strong,
Critical thinking and problem solving that guides me along.
A vision for practice and leadership, for evidence grown,
And space to imagine just how far I’ve flown.

For nursing and research are one and the same,
Two lines converging towards the same aim.
Improving patient outcomes, inspiring members of the team,
Turning evidence into clinical practice, and hope to dream.

So here I stand, with a vision renewed,
A nurse, learner and researcher in balance pursued.
For every child’s cannula that I carefully tend,
Connects to a future in research with no true end.

Who knows where this journey will take me next,
Through data and practice, through clinical trials complex.
From the gentle art of finding a child’s vein,
To easing a patient and families unspoken pain.

In paediatric vascular access, my purpose is clear,
To blend skill and science with compassion sincere.
And as my research and practice continue to entwine,
I’ll honour the lessons that once were mine.

For evidence guides every clinical decision I make,
In every comfort I give and every risk I take.
Wherever I go, and if research should call,
I’ll carry this journey forever and think of you all.

By Alexandra Woods