Internship Reflections: Tania Bakhat

My Journey Through the Health Education England (HEE) Integrated Clinical Internship

I was thrilled when I received the email that I had been successful in applying for the Health Education England (HEE) Integrated Clinical Internship (ICA) programme delivered by NHS Research & Development (NHS R&D NW) Northwest. The internship was the beginning of my research journey and not only did this programme help to ensure that my Trust continues to develop and increase research capacity and capability within our workforce, but it also focused on my needs as an individual researcher. The programme provided me with mentorship and coaching and helped to increase my research skills and confidence.  

What the Internship Offered:

The expectations of the 6-month internship included:

• 30 days academic research experience supported by supervision from an experienced academic who also happened to be my line manager and the Deputy Director for Nursing in Research and Innovation
• Participation in a 6-day residential educational programme to increase my knowledge and understanding of research and its place in the wider health and care research community. 
• Make a creative poster and present to the facilitators and the rest of the group.
• Make an academic poster on our research project or journey to present at a conference.

Key Highlights:

A personal award was available to us to cover expenses such as conferences, courses, and travel expenses.  I was given protected time once a week by my mentor/line manager to undertake self-study and learn at my own pace. I am the only matron at RMCH who has undertaken this internship course up to now and I have been approached by quite a few Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professional’s (NMAHP) with an interest in applying for this internship course in the future. 

I found my mentorship and coaching sessions to be invaluable. They really helped me to understand and gain a better insight into the direction I was going with my research journey. These sessions helped me to remain motivated and plan and follow through with agreed actions. The facilitators and cohort members on this internship went over and beyond to help and support each other. They were always at the end of a call, an email or a WhatsApp message. Their encouragement and ‘can do’ attitude really propelled me forward in my journey. The friendships I have made on this programme with my cohort members and facilitators is without a doubt one of the highlights and reasons to undertake this internship.

Challenges and Lessons Learned:

One of my initial challenges with this programme was identifying what my learning needs were for this internship. I work better when there is a course structure that has been pre-determined by tutors and facilitators. Having the freedom to self-study was a new concept for me! I learned how to identify my own research gaps and identify areas of learning and growth. Not knowing ‘what I did not know’ was difficult but the more I researched and investigated into what research meant, I found that there was a wealth of information that I had access to via this internship programme, the internet and library services. 

My other ‘challenge’ was that I have always claimed that I do not have a creative bone in my body, however making a 3D creative poster proved me wrong and really took me out of my comfort zone!  It allowed me to bring out my creative side which I really enjoyed and think out of the box. 

Final Reflections:

This internship provided me with dedicated time to consider and contribute to research and evidence-based practice within my own role and service. It also allowed me to gain an insight into the world of the practitioner academic and provided me with significant developmental opportunities to enable me to realise my research potential. It was an opportunity to engage with, develop, promote, and evaluate research into learning and best practice.

Personally, and professionally, I feel more confident to have research conversations with my peers and be able to support others who are starting their research journey’s.  I now have the knowledge of who to contact and where to find information on different research pathways.  It has helped me to understand that everyone’s research journey is different, and no two experiences are the same.  It also helped me to decide which research pathways I did not want to take either!

This internship has been a wonderful and amazing experience for me, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to undertake such a well organised programme. For those who are considering taking a ‘dip’ into research, I would encourage you to at least try.  It will give you time to think about your next steps and what to do next.