Building research experience: Impact of a novice researcher development program for rural health workers

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the effect of the Rural Research Capacity Building Program on self-reported research experience of rural health workers. Design: A repeat cross-sectional study design was used to assess self-reported research experience at the commencement and completion of a novice researcher development program. Setting: Candidates in the Rural Research Capacity Building Program are health workers employed in the rural NSW public health service who have not completed research higher degrees. Participants: One hundred and thirty candidates of the Rural Research Capacity Building Program from the 2006 to 2013 cohorts were participated. Interventions: The Rural Research Capacity Building Program is an experiential learning program in which candidates gain research experience by undertaking a new, self-selected, local health service endorsed research project over a 2-year period, supported by 10 days face-to-face teaching, weekly teleconferencing and mentoring. Main outcome measures: Change in self-assessed research experience using a validated 10-item measurement tool known as the Research Spider which measures 10 domains of research experience. Results: Reported research experience demonstrated statistically significant increases across all 10 domains of research experience. The largest change was 'writing and presenting a research report' and 'writing a research protocol'. Conclusions: Significant increases in Research Spider results across all 10 domains demonstrated that completing the Rural Research Capacity Building Program significantly improves self-assessed research experience. Rural health workers who are experienced and confident to undertake research are more capable of studying health problems and finding solutions unique to the rural setting. K E Y W O R D S capacity building, research, Research Spider, rural, self-assessment of research experience | 393 SCHMIDT eT al.

Workplace-based health research training: a qualitative study of perceived needs in a rural setting

“…Existing research training options available to staff are not well advertised and there was limited awareness of some public sector training options [5,12,13]. Those with an interest in learning about research are doing so via external institutions as research higher degrees, which may increase individual skill but limits the organisational benefit of this activity as there is a limited opportunity to align these projects with organisational goals; this alignment should provide a supportive structure in which individuals can receive support.…”

“…Several programmes have been undertaken within the rural health workspace to improve research capacity [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]. Some of these programmes [4,5,12,13] have endeavoured to align trainee selection and research activities with the organisational priorities of the hosting organisation. However, information on the research training needs of rural health organisations on the whole is not known.…”

Original research Workplace-Based Health Research Training: A Qualitative Study of Perceived Needs in a Rural Setting

“…Existing research training options available to staff are not well advertised and there was limited awareness of some public sector training options [5,12,13]. Those with an interest in learning about research are doing so via external institutions as research higher degrees which may increase individual skill but limits the organisational benefit of this activity as there is limited opportunity to align these projects with organisational goals, which should provide a supportive structure in which individuals can receive support.…”

“…Several programs have been undertaken within the rural health workspace to improve research capacity [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]. Some of these programs [4,5,12,13] have endeavoured to align trainee selection and research activities with the organisational priorities of the hosting organisation. However information on the research training needs of rural health organisations on the whole is not known.…”

The positive impact over time of Master’s level education on nurses’ utilization of nursing research-related tasks in clinical practice – A longitudinal cohort study

“…The development shows an increase in the MSN graduates' research experience over time, which is a well-known phenomenon in hands-on research [20] ). Several studies [27][28][29] show healthcare researchers' development of research experience through self-evaluated increases in research experience over time, led by exposure and commitment to research programmes and engaging in research activities. The development of the MSN graduates' research utilization from six to 12 months can also be viewed in comparison with their statements in our qualitative study of their experiences of engaging in nursing research-related tasks in daily clinical practice six months after graduation.…”