Pre-registration health care students’ experiences of the safe learning environment charter (SLEC)

This PhD proposal will give an opportunity to explore how the current NHS safe learning environment charter (SLEC) is perceived by health care students in terms of impact and support for their education in clinical practice.

The charter is focused on both learners and those responsible for supporting education and has been influenced by the Kirkup (2022) and Ockenden (2020, 2022) reports. It involves ten key areas: respect and feeling valued; positive identity; wellbeing; raising concerns and speaking up; placement induction; communication; flexibility; supervision; teaching and learning needs; time and space for learning.

Findings will help support the evaluation of this charter and its objectives ‘to strengthen the workforce by advancing high-quality learning environments, reducing learner attrition, and improving their retention of newly qualified staff’ (NHS 2024)

The research will provide in depth data from the student voice to explore experiences and perceptions of how the charter has influenced their learning.         

Supervisory team: Dr Kay Norman, Dr Lucy Hope 

Director of Studies: Dr Kay Norman

Supervisors:

Dr Kay Norman, Principal Lecturer Adult Nursing, Head of Teaching Excellence, School of Nursing and Midwifery.

Dr Lucy Hope, Principal Lecturer Midwifery, Lead Midwife for Education, School of Nursing and Midwifery.

Research Group: Health Professions Education and Practice

Application Process:

To begin the application process please go to https://www.worcester.ac.uk/courses/nursing-mphilphd and click on ‘How to Apply’ in the top menu. This PhD could be caried out on a part time or full time basis so please select the relevant application link. On the application form, please make it clear that you are applying for one of our advertised projects so we can direct it straight to the relevant people. 

The Interview:

All successful applicants will be offered an interview with the proposed Supervisory Team. You will be contacted by a member of the Doctoral School Team to find a suitable date. Interviews can be conducted in person or over Microsoft Teams.

Funding your PhD:

For information about Doctoral Loans please visit: https://www.worc.ac.uk/study/fees-and-finance/doctoral-loans.aspx

During your PhD you can access the Research Student Support Scheme to support dissemination costs associated with your research, up to £500 a year. 

Research at the University of Worcester

Research is central to the University’s mission to make a difference in everything that we do. We are committed to delivering excellent research which extends the boundaries of human knowledge but which also improves people’s lives by enabling better health outcomes, improving food security, developing environmentally sustainable solutions for crop production and socially sustainable solutions to our ageing population, enhancing public knowledge and understanding of the past and present.

The University hence focuses its research around five high-level challenges facing society, locally, nationally and globally:

• Human Health and Wellbeing
• Sustainable Futures
• Digital Innovation
• Culture, Identity and Social Exclusion 
• Professional Education 

The success of our research is reflected in our continuous improvement in external research assessment processes. In the most recent Research Excellence Framework, REF 2021, the University saw a near 50% increase in the scale of its research and 12% increase in quality, building on its performance in REF 2014 when it was the UK’s most improved university in terms of Research Power, a combination of scale and quality.

Research Degrees at Worcester

Our research students are central to our overall mission for research. They are working at the cutting edge of their disciplines and driving forward the quality of our research whilst enriching our research culture. We are looking to increase our research student numbers as a strategic imperative.

Our commitment to our students is reflected in the results of the Postgraduate Research Experience Survey 2023 in which we ranked 3^rd for overall research student satisfaction nationally. Key to our success in his area is the Doctoral School, a focal point for all our research students.

It provides:

• day-to-day support for our students, both administrative and practical, through our dedicated team
• a Research Student Study Space with both PCs and laptop docking station
• a comprehensive Researcher Development Programme for students and their supervisors
• a programme of student-led conferences and seminars

Widening Participation:

As part of its mission statement the University is committed to widening participation for its higher degrees. Although most candidates will have an undergraduate and/or a Masters degree, the University is happy to accept applications from candidates with relevant professional qualifications and work related experience. 

For further information or an informal discussion on this project, please contact Dr Kay Norman [email protected]

Applications can be made at:

https://www.worcester.ac.uk/courses/nursing-mphilphd