About the Author: Kieran Potts is a Senior Research Fellow and Regional Clinical Lead for Palliative and End of Life Care at North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust. A paramedic and soon-to-be PhD student, Kieran shares insights into how allied health professionals can build a research career.
Embarking on a research career is a personal journey—there’s no right way to develop your expertise or shape your interests. In my opinion, you can do as much or as little as you wish, but if you are (*mostly*) enjoying the work you’re doing, then you’re likely to be on the right track! This blog offers practical tips to help you find what motivates you and make a meaningful contribution to palliative and end-of-life care research.
Tip 1: Reflect on Your Experiences
What motivates you in your clinical practice? Is there something that frustrates you or an area you’d love to explore further? These are the questions I’ve asked myself time and time again. Do I want to improve patient care and leave a lasting impact? Absolutely—and if you’re reading this, you probably want to do the same.
Think back to where your research interest first sparked. Was it during your undergraduate studies, or even earlier, in childhood? It doesn’t have to have started as a formal research focus; sometimes, simple curiosity leads you to question practice and imagine ways to improve it.
If you’re eager to dive deeper, research networks can help. Platforms like ResearchGate and BlueSky have valuable papers, and many researchers are happy to share their work. Seeking out existing research will broaden your knowledge and help define your focus.
Tip 2: Develop Your Research Interest
Once you’ve found a subject that you’re passionate about, how committed are you? Do you want to take part in research or lead projects? This is a big decision, and it’s worth considering how much time and effort you want to invest. You could speak to people on your team who have research experience or look at the profiles of other allied health professionals doing research.
Self-awareness plays a key role. Take a moment to reflect on what you need to develop, such as:
- Research delivery: Have you been involved in conducting research, and to what extent?
- Research design: Do you have experience designing research or applying for funding? Would you like to lead future projects?
- Research participation: Are you more interested in being part of research teams rather than leading them?
Tip 3: Seek Support to Build Your Career (don’t struggle alone!)
Once you’ve identified your interest and potential knowledge gaps, think about where you want to take things next. Remember—you don’t have to do this alone! Here are some key resources to explore:
- The obvious one is right here, the Palliative Care Research Society! Membership gives you access to webinars and learning opportunities.
- The NIHR provides a wealth of resources, including a Palliative Care Research Incubator, internship support, bridging schemes from Regional Research Delivery Networks and learning resources from NIHR Learn.
- Your professional body is your voice and will likely have a wealth of resources about research in your profession – the College of Paramedics has a College Research Database and a supportive forum.
- Your employing organisation. Many Trusts have research teams ready to support new researchers. I’ve always found those working in research to be incredibly supportive. If you’re applying for any opportunities listed above, you will likely need your line manager’s support.
Getting started in research isn’t always easy – it can feel overwhelming at first. But support is available, and people are eager to help. Remember, research is open to everyone, so don’t hesitate to take that first step.
You can follow Kieran on LinkedIn and Bluesky. The Palliative Care Research Society was set up to provide a forum for palliative care research and to enable researchers to learn from each other to promote high-quality research. Visit pcrs.org.uk to find out more.