PhD (in Nursing, Midwifery or Healthcare Studies)

Postgraduate Study www.nottingham.ac.uk/healthsciences

PhD (in Nursing, Midwifery or Healthcare Studies) The PhD degree aims to equip individuals with the knowledge, skills and confidence to undertake original research that can make a difference to people’s lives. We encourage applications (from the UK or overseas) from highly motivated, enthusiastic and talented individuals who have a passion to improve

healthcare practice, administration or education through high quality research. Our nationally and internationally recognised PhD programme is designed for individuals who wish to develop their research knowledge and skills in order to implement evidence based practise in their future professional careers.

Postgraduate Study www.nottingham.ac.uk/healthsciences

PhD (in Nursing, Midwifery or Healthcare Studies) School of Health Sciences

The University has an impressive worldwide reputation for academic excellence and is part of the Russell Group of 20 leading UK universities. The School is ranked fifth in the UK in terms of its research power for nursing and midwifery.

Duration

2-4 years full time; 4-8 years part-time.

Location

The Queen’s Medical Centre teaching hospital, within walking distance of the main University Park campus. All PhD students have access to a desk, computer and printing facilities within a well equipped and friendly doctoral student office.

Introduction

The School hosts a vibrant multi-cultural doctoral community of almost 100 students. We have a variety of international, local, full and part-time students and offer a flexible programme of study that can meet the needs of all these groups. We are the most popular School in the UK for international Nursing/ Midwifery students and offer an in-depth induction to the UK healthcare system, including clinical insight visits, and provide ongoing specialised English language support. Our courses run on one day per week or in blocks and we offer several Research Seminars on a Saturday to enable part-time students to engage with the programme. All students are provided generous funding opportunities to support attendance at national and international conferences.

Career opportunities

Graduates include academic faculty, senior (advanced) clinical practitioners, senior healthcare managers/administrators and those wishing to develop a research career. The vast majority obtain significant promotions after their PhD.

Course structure

A PhD comprises a number of stages outlined below on an indicative time frame followed by full-time students. Year 1

• Undertake research training and personal and professional development inputs • Complete a comprehensive literature review and identify a focused and do-able research question • Develop a detailed research proposal • Confirmation Review • Obtain ethical approval

Year 2

• Undertake data collection • Begin data analysis • Annual Progress Review

Year 3

• Complete data analysis • Write up and submit an 80,000-100,000 word thesis • Assessment of the thesis in an oral examination

Part-time students are expected to devote at least 2 full days or equivalent per week to their studies over the year. The University of Nottingham has made every effort to ensure that the information in this flyer was accurate when published. Please note, however, that the nature of the content means that it is subject to change from time to time, and you should therefore consider the information to be guiding rather than definitive. © The University of Nottingham 2013. All rights reserved.

Research training

Students are required to undertake bespoke research training provided through modules accredited by the UK’s National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) and courses offered by the University’s prestigious ESRC-funded Doctoral Training Centre (DTC). Most students take the following core research courses: Philosophy of Research, Fundamentals of Quantitative Analysis, and Foundations in Qualitative Methods. These can be supplemented by a wide variety of advanced and specialist modules according to the student’s interests and needs (for example - Principles and Process of Systematic Review; Mixed Methods Research; Clinical Research). Additional peer support and a range of professional development courses are provided through our acclaimed Graduate School.

Support and assessment

All students are allocated two academic supervisors who provide individualised research advice and guidance. Students are encouraged to join one of the School’s five research groups in order to develop research networks, gain additional research project experience and receive peer mentoring to further extend their research development. The groups are: Maternal, Child and Public Health; Education and Technology for Health; Mental Health; Rehabilitation; and Sue Ryder Care Centre for the Study of Supportive, Palliative and End of Life Care. In the first year, you have a ‘probationary’ status. At the end of the first year (or equivalent for part-time) progress is assessed by a formal ‘Confirmation Review’ consisting of submission of a 10,000 word research proposal and an oral examination (viva voce) in front of an a panel. If successful, PhD registration is ‘confirmed’ and you undergo an ‘Annual Review’ each year to monitor progress. The completed PhD research thesis is up to 100,000 words and is assessed by 2 examiners through an oral viva voce exam.

Funding and scholarships

Most UK students are funded through their employers and NHS training monies. Some students have also been successful in obtaining scholarships from national funding bodies. Further information about funding opportunities is available on our website in the Postgraduate Study area.

Entry requirements

To apply for a PhD you should have a first- or upper-second-class honours degree and an interest in research. In addition, most applicants have recently completed a Postgraduate Masters course to a high academic standard (merit or distinction). International students must be able to demonstrate English language proficiency of: IELTS 6.5 (with no less than 6.0 in any element); or TOEFL IBT 87 (minimum 20 in speaking and 19 in all other elements).

How to apply

Visit the school website at www.nottingham.ac.uk/healthsciences and select this course from the Postgraduate Study area. You can apply electronically within the course entry using the ‘Apply for this course’ button.

Find out more

For further information, please contact: Cin Kong, Postgraduate Research Course Administrator School of Health Sciences Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham, NG7 2HA t: +44 (0)115 82 30888 e: [email protected]

To request this information in an alternative format: t: +44 (0)115 951 4591 e: [email protected]