In this podcast Speech and Language Therapist Dr Anna Volkmer talks with a Nurse and an Occupational Therapist discussing their career pathways from the NHS into academia, and then back to put their training to use on the front-line in the NHS.

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This week’s guests are:

Dr Emily Jones, Senior Matron & Lead Dementia Nurse at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust. Her research focussed on the care of people with dementia in acute hospital settings and how the work system influences nursing staff capacity for high quality relationship centred dementia care.

Dr Naomi Gallant, Occupational Therapist Team Lead at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Naomi’s PhD focussed on mealtimes and enabling independence and quality of life for people with dementia.

Full biographies on all our guests and a transcript can be found on our website https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk

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With a number of clinical academic training funding calls open this month (NIHR, Alzheimer’s Society, Alzheimer’s Association, Wellcome Trust etc), we shine a spotlight on the potential for healthcare professionals to take time away and pursue further training, undertaking a MSc, PhD and clinical academic position. Highlighting that the doors this can open to enable you to return to clinical practice or continue as a clinical academic.

A clinical academic is a qualified healthcare professional who also works in academia, typically in research, teaching, or both. They balance their time between treating patients, conducting research that contributes to the scientific understanding of their field, and training the next generation of clinicians. Every clinical academic post is different, depending on the specialism, experience, and interests of the individual.

Most clinical academics will work for two entities – the NHS and a university – and split their time variably between the two. Many find that their dual role gives them greater career flexibility, and an exciting and varied workload. There is a huge array of clinical academic careers on offer across a diverse range of specialties, making every clinical academic post truly unique.

However…. Even if academia isn’t your passion, you can put your academic training to great use in the NHS, as our brilliant host and guests demonstrate.

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This podcast is brought to you by University College London / UCLH NIHR Biomedical Research Centre in association with Alzheimer’s Association, Alzheimer's Research UK, Alzheimer's Society and Race Against Dementia who we thank for their ongoing support.