Where to start

If you are an NMAHPP working in the Imperial AHSC and want to find out more about doing research and possibly becoming a clinical academic, then these are the first steps we recommend you take:

• Join the CATO mailing list - We’ll keep you up to date with all the latest news, events and opportunities to support you on your journey.
• Take a look at the Imperial College AHSC’s Clinical Research Training Framework.  This document gives an overview of the key skills involved in doing research and suggests activities you might undertake in order to develop these skills.
• Register for our next ‘Starting and Growing your Research Career’ event - Aimed at NMAHPPs considering a career in research, this course helps you to start thinking about the process of becoming a clinical academic and the opportunities available as you develop.
• Contact your specialty lead - Across the AHSC we have a number of contacts working across the NMAHPP professions. Find your key contact and get in touch to discuss things further.
• Consider attending other CATO organised events - These include the Annual NWL Research Symposium, the Starting out in Research Course and CATO Masterclasses on topics of common interest to clinical researchers across all professions and specialties.
• Check out the 'Get Research Ready' learning platform - Relevant to all regions, but developed by NIHR partners in Kent, Surrey and Sussex, this platform is designed for early career researchers to explore research within health and social care. There are three levels to the platform; understanding research, getting involved in research and developing your own research and you can enter at any level.
• Take a look at the support offered by the Imperial College London Library - The library can support you in all sorts of ways. They can offer advice and help on research skills, finding and presenting information and more. They also run a range of skills workshops for NHS staff on the wide range of medical, nursing and evidence-based information available online.
• Look out for other research skills development/clinical academic support opportunities provided by your employer - CATO provides support across all AHSC members, but each individual organisation will also run its’ own programme of activities through Research & Development, BRC or other teams.  These are summarised in our Infographic below.

Our training and support infographic
We have developed a helpful infographic, to show you the different types of support and resources which are available across the AHSC, what level they are aimed at and where and when they are offered.

The graphic table above summarises the key support available at each level. To get more detail about each individual activity please open the PDF file via the link below, or to the right, and click on each item’s corresponding colour bar.
Healthcare Professional Infographic (Aug 2020)