Hello my
name is Doreen and I am a third-year nursing student currently working as a Research Assistant on the Black Attainment Project. In this post, I will be discussing what my role entails, the reasons I applied to be a research assistant, the knowledge and skills I have gained, why the project is important and what I look forward to regarding the project
What does my role involve?
I am five months into my new role and I have gained a significant amount of knowledge regarding research. At present my responsibilities have involved attending meetings with the project team to receive updates on everyone’s progress, meeting with our project mentor, learning how to search for literature, facilitating focus groups for data collection, analysing the data and reviewing literature to support our final write up. I am also involved in encouraging student involvement in the project through sharing information on social media.
Why did I apply for the job?
I decided to apply for this position for a number of reasons. Firstly, being able to explore the lived experience of black nursing students at the university has allowed me to understand my own experience throughout my nursing degree whilst also creating a platform for other black students to have their voices heard. Secondly, as I prepare to enter the world of nursing I have been exploring various nursing pathways I would like to follow and research is one I am considering. Therefore, being involved in the project has given me insight into what research involves.
What have I learnt so far?
My organisational and time management skills have been put to the test whilst working as a research assistant. I have had to balance fulfilling my responsibilities as a student which include placement, assignments and attending lectures whilst also carrying out tasks for the project. Learning to prioritise my duties, sharing responsibilities and being honest with the team when I am unable to complete a task has helped with managing the workload.
In terms of learning opportunities, the team is comprised of people with expertise in different areas such as statistics, the process of carrying out research etc. Therefore, working alongside them has created great opportunities to expand my knowledge on research. I have gained skills associated with data collection through facilitating the focus groups and I have learnt how to analyse qualitative data using thematic analysis. My confidence has also developed within the last five months of working on the project. I feel confident sharing my thoughts and putting myself forward to participate in different tasks.
Why is the project important?
The data we have looked at shows inequalities in attainment for black students. The aim of this project is to improve black student attainment and create a better sense of belonging through understanding the existing barriers experienced by black students whilst at university.
What do I look forward to?
The next stage of the project is to collect stories from black students about their experience throughout university. I look forward to reading the stories and being able to assist the team with putting together resources that will be implemented in the nursing curriculum and potentially used in marketing.