Gemma Stevenson

Since graduating as a registered nurse I have been working to develop a clinical-academic career believing that each complemented the other with the experiences, skills and attributes gained adding clarity to each role and thus enhancing my performance.

To date, much of my academic career has been research focused, commencing with undertaking a Master of Nursing in Clinical Research. Undertaking the masters enabled me to gain an in-depth knowledge and appreciation of varying methodologies, underpinning theoretical frameworks and the ethics of research. Following this I began working as a research nurse at The National CJD Research and Surveillance Unit helping to develop and implement a study to identify missed cases of prion disease in those aged 65 and over who had atypical dementia. In addition, I became a founding member of the Edinburgh Care Home Research Group. This multidisciplinary group of clinical-academics had a common interest in undertaking research addressing knowledge and practice relating to care homes, and in particular admission to care home from hospital.

Throughout the development of my research career I have maintained a part time position as a staff nurse working with older people in an acute hospital ward. It has been enriching to remain true to my ambitions and experience the benefits of progressing my clinical and academic career simultaneously. Within this role I became involved in a ward-base multidisciplinary quality improvement team. The focus of quality improvement was directly derived from the findings of research I had undertaken with the Edinburgh Care Home Research group, presenting a fantastic opportunity to witness research impact and be part of implementing improvements in practice derived from research I had been involved with.

Maintaining a clinical post has facilitated understanding some of the realities and challenges of undertaking research in clinical practice, as well as gaining important insight into what matters to those delivering and receiving care. My position as staff nurse and the areas of research focus led me to a love of working with older people and a particular interest in their transition from the acute hospital to community setting. In 2018 I commenced a PhD in the Centre for Person-centred practice research focusing on critically analysing discharge practices of older people in the acute hospital and identifying the implications for person-centred discharge practice.