PMM1RP-Medical Research and Enquiry

Module Provider: Pharmacy
Number of credits: 30 [15 ECTS credits]
Level:7
Terms in which taught: Autumn / Spring / Summer module
Pre-requisites:
Non-modular pre-requisites: Only for PA MSc students
Co-requisites:
Modules excluded:
Current from: 2021/2

Module Convenor: Prof Becky Green
Email: rebecca.green@reading.ac.uk

Module Co-convenor: Dr Simone Magee
Email: s.magee@reading.ac.uk

Type of module:

Summary module description:

This module provides postgraduate Physician Associate students with the opportunity to engage in research aligned with their own clinical interests. The module provides training in different research skills and methods relevant to those encountered by medical professionals, to enable students to develop skills needs to plan, design, conduct and present a piece of original research. Students will learn how to make use of spreadsheets to capture information and learn how to sample and collect qualitative and quantitative data using statistic approaches where appropriate. The module also provides students with the opportunity to carry out a brief piece of research and present their findings to their colleagues.

Aims:

This module aims to:

• Provide students with knowledge and skills on how to plan, design, conduct and present research


• Equip students with a critical and reflective approach to research practice

Assessable learning outcomes:

Students will be able to:

• Formulate an appropriate research plan for the purposes of conducting a research project to answer a specific research question


• Carry out a short piece of original research as a preliminary study towards their wider research proposal


• Make appropriate use of current literature and knowledge to support planning and presentation of their own research topic.


• Be able to appropriately analyse and present their research findings both in writing and orally.


• Show evidence of independent research skills, enquiry and scholarship.

Additional outcomes:

Students will develop communication, writing and reflection skills through consideration of the concepts within their own working environment or area of interest. Students will also learn about the research lifecycle.

Students will learn about how to obtain ethical approval for research where this is needed, for example for research involving patient data.

Outline content:

Students will build on existing knowledge from their undergraduate training by learning about research skills for qualitative and quantitative research that is relevant to medical professionals using a distance learning approach. This material will provide students with a resource for learning about research design for qualitative and quantitative methods used in clinical research. It will also provide practical advice on how to undertake audits, service evaluations, systematic and critical r eviews.

Students will develop a research proposal based on an original research question that is on a topic that is in line with their own interests or that of their academic or clinical project supervisor. With support from their supervisor, students will identify a preliminary study linked to their full research proposal for them to carry out as a mini-project and will create a time-line plan for completing this piece of research.

Students will gain ethi cs approval for projects where this is needed

Students will carry out a short research project linked to the topic of their research idea. This is likely to act as a preliminary study or piece of scoping research towards a larger research project idea, but their short project does not have to be fully aligned to their previous proposal.

Students will present their finding as a short report and as a poster presentation.Ìý

Global context:

Students may select to undertake research projects in clinical and health sciences that have wider international significance.

Brief description of teaching and learning methods:

Students will develop a research idea and undertake a short original piece of research in an area relevant to medical science. Distance learning material will be provided to support their development of a research project and help them identify an appropriate research question. With the support and guidance of a project supervisor, students will lead the design and execution of the project. Support will be provided throughout the project through regular one-to-one meetings with the project su pervisor.Ìý An opportunity to receive feedback on the written assignments before their submission will be offered.

Summative assessment- Examinations:

None

Summative assessment- Coursework and in-class tests:

Three assessed pieces of work:

1. Project proposal (800-1200 words): 15%


2. Project report (succinct report of 6000-8000 words): 60%


3. Project poster presentation: 25%

Formative assessment methods:

Formative feedback will be provided for all summative pieces of work either through verbal feedback (project proposal and poster) or written feedback (project report).

Penalties for late submission:

The below information applies to students on taught programmes except those on Postgraduate Flexible programmes. Penalties for late submission, and the associated procedures, which apply to Postgraduate Flexible programmes are specified in the policy 􀀓Penalties for late submission for Postgraduate Flexible programmes􀀔, which can be found here: