Trust celebrates first registered Clinical Research Practitioner

Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is proud to celebrate its first registered Clinical Research Practitioner, Laura McCafferty. Laura has become one of the first people in our region to become formally registered through an alternative route.

Laura has recently joined The Academy for Health Science Clinical Research Practitioner Register, which recognise the skills that these colleagues bring to delivering vital research. She is an important member of our Research and Innovation team. 

To open this up to more colleagues, the register is available to staff who do not hold a degree or equivalent level of qualification and can evidence sufficient years of experience in delivering research.

Laura, who last year won the Rising Star Award at the Clinical Research Networks regional awards ceremony, has now become one of the first West of England CRP's to be registered in this way.

Sharing her experience, Laura said:

“Joining the register seemed like a natural progression in my research career. I have worked my way up the ladder from a Band 2 Research Assistant to now a registered Band 5 Clinical Research Pracitioner. Joining the register has consolidated all my years of experience and knowledge and allowed that to be recognised professionally.  The main benefit that I found so far since registering is the professional recognition, and also the new opportunities this could possibly open up for me. I’m excited to see where I will take this next!”

Dr Badrinathan Chandrasekaran, Director of Research at Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, highlights the importance that CRPs can have to research delivery:

“We are delighted at Laura’s achievement in becoming the first registered CRP at Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. It is an important step in providing staff with another valid pathway to a career in research, and one that helps to embed research further within the organisation”.

Watch the below video see Laura expalin in more detail why she loves her career in research.