My job

A day in the life of an advanced clinical practitioner

An ACP has advice on how to make the move into advanced practice

What do clinical academic nurses do and would this dual role suit me?

How to use clinical experience to develop the evidence base that underpins patient care

Paediatric clinical research advanced nurse practitioner

Lucy Cooper talks about her inspiration and challenges

Pay attention to serendipity

When and why did you develop an interest in research? My first nursing job was as a staff nurse in an oncology intensive care unit and a bone marrow transplant unit taking care of patients who were participating in high intensity clinical trials. During my master’s degree, I worked as a research assistant for two faculty members whose research was making an impact at state and national levels, and I was able to lead a small research project of my own. During my doctoral and post-doctoral studies, my research interests continued to grow. I find great meaning and purpose in identifying and solving difficult problems through research.

A passion for research

When and why did you develop an interest in research?

It was a passion of mine during my PhD studies at the University of Florida in the United States and continued to be a major priority as a junior faculty member at the University of California in San Francisco. I was one of the first researchers into pain in children.

Making a difference through research

JILL MABEN OBE is professor of nursing research at King’s College London (KCL). Until recently she was director of the National Nursing Research Unit (NNRU) at the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery at KCL. In June the unit moved to the Healthcare Organisation Workforce and Quality research group. Professor Maben, who is primarily a qualitative researcher, is recognised for conducting case studies and in-depth, observational research. She examines workforce, the work environment and the impact on patient care. She recently completed a national research study on single rooms in hospitals. She was named as one of Health Service Journal’s ‘Top 100 leaders’ in 2013 and was on HSJ’s first list of ‘Most inspirational women in healthcare’.