This article provides a reflective overview of some of Mary Wilson’s experiences of changing from being a UK continence nurse specialist to a novice researcher. She reflects on how her study was relevant to her nursing specialty but as a novice researcher, she had to re-think ingrained and often subconscious perspectives gained from years of continence nursing

While I was completing the project described here, I spent considerable time working alone. However, I read with great interest about (sometimes at the expense of literature pertaining to my research) or listened to the experience of others – especially novice researchers involved in qualitative projects. It was the experiential ‘coffee-break chat’ that I was missing out on as a lone worker who did not know many people with experiences close enough to my own. It was sometimes helpful, sometimes reassuring, occasionally worrying, but always compulsive reading or listening.