PhD Studentship: The ACUTE Study. Optimising Support for Acute Oncology Patients: A Mixed Methods Study with Health Care Professionals and Patients

Faculty of Health and Life Sciences

Oxford Institute of Applied Health Research (OxInAHR)

Oxford School of Nursing and Midwifery    

3 Year, full-time funded PhD Studentship

Eligibility: Home UK/EU applicants who must be permanently resident in the UK

Bursary p.a.: Bursary equivalent to UKRI national minimum stipend plus fees (2024/25 bursary rate is £19,237)

Fees and Bench fees: will be met by the University for the 3 years of the funded Studentship.

Closing date: 29 September 2024

Start Date: January 2025

Project Title: The ACUTE study. Optimising support for acute oncology patients: a mixed methods study with health care professionals and patients

Director of Studies: Dr Lucy McGeagh

Other supervisors: Dr Katie McCallum; Professor Eila Watson

Requirements:

Applicants should have a first or upper second-class honours degree from a Higher Education Institution in the UK or acceptable equivalent qualification. EU Applicants must have a valid IELTS Academic test certificate (or equivalent) with an overall minimum score of 6.5 to 7.0 and no score below 6.0 issued in the last 2 years by an approved test centre.

The studentship requires you to undertake the equivalent of up to 6 hrs teaching per week on average, during semester time, and to include preparation and marking (but no more than 20 hrs per week), and to participate in a teaching skills course without further remuneration.

Project Description:

Acute oncology is a unique area of medicine. Acute oncology services manage patients who are acutely unwell due to their cancer and/or cancer treatment and patients who are acutely unwell due to an undiagnosed cancer at admission to hospital. This novel PhD aims to understand what it is like to experience the acute oncology pathway, for patients, acute oncology staff, and other Health Care Professionals (HCPs) who interact with acute oncology patients, identifying unmet patient needs, understanding HCPs’ views and experiences of service delivery, and exploring where improvements could be made. Consisting of a systematic review, interviews with acute oncology patients and HCPs, and a national survey of acute oncology HCPs to explore experiences, views and unmet needs, with regards to service delivery, to optimise support for acute oncology patients. HRA approval will be required and service users engaged throughout.

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Oxford Institute of Applied Health Research (OxInAHR) – a vibrant multi-disciplinary Research Institute. Sitting within the Supportive Cancer Care group, this PhD would suit a researcher with experience of cancer, health care or health services research or a health care professional with research experience. Excellent interpersonal skills are essential, as is a passion for improving support for oncology patients and ability to work independently and at a high level, within a sensitive topic area. Some prior experience of qualitative research and/or survey design would be desirable. Experience with individuals with cancer would be favourable. 

Application process: For details of how to apply, please visit the project link on our research funding opportunities webpage, or email hls-applications@brookes.ac.uk to request details of how to apply.

Complete applications should include a research proposal (max 500 words) about how you would conduct the study.

Contact hls-applications@brookes.ac.uk with any queries.

Contact Dr Lucy McGeagh with any project queries: lmcgeagh@brookes.ac.uk

Provisional interview date: 21 October 2024.

Interviews are anticipated to take place in person.

Part time MPhil/PhD study will be exceptionally considered.

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