University of Central Lancashire

Research Project/Studentship Description

Project ref: RS/15/32 Closing Date: 12/05/2016
School / Pharmacy & Biomedical Sciences /
Proposed Director of Studies / Dr Sarah Wilson /
Contact Details / Dr Sarah Wilson, /
Programme (e.g MPhil/PhD) / PhD (via MPhil) /
Duration of Studentship / 3 years /
Hours (Full or Part Time) / Full Time
Maintenance Grant / £7,000 pa /
Project Title
Can professionalism be measured?
Project Description
Applications are invited for a three-year fully funded PhD studentship in the School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences for a project in relation to research into professionalism in health care education as the School is keen to encourage further research student development in line with the research interests and expertise of its academic staff. The research student would work under the supervision of Dr Sarah Wilson, Alison Astles, Professor Gordon Becket and Professor Paul Rutter. The School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences is part of the College of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences. The School is well resourced, with a thriving community of PhD and MSc students.
Eligibility
Candidates should have a 2:1 (or above) degree in pharmacy, psychology or one of the Social Sciences, or a closely related discipline and a 2:1 (or above) grade for their final year dissertation. An MSc or MA qualification is desirable (merit or above), though not essential. The candidate should be enthusiastic about the research area and have excellent written and oral communication skills along with experience of (understanding of?) qualitative and quantitative methodologies.
Funding Details
The start date is 1st July 2016 and the award is for three years (subject to satisfactory performance) and covers the full cost of UK tuition fees, plus a maintenance stipend in line with UCLan rates.
Project Overview
To practise as a doctor or pharmacist requires the individual not only to demonstrate competence in the tasks they perform but also exhibit traits which establish that they are acting in a professional manner. Measuring academic ability and competency are relatively straightforward using traditional and new teaching and assessment methods (e.g. examinations and observed structured clinical exams) yet instilling and measuring professionalism is more problematic. Within medical education there is recognition that professionalism should be taught even though some educators question whether it can be taught. (Siegler, 2002; Whitcomb, 2005 Coulehan, 2005) In medicine, the need to develop character traits and behaviours associated with professionalism has long been recognised but has also proven one of the most difficult to characterise. (Wagner et al., 2007) In comparison to medicine, pharmacy educators have been slower to address how professionalism should be taught or measured. This might stem from pharmacy being seen as an ancilliary service to medicine where accountability to the patient was the doctors’ domain. However, as the pharmacists’ role has changed so to as the need to inculcate students with professionalism. Unfortunately, the United Kingdom’s professional body has not defined pharmacy professionalism and it is therefore open to interpretation by practising pharmacists and educators. In America, a small number of papers have been published exploring pharmacy professionalism. (Hammer, 2006; Duke et al., 2005, Chisholm et al., 2006). This project will initially review the literature and determine what models are best suited for teaching and assessing professionalism.
By exploring and understanding current strategies employed by educators of healthcare courses to teach and assess professionalism, it is anticipated that a number of teaching models will be identified that can be adapted for use within the pharmacy and medicine courses. UK Universities identified by the literature review will be contacted to gain a greater understanding of the use of these models. Field trips to a number of teaching sites will further facilitate this understanding. Key models will be selected to implement with UCLan undergraduates. The implementation of such models will be evaluated to determine if they have any positive impact on student perception and understanding on what constitutes professionalism.
Applications are invited for a three-year fully funded PhD studentship in the School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences for a project in relation to research into professionalism in health care education as the School is keen to encourage further research student development in line with the research interests and expertise of its academic staff. The research student would work under the supervision of Dr Sarah Wilson, Alison Astles, Professor Gordon Becket and Professor Paul Rutter. The School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences is part of the College of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences. The School is well resourced, with a thriving community of PhD and MSc students.
Informal Enquiries/Information: Additional information on the studentship may be obtained by emailing, Dr Sarah Wilson () Please note that applications sent directly to this email address will not be considered

Research Student Specification

Studentship Ref Number / RS/15/32 / Closing Date: / 12/05/2016 /
Project Title: / Can professionalism be measured? /
School: / Pharmacy & Biomedical Sciences /
Contact: / Dr Sarah Wilson; /
Attributes / Essential / Desirable / Measured By
Education/Qualifications / A 2:1 (or above) degree in pharmacy, psychology or one of the Social Sciences, or a closely related discipline
A 2:1 (or above) grade for final year dissertation element of the undergraduate degree / Master’s degree (merit level or above) including a significant research element / Application form, CV, transcript, interview and references /
Experience / Experience of qualitative and quantitative methodologies.
Experience of completing a research project at least at final-year undergraduate level / Experience of using quantitative and/or qualitative research methods.
Experience of completing a research project at Masters level / Application form, CV, transcript, interview and references /
Skills/Abilities / Proven practical and theoretical skills in relevant subject area, demonstrating good subject knowledge
Demonstrable research skills
Effective researcher with excellent written and oral communication skills
Good IT (particularly MS Office software) and numeracy skills
Good independent worker / Click here to enter text. / Application form, CV, transcript, interview and references /
Personal Details / Reliable and dependable
Ability to work effectively and efficiently as an individual and as a member of a team
Excellent time management skills with demonstrable prioritisation of work
Demonstrable ability to meet specific deadlines
Excellent interpersonal skills
Self-motivated and enthusiastic about research / Click here to enter text. / Application form, CV, transcript, interview and references /