2021 University College Cork, PhD Scholarships programme for Nurses and Midwives.

6 May 2021

Applications now Close Friday 21_st May 2021 at 17.00 hours Irish time 

The School of Nursing and Midwifery is offering funded scholarships to support the fees for full-time and part-time entry into the PhD programme in September 2021.

 PhD Scholarships programme for Nurses and Midwives

Option 1. PhD Scholarships offer full EU academic fees funding for three years

Option 2. Part-time PhD Scholarships offer EU academic fees for six years on a part-time basis

A dissemination bursary for an open access publication of up to €2,500 is available. In addition, there is an option of up to 120 hours of part-time teaching per annum, which is paid separately on a part-time hourly basis.

The scholarships are open to registered nurses and midwives, who are excited by research, have a strong desire to enhance clinical practice and contribute to evidence-based approaches to care. The School of Nursing and Midwifery PhD Scholarship offers a pathway to nurses and midwives to conduct research by choosing one of titles from the research clusters within the school as outlined:

Enhancing Cancer Awareness & Survivorship Programmes (ECASP group)

Title: Developing and pilot testing an intervention promoting cognitive function in patients with cancer experiencing “chemo-brain”

Aim: To develop and pilot test an intervention promoting cognitive function in patients with cancer experiencing “chemo-brain.

Title: “Look, Feel, Tell: A breast Awareness Intervention for Women with a Mild Intellectual Disability (ID)”

Aim: To develop and evaluate the feasibility of the “Look, Feel, Tell” (LFT-ID) breast awareness intervention for women with a mild intellectual Disability (ID).

Maternity, Families and Primary Care Research Group

Title: An eHealth intervention to improve psychosocial outcomes for women in the perinatal period

Aim: To develop and test the feasibility of a Person-Centred Psychosocial eHealth intervention underpinned by theory to improve psychosocial outcomes (anxiety, stress and depression) of women in the perinatal period.

Title: The development and pilot testing of an intervention to enhance the initiation and continuation of breastfeeding

Aim: To develop and pilot test an intervention to enhance the initiation and continuation of breastfeeding

Supporting Aging in the 21st Century (SAge21) Research Group

Title: Implementing fundamental care principles on nutrition, mobilisation and cognitive engagement into an acute care stroke unit 

Aim: To use a co-production approach with nursing and the wider Multidisciplinary Team to improve ward culture and practice in relation to fundamental care

Title: Improving advanced care planning in acute care settings 

Aim: To examine current practices and use a co-production approach to develop Advance Care Planning tools and associated communication skills. 

Healthcare Workforce Research Group

Title: The development, testing and implementation of an instrument to measure missed care in long-term residential settings.

Aim: To identify and develop an instrument that will be used in long-term residential settings to measure the association between nurse staffing and missed care.

Title: Factors related to the recruitment and retention of nursing staff in long-term residential settings.

Aim: To measure the association between the working environment and staff retention and recruitment in long-term residential settings.

Healthcare Ethics and End-of-life Care Research Group

Title: Shared and supported decision-making with people with intellectual disability receiving palliative care.

Aim: To examine shared and supported decision-making practices with people with intellectual disability receiving palliative care, in the context of the commencement of the Assisted Decision Making (Capacity) Act 2015.

Title: A day in the life of … nurses’ professional and personal caring responsibilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aim: To explore how nurses coped with professional and personal caring responsibilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mental Health and Well-being Research Group

Title: Development of a digital mental health promotion tool for vulnerable populations (e.g., School children, young adults, marginalised groups, staff working with vulnerable populations, those who misuse substances).  

Aims: To develop and implement an intervention to promote wellbeing among a vulnerable population using an implementation science approach.

To develop and evaluate a care pathway tool for mental health promotion and prevention with a vulnerable population.

Title: M-POWER (Mental Health- Preparing for Ownership of Wellbeing to Enhance Recovery): Development of a digital shared decision-making mental health tool

Aims: To develop and implement an intervention to empower people to better manage their mental health and well-being and prepare them for interactions with health care providers.

To improve people’s mental health literacy with the aim of increasing engagement in and adherence to effective strategies for mental health promotion and prevention.

To provide people with a suite of new tools to help them to make informed decisions about their mental wellbeing and mental health care needs.

Application Process

Potential applicants are asked to choose one of the above titles and develop a research proposal under the headings provided. Please submit your CV and the 3-page proposal to Ms Therese Ahern via email therese.ahern@ucc.ie by 21st May 2021 at 17.00 hours Irish time. Shortlisted applicants will be invited for Interview on June 4th 2021 via MS Teams and the commencement date for registration is September 1st 2021.

The proposal will be evaluated based on the clarity, coherence and feasibility of the project with marks assigned on the two categories above.