{"id":1827,"date":"2025-07-29T11:23:15","date_gmt":"2025-07-29T11:23:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/?p=1827"},"modified":"2025-08-20T09:50:16","modified_gmt":"2025-08-20T09:50:16","slug":"reflections-on-sapc-why-ahps-still-struggle-to-get-into-research-by-ali-bingham-1st-year-phd-student","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/2025\/07\/29\/reflections-on-sapc-why-ahps-still-struggle-to-get-into-research-by-ali-bingham-1st-year-phd-student\/","title":{"rendered":"Reflections on SAPC: Why AHPs still struggle to get into research, by Ali Bingham (1st year PhD student)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/07\/AB-SAPC-photo-1024x768.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1829\" style=\"width:642px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/07\/AB-SAPC-photo-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/07\/AB-SAPC-photo-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/07\/AB-SAPC-photo-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/07\/AB-SAPC-photo-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/07\/AB-SAPC-photo-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>I recently had the chance to speak at the Society for Academic Primary Care (SAPC) annual scientific meeting in Cardiff, a brilliant event that brings together researchers, clinicians, and academics from across the country.&nbsp; I was part of a workshop focusing on some of the important and significant challenges Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) face when trying to get involved in research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Standing in front of a room full of experienced professionals was a bit nerve-wracking (hello imposter syndrome), but it ended up being a valuable experience and one I\u2019ll definitely take a lot from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I delivered a short talk on a topic close to my heart: why it\u2019s still so hard for many AHPs to access research opportunities, despite the growing emphasis on evidence-based practice and innovation in healthcare. I was lucky to be joined by two fantastic colleagues \u2014 Tomazo Kallis, a pharmacist and PhD student here in Exeter, and Hannah Brady Sawant, a nurse and clinical research advisor working in Leeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this blog, I wanted to share some highlights from our session and some reflections from the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Why This Conversation Matters<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As AHPs \u2014 whether we\u2019re physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, and alongside our colleagues in pharmacy and nursing, we see firsthand the impact that high-quality research can have on patient care. We bring ideas, insights, and frontline experience that can shape meaningful research. Yet, despite all this, many of us still struggle to find a way into research roles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Common Barriers AHPs Face<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a group, we talked through some of the main challenges that come up time and again for AHPs wanting to get involved in research:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Not enough protected time<\/strong> \u2014 Our clinical roles are busy, and carving out time for research is often not part of the job.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Unclear career paths<\/strong> \u2014 Compared to medicine, research pathways for AHPs and other groups are still developing. It can feel fragmented and unclear where to start.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Low confidence and visibility<\/strong> \u2014 If you\u2019ve never seen someone in your profession doing research, it\u2019s easy to think it\u2019s not for you.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Lack of priority<\/strong> \u2014 AHPs and others often get left out when research funding, strategy, or support are planned which makes it even harder to break in.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>A Shared Experience \u2014 and a Sense of Momentum<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the best things about being part of this session was hearing from others who had faced the same challenges. It was encouraging to see how much this topic resonated, and there was a real sense that change is not only needed \u2014 it\u2019s coming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We talked about a few things that could help move things forward:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Shining a light on existing AHP research role models<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Making research time a proper part of clinical roles<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Creating mentoring and support networks<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Recognising research as part of our identity as AHPs, not just a bonus or extra<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What I Took Away<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For me, this was more than just an opportunity to present, it was something that really reaffirmed why I\u2019m doing what I\u2019m doing. Being invited to speak at SAPC made me feel seen and valued as an AHP with a voice in the research space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It also left me more motivated to help build the kind of environment where others feel supported to pursue research, whether that\u2019s through mentoring, collaboration, or simply continuing to speak up about the barriers we face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thank you to Rupert Payne for the invitation, &nbsp;and to everyone who shared their thoughts and experiences on the day.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/07\/AB-SAPC-programme-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1831\" style=\"width:401px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/07\/AB-SAPC-programme-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/07\/AB-SAPC-programme-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/07\/AB-SAPC-programme-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/07\/AB-SAPC-programme-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/07\/AB-SAPC-programme-rotated.jpg 1870w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I recently had the chance to speak at the Society for Academic Primary Care (SAPC) annual scientific meeting in Cardiff, a brilliant event that brings together researchers, clinicians, and academics from across the country.&nbsp; I was part of a workshop focusing on some of the important and significant challenges Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) face when [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":989,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49,47],"tags":[87,83,71,81],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.0 - 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