SFHEA, MSc THLP
Annie came to education after a successful career in paediatric intensive care nursing in London and Bristol for over 18 years. She is the currently the School Education Director for Bristol Medical School and the Programme Director for the Teaching and Learning for Healthcare Professional Programmes (bristol.ac.uk/tlhp). She holds Senior Fellowship of AdvanceHE, and is currently in the thesis stage of her Doctorate in Education.
She is the Director of BMERG, which she conceptualised as part of her vision to build the infrastructure needed to enhance the educational research portfolio at Bristol Medical School. Annie welcomes any ideas to develop cross-programme collaboration on educational research projects.
Research Areas: workplace learning, exploring collaborative practice across health professions, interprofessional learning.
What are your current medical education research projects on?
- Power dynamics between doctors and nurses, who holds hegemony in patient care decision-making
- Gaining postgraduate clinical education qualifications, the impact on practice and pedagogical identity: A UK national multi-centre study
What was your first role or job as an educator?
Nurse Specialist in Paediatric Resuscitation and Medical Emergencies
What inspired you to become an educator and/or education researcher?
I vividly remember what it was like being a student/junior nurse and being vaguely terrified. I hope I can make that feeling a little bit less through my teaching.
What job would you do if you were not a medical educator/researcher?
Professional sleeper! zzzz
What challenges have you faced in your journey as a medical education researcher and how have you overcome these?
I feel like I have lots of good ideas or have implemented innovative things within teaching, but it’s having the confidence to write about them…and the time! As a Pathway 3, I always teach, so time is significantly limited to do this.
What is your favourite quote?
“Saying nothing… sometimes says the most” Emily Dickinson
What helps you to maintain your work life balance as a medical educator/researcher?
Carve out dedicated writing time whenever possible. There do tend to be quieter days and small chunks of time can be useful to get things done. For example, 1-3 hours on a Friday afternoon is a reasonable amount to block out in your calendar, avoid meetings, turn off the email and focus.
Who are your medical education/education research role models?
Braun and Clarke in the general research arena, just because they write/speak so articulately and make tricky concepts easy to understand. Stephen Billett has done some excellent research in medical education, mainly on collaborative practice, and professional learning in hospitals and again writes his articles in a concise and coherent manner.
What three top tips would you give to new medical education researchers?
- Find a buddy to write with
- Celebrate (and write about) what you achieve in your teaching
- Join BMERG!