Building research capacity in musculoskeletal health: qualitative evaluation of a graduate Nurse and Allied Health Professional internship programme

Background: Evidence based practice enhances service planning and delivery, clinical decision making and patient care. However, health professionals often lack the time and opportunity to access or generate evidence. Research capacity building is thus an important mechanism for improving health service delivery. This study evaluates the effectiveness of a Nurse and Allied Health Professional musculoskeletal research internship programme and explores the experiences of interns and their mentors. Methods: Sixteen new graduates completed the internship programme (September 2015 – August 2018). Twelve interns and thirteen mentors participated in the evaluation. The evaluation used qualitative asynchronous email-based interviews to explore the experiences of interns and mentors. Interpretive phenomenological analysis of coded transcripts identified principal themes. Results: Early research outputs from the interns include three peer reviewed publications and 21 conference abstract presentations. Two interns were in full time research at the time of interview or had a research component in their clinical role. Nine interns in clinical posts disclosed plans to return to research in the near future. Seven themes were identified: the impact on interns’ careers (e.g. changing perceptions of research); personal impact (e.g. confidence); impact on clinical practice (e.g. supporting evidence based practice); drivers for applying (e.g. assisting career choices); intervention design (e.g. appropriate timing and duration); mentorship and networking (e.g. general support and advice on career pathways); challenges (e.g. continuing with research when in full time clinical practice). Conclusion: The internship programme is an effective model in building research capacity in MSK research for Nurses and Allied Health Professionals, influencing careers, building confidence and improving clinical practice. The internship programme has the potential to be replicable to other clinical contexts nationally and internationally.