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Background
The College of Radiographers (CoR) launched the Formal Radiography Research Mentorship (FoRRM) scheme in 2015, with the aim to increase research capacity and quality in radiography, as well as to offer a formal way to support future research leaders.
'As professionals, research is essential to underpin our clinical practice, and we need the skills and confidence to facilitate such work. The overarching vision of The Society and College of Radiographers Research Strategy is to improve patient care and outcomes by continuing to develop, grow and implement a high quality evidence base that addresses patient-focused priorities.' Rachel Harris, Head of Professional Practice and Education.
In 2017, FoRRM1 welcomed the first cohort of 12 individuals, followed by 17 participants for FoRRM2 in 2019 and a cohort of 10 for FoRRM3 in 2022 (postponed from 2020 due to the global pandemic).
Open to members of the Society of Radiographers (SoR), successful applicants were paired with expert research radiographers who provided one to one mentorship and guidance for a range of research activities, aligned to the goals of the cohort.
Improving patient care
Research plays an important role in improving and enhancing patient care. Practical outcomes of healthcare research projects can provide patients with new treatment and care options.
The FoRRM scheme equipts radiographers with the knowledge and skills to undertake research in their area of practice, with the view to improving the patient experience.
Below two FoRRM alumni, share their experiences of the programme and how it helped them improve patient care:
Learn more
Of the initiative, Dr Christina Malamateniou (FoRRM Steering Committee Lead) said:
"We are excited to continue this the work of supporting the new generation of radiographer researchers.
The scheme has achieved so much thanks to the successful partnerships between our expert research radiographer mentors and our highly motivated and enthusiastic mentees.
Our cohorts have such a variety of positive research outcomes: they have submitted abstracts, published their work, presented at conferences, have written up ethics proposals, received pump priming research funding, set up their own research hub locally and recently a few have started their PhDs, all these managing busy clinical careers.
We are really looking forward future groups of mentors and mentees and seeing the positive impact their joint projects have on the patient experience."
To learn more about FoRRM and how the scheme benefits both patients and radiographers, please listen to this short interview with Dr Christina Malamateniou: