Clinical Academia: Getting Started
Sep 9, 2026 · 44 min · 12 segments
How do occupational therapists get started in research, and how can they build a clinical academic career alongside practice?In this episode of Clinical Academia: Getting Started, host Dr Judith…
Tracey ElderGuest
Gail MountainGuest
Judith JohnsonHost
Um, so one of the things that I'm really curious about is how people make research work alongside a clinical role and clinical responsibilities.
How have you made it work doing this NIHR internship alongside keeping up your clinical role?
It's been really difficult, um, at times, but also really rewarding, and I'm glad that I've done it.
Um, so I currently have one day a week, which is a research day, and then four days a week I work clinically, and I'm fortunate that my managers do give me some flexibility.
So although my research day is usually a Thursday, I'm able to swap days so that, for example, I can come here or I can, you know, if, if, if I want to see, um-
... uh, a group of, of people to do some PPIE work and they meet on a Tuesday, I can swap my days around.
So I'm really fortunate that there is that flexibility, but it's not always easy, I have to admit.
When there are deadlines, and I've just got that one day a week, um, and I've got a busy weekend because I've got a family, it can be really difficult.
Um, luckily, it's exciting and interesting to me, so I don't mind staying up late, but, uh, it, it's not always easy.
Whereas if I had a full-time research post, then I would be able to work, I think, a lot more organically.
it would flow better instead of having to stop for a whole week before I get back to it.
Um, and I think that the idea of different pillars within occupational therapy, and one of those pillars being research i- is really important.
Gail, your story's really interesting because rather than sort of struggling to manage the work/life balance, um, or the clinical work/research work balance rather, um, when you were getting started, you took it as a more flexible option because it wasn't-
Um, so one of the things that I'm really curious about is how people make research work alongside a clinical role and clinical responsibilities.
How have you made it work doing this NIHR internship alongside keeping up your clinical role?
It's been really difficult, um, at times, but also really rewarding, and I'm glad that I've done it.
Um, so I currently have one day a week, which is a research day, and then four days a week I work clinically, and I'm fortunate that my managers do give me some flexibility.
So although my research day is usually a Thursday, I'm able to swap days so that, for example, I can come here or I can, you know, if, if, if I want to see, um-
... uh, a group of, of people to do some PPIE work and they meet on a Tuesday, I can swap my days around.
So I'm really fortunate that there is that flexibility, but it's not always easy, I have to admit.
When there are deadlines, and I've just got that one day a week, um, and I've got a busy weekend because I've got a family, it can be really difficult.
Um, luckily, it's exciting and interesting to me, so I don't mind staying up late, but, uh, it, it's not always easy.
Whereas if I had a full-time research post, then I would be able to work, I think, a lot more organically.
it would flow better instead of having to stop for a whole week before I get back to it.
Um, and I think that the idea of different pillars within occupational therapy, and one of those pillars being research i- is really important.
Gail, your story's really interesting because rather than sort of struggling to manage the work/life balance, um, or the clinical work/research work balance rather, um, when you were getting started, you took it as a more flexible option because it wasn't-
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