Anglia Ruskin University

The Professional Doctorate in Health and Social Care is a two-stage programme. You can undertake stage one as a full-time student over a period of 15 months, or as a part-time student over 15-30 months. You will then undertake stage two as a part-time student only over a period of 20-60 months. You should typically plan to complete your doctorate study within a time frame of four years' part time study alongside your professional employment.

Stage 1
This stage is a structured programme of study, during which you write three critical papers. As part of a cohort of students, you will progressively develop the skills required to undertake independent research in a professional context. You are required to attend a number of workshops to support the development of your research questions and your methodology. Each paper will be approximately 7,000 words in length and will provide the opportunity:

• to reflect critically on your professional practice
• to develop the specific skills, knowledge and understanding you will need to undertake the independent research thesis in the next stage.

Stage 2
This stage is an original research component, supported by further workshops and academic support. Throughout this stage you will have a supervisory team, usually comprising two academic staff, in addition to the ongoing contact with other students in your cohort and the wider programme.

Supervision and support

During stage one, you will attend workshops through which you will gain academic and peer support. Academic advisers will be able to support your work. During stage two, you will have a supervisory team and continue to attend some workshops. Your supervisors are experienced academics who will give guidance and criticism as you develop your thesis. You are required to maintain a log of these supervisory sessions - these notes must be agreed with those supervisors present at the meetings and sent to all members of the supervisory team. You will have an annual monitoring progress review that will be chaired by an academic outside of this team.

Facilities

You will have access to computer support and can log on to Anglia Ruskin website for instant 24-hour access to library resources and study materials.

Our Faculty provides a stimulating research environment and infrastructure. Support activities for students undertaking research programmes include workshops and sessions on research strategies; "Research Matters" seminars, where visiting researchers can present research in progress; "Brown Bag" lunchtime seminars, informal discussions on research issues and current debates in the field, research updates and information on funding, training conferences and bursaries.

Funding

side from self-funding or funding by your employer, charities and trusts (competitively sought after, as are Research Council Awards), or career, graduate, and professional study loans may be available. Useful links include the Educational Grants Advisory Service (EGAS) for information on educational trusts, or www.direct.gov.uk for bank loans at competitive rates, or visit your local high street bank for more information.

Career development and training

Research is an integral part of our Faculty of Health & Social Care and Education. We provide a creative and energetic environment for undertaking research that addresses real issues across the full spectrum of health and social care and education.

We currently focus on the core areas of Acute care, Public and Mental Health, Childhood in Society and Communities, Social Inclusion and Participation, Professional and Practice-based Education.

We welcome proposals from students wishing to undertake higher research degrees in these areas and topics linked to staff expertise. Some of our current research projects are listed below:

Acute care

• Patient reported experience measures (PREMS) COPD
• Social Innovation Platform for Active and Healthy Ageing and Research Activities to Develop New Products that Improve the Quality of Life of Older Citizens and Society as a Whole (SAHARA)
• Evaluation of 'A Year in the Life' COPD Project in Outer North East London (ONEL)
• Supporting carers in their care: The hospice setting
• Effectiveness of pre-habilitation exercise for laparoscopic colorectal patients

Public Health

• Health promotion and Public Health in Nursing
• HIV/Hepatitis C/Drug Misuse
• Emergency care/Accident and Emergency
• Community development and minority health with a special focus on Gypsy/ Roma health
• Early years overweight and obesity
• Health visiting
• Patient-Provider communication for behaviour change
• Public health nutrition
• Dental/oral public health
• Healthcare decision making and behaviour
• Quality of Care and health improvement

Family and Child Health

• Making Involvement Matter in Essex
• ESTEEM (Effective Support for Self Help/Mutual Aid Groups)
• Participation and Responsibility in Modern European Healthcare (PRIME)
• Self-Help/Mutual Aid Groups in Health & Social Care: Exploring their role in the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities
• Taking Place Seriously. Young people's use and perceptions of space.
• Guidelines on Alternative Care
• Foster care in Europe
• Social care in Croatia
• EU Initial Training Network
• Street Life Safety
• Citizenship
• Italian Community Policing
• Rural Inequalities
• Kidesye: Young People's Perspectives on Risky Places
• The Economic Crisis and Violence against Women
• Deaf Young People experiences of Victimization
• Fenland Transitions Project
• Cambridge and Peterborough Mental Health Trust Evaluation of Cambridgeshire County Councils experience with the Hackney Model of Child Protection
• Assessing Parenting Project
• Impact of CSV on Child Protection Outcomes

Education

• Evaluation of Social Services Training
• Evaluation of Make Believe Arts Helicopter Storytelling Technique
• Service Families Decisions About Childcare
• Evaluation of Safeguarding
• Investigation of the Benefits of Forest Activities
• Initial Training Network on Youth Employment
• Initial Training Network on Looked After Children
• International Research Community on Outdoor Learning
• EU SUPREME Suicide prevention project
• Outsourcing of e-learning platforms
• Balancing the demands of in-school placement with out-of-school study
• 3D Warehouse
• Enterprising Academic
• Mobile Technology is secondary education
• Virtual Incident Crime Environment (VICE)
• Digital Equalities
• Impact of Early Years Professional Status on outcomes for children

Allied Health

• Reflexology and stress reduction in patients with breast cancer
• Stress in the Workplace: An Appreciative Approach
• Intervention by an acute psychotherapeutic and counselling service to reduce frequent attendances and admission to acute medical services by patients attending for non-medical or only partially-medical reasons
• Using self-efficacy in science to promote bioscience learning by pre-registration
• A RCT of the effectiveness of pre- and post-operative exercise regimes on postoperative outcome measures and quality of life following laparoscopic colorectal surgery
• Engagement, procedural justice and stress outcomes in a public sector organisation

A candidate seeking direct entry to our Professional Doctorate will normally hold a Masters degree in an appropriate cognate area awarded by a UK University, or an overseas Masters degree of equivalent standard, provided that the degree included training in research and the execution of a research project or dissertation. Candidates should normally also have appropriate professional experience. However, there are exceptions to this so do contact us if in doubt. If a candidate has appropriate professional experience but does not have a Masters degree, it is possible to gain entry to the Professional Masters or Postgraduate Diploma in Professional Research. Successful completion of these would enable transfer into the Professional Doctorate.