Transcript for Bethan Jenkins Research Journey video

Contents

Text on screen: Bethan Jenkins Research Story

Text on screen: Please tell us a little about yourself 

Bethan: My name is Bethan Jenkins, I am a dietician by background.

I have got several roles at the moment, so I work part-time as the lead clinical adult dietician at University Hospital Southampton where my specialty is critical care.

And then I also have a role within the NIHR as a pre-doctoral clinical academic fellow,

where I am doing some research into enteral feeding intolerance in critical care primarily.

Text on screen: Tell us how you first got into research 

Bethan: I completed an NIHR internship in 2017 and that was the first research that I had really done where I felt like I wanted to do some projects and I just didn't have enough time within my clinical role

And there were lots and lots of ideas I had, so I applied for that internship as a way of having a little bit of time out, a little bit of time set aside and ringfenced to do some research.

And I really enjoyed that and then I wanted to do some more research in the same area, build on that research that I had done.So that's what sort of inspired me to come to where I am now.

Text on screen: Who has inspired you on your research journey?

Bethan: My supervisors have been brilliant and they've been really motivational and inspirational for me. I'm supervised by Professor Phillip Calder and Dr Luise Marino

who have both got such extensive research experience that they have been able to provide me with lots of advice and lots of guidance. And they have been the people that have probably inspired me and guided me the most.

Text on screen: What advice would you give someone looking to get into research?

Bethan: I think you have to build up a network around you and you have to speak to people, you have to identify good supervisors who are going to support you and talk to people talk to people who are doing research in your local area, people in your speciality who are doing research and take lots of advice from them.

Text on screen: Is there anything else you’d like to share?

Bethan: Just if you're interested in research then definitely give it a go if it's something that you feel you'd like to get into, talk to people around you, get support of others, find out more about it.

There's definitely ways of getting into research that's not maybe a full-time career but you can just dip your toe in the water, see if you like it, look at things like the internships and the short term projects that maybe will give you a bit of a taster to find out if you like it.