In the face of all the pandemic challenges, the ReSNetSLT Team have really appreciated everyone’s support and participation in our online events more than ever.
In 2020, we celebrated five years since we launched this research support initiative, and three years since we started our own Twitter handle @ReSNetSLT.
Team ReSNetSLT (that’s Hazel and our three fabulous Deputies) would like to share our view of a few high spots from 2020, as well as our personal news – all four of us have had major job changes this year!
And if you read on down this blog post, you’ll find some exciting announcements about events we have lined up for 2021.
2020:
Our calendar of events this year was planned to reflect the RCSLT’s 75th Anniversary themes.
And we thank the Research Team at RCSLT for all their support – most especially Amit and Katie.
Throughout the year, especially as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic began to bite, we focused even more than ever on the support needs for healthcare colleagues to be able to implement research into practice, to ensure safe as well as effective ways of working.
During the year, we featured several new initiatives. Don’t forget that you can catch up on all our archived blog posts, and follow the links to the full transcripts of our tweetchats.
(You can search the archived blog posts from our homepage, or use the embedded links for past tweetchats on our Calendar Tab).
In March 2020 we ran an innovative research focus group led by Sally Morgan, to generate important insights into current clinical practice.
In May 2020 we posted a short audio interview with 2 of the authors from our featured paper.
In September 2020 we promoted the launch of a new online network for SLTs planning/undertaking PhD studies. There are now over 60 members in the SLPhD Network, which offers peer-support, and has a wide range of seminars planned for next year.
In November 2020 our blog post included links to the 1st international conference for Evidence-Based Research, including our ReSNetSLT presentation.
And our final tweetchat of 2020 focused once again on the support needs for AHPs to access clinical academic career opportunities.
With over 400,000 Twitter impressions to linked accounts in that chat, we were all very happy that this was a strong end to a very busy year. Thanks again to all of YOU for taking part and joining in our conversations!
Personal news from Team ReSNetSLT:
This could not have been a busier year, with all 4 of us having major work changes – and of course all our ReSNetSLT activity is completely unpaid, over and above the ‘day job’ (Thanks Team!!)
Hi! I’m Sophie one of the ReSNetSLT deputy directors. I hold a three-day a week specialist SLT post at The Walton Centre for Neurology and Neurosciences in Liverpool.
More recently I have taken up a two-day a week Clinical-Academic researcher secondment role between Bolton NHS Trust and the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) lasting two years. My research secondment focuses on how AHP clinicians engage, interact and conduct research activity.
While the idea and practicalities of a ‘portfolio’ career is still new and challenging, it is exciting to experience how a clinical and academic career can begin to coexist! Sophie Chalmers.
The end of 2020 brings very exciting news for me as I have joined the RCSLT as a Research and Outcomes Officer and will be undertaking this role alongside my current SLT post!
I am looking forward to using my skills learnt during my Clinical Doctoral Research Fellowship to support RCSLT members with evidence-based practice.
I had anticipated that approaching the end of 2020 I would be finalising my PhD thesis and celebrating … but with the year not going fully to plan this has been slightly delayed.
Luckily, the end is in sight look forward to these celebrations and continuing my clinical academic career in 2021. Milly Heelan.
Hello! I’m Ellie and I am one of the deputy directors who help to run @ReSNetSLT.
Whilst 2020 has been a very unusual year for us all, it has been a very busy year for myself personally.
Not only have I started a new job at The Royal London Hospital, Barts NHS Trust but I have also moved from the North West to start a new adventure in London (all in the midst of a pandemic!).
I look forward to the year ahead and hope to have the opportunity to be involved in more research opportunities! Ellie Jones.
As I tweeted at the end of July, I made a decision that it was time for me to leave my post at UCLan after 14 very busy & happy years in the Allied Health Research unit there.
I knew that I wasn’t ready for full retirement, but wasn’t quite sure how I wanted to use my energies …
Well, it’s no surprise that I am now busier than ever, and really delighted to report that I am enjoying all my new roles!
I’m working part-time with the European umbrella organisation for SLT Associations, known as CPLOL since it was founded in 1988.
In 2021 CPLOL will be re-launched with a new name, and refreshed with a number of new approaches to focus on more effective delivery of benefit to the member SLT Associations, to strengthen the profile and reputation of our profession for the future, across the range of European contexts.
In addition, I am also excited to be starting a new project working with Health Education England (HEE) from January 2021.
This work will focus on strategic support for AHPs to successfully access and progress through research career routes.
It’s very energising to see so much commitment to this agenda, which has never been more timely; so I’m looking forward to being a part of this important progress.
Thanks to HEE for inviting me on board! Hazel Roddam.
2021:
And finally, as promised, here is a sneak preview of what we have planned for the year ahead … (you can link to our Calendar Tab here, but it’s not quite full yet, there’s still time to add in more new features during the year!).
At Team ReSNetSLT we are excited that our new features are going to increase direct involvement of clinical teams and services, as we are working with a number of practitioners to frame tweetchat topics around their own priority questions for quality improvement.
Team ReSNetSLT are offering support to plan and run tweetchats in partnership with clinical teams – if you would be interested in doing this too, then simply get in touch and start talking to us about your ideas!
In our previous tweetchats that focus on a specified paper, we have always aimed to invite the paper author/s to join our Twitter Journal Club conversations, as this is such an important opportunity to hear the voice of the author, and to create an equal platform for dialogue between individuals whatever their experience of research or career stage.
In 2021 we are hosting some NEW panel style “Q&A” events, to open up these opportunities to “ask the author” and to generate some deeper conversations exploring the nexus between practice and research.
We will start the year with one of these panel events – Make sure you save the date to join us on 27th January 2020, when we are delighted to host Dr Mark Jayes and Dr Paul Conroy.
Mark and Paul have recently joined the Editorial team at IJLCD, and we are looking forward to hearing all about their plans, and their advice to novice authors.
And in February 2021, we will run a fully interactive event, concurrently on Zoom and Twitter!
This could not be more topical, as we are featuring the CPLOL’s European Day theme of “Telepractice & Digital Technologies”
Make sure to join us then, to share your own experiences of working differently over the past year, and to learn how colleagues are practising in other contexts and settings.
Keep watching for a new blog post & tweets when we open the booking for the Zoom event – it’s sure to fill up fast!
So, as 2020 draws to a close, we send our very best wishes to you all.
We would like to wish you all a happy, safe and healthy year ahead.
We’ll look forward to seeing you online in the year ahead, and thank you in advance for spreading the word about ReSNetSLT – it’s completely FREE, everyone is welcome, and we assure you that we are very friendly!
Hazel