Within the professional competence research area there are several themes:
- The Art and Science of Care
- Critical and Acute Care Practice
- Learning through Simulation,
- Decision Making in emergency situations
- Grounded Theory
The research area covers the research of staff and doctoral students with an interest in acute and critical care practice. As such the area fosters research into how practitioners acquire expertise from clinical practice and for clinical practice. The research has a specific interest to illuminate salient decision making to provide intentional therapeutic interventions. How to involve patients and the public in shaping the competencies of practitioners is a growing area of research. Research normally takes place in the real world of clinical practice but essentially on occasion, simulated clinical environments.
This area provides a forum for discussion of research activities, for sharing expertise in methods and research approaches in particular second generation grounded theory, classic grounded theory or Dimensional Analysis. It has links with clinicians from local Trusts and other academics at the University of Brighton and has strong collaborative partnerships with colleagues in the Universities of Plymouth, Monash, and La Trobe Universities (Australia).
The profile of the area includes practitioners of all disciplines with an interest in the field of acute and critical care practice. They collaborate with staff from other parts of the university, e.g. Brighton and Sussex Medical School, colleagues from the Brighton Centre for Regenerative Medicine and with acute and critical care clinicians and leading academics.
The group holds critical fora to help focus research bids and hosts a special interest group in grounded theory that meets at least three times a year inviting eminent guests, including Barney Glaser. We value all research that aims to make a difference to the patient’s experience in acute and critical care situations and researchers who hold a passion to share ideas and knowledge to enhance professional care and competence.