My name is Rhianne Bostock. I am Registered CRP at Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust. I have worked in Primary Care, Palliative care and now Mental Health.

Being a CRP is an incredibly rewarding and challenging role. During the pandemic, I saw first-hand how CRPs were stepping up and helping to deliver research in ways we hadn’t before. It showcased how hard working and capable we all are and that we deserve our own identity alongside the other incredible healthcare professionals we work with.

I am the CRP Lead within my team and a regional CRP Champion. I am supporting my fellow CRPs with completing their applications for registration. I am scheduling quarterly local meetings for the CRPs where we can discuss any updates, issues and support with reflective writing.

All new CRPs in our team are assigned a mentor when they first start. This person guides them through an introduction to the Competency Framework and helps structure their goals in order to help them achieve what they wish in their role. I created a new starter Research Delivery Training Log which enables all staff to have the same level of training from the beginning.

Within my team I am the lead on several studies. The CRP registration provides me with my own identity and recognition. When I introduce my role to people I am able to say I am a ‘Registered Clinical Research Practitioner’. Since completing my registration I am looking at ways to progress in my own role and encourage the other CRPs in my team to do the same.

”Rhianne promotes the CRP role and the accredited registration within her trust and beyond. We need more CRP advocates like Rhianne. What could you do to help our profession grow? Please step forward and take action. If you need support contact maya.leach@nihr.ac.uk