When Sandra Dyer started her PhD at King’s College London’s Cicely Saunders Institute in February 2025, it marked the end of a years-long journey – one that included two fellowship applications, job changes, and moments of questioning whether research was “for nurses like me.” But here’s what she learned: the path into research isn’t always linear, and for any emerging researchers, resilience and a strong support network make all the difference.
When clinical questions need research answers
Sandra’s route to a PhD wasn’t a straight line from graduation. After qualifying and working as a nurse for a number of years, she completed an MSc in Advanced Practice in 2015. It was during her Master’s research – a qualitative study exploring why community nurses struggled to discuss advanced care planning with patients – that something clicked. “I was very interested in people’s experiences and interpretation of healthcare,” she explains.
Following her Masters, she transitioned into cancer-related project work, and those research skills became immediately relevant. Running focus groups, evaluating projects, thinking strategically about evidence generation – it all connected. “Being involved in project evaluations and, more strategically, really thinking about how you generate evidence and commission support from stakeholders and policymakers… that’s why I started thinking about a PhD.”
For Sandra, whose clinical practice centered on patients with long-term conditions and multi-morbidity, her PhD wasn’t just an academic next step. It was about developing the methodical evaluation skills she needed to answer real-world questions from her years at the bedside.
The application reality: When persistence counts
Finding the path wasn’t straightforward. Working part-time across different NHS settings, Sandra struggled to identify who could help. “There wasn’t an obvious person to go to,” she recalls. Through conversations with senior nursing leaders, she eventually found supervisors and identified funding routes.
Her first application, to the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) School for Primary Care Research, got her shortlisted and interviewed, but she was not offered a position. Disappointed but determined, Sandra prepared intensively for her second attempt: the NIHR Doctoral Clinical and Practitioner Academic Fellowship, a highly competitive scheme. Despite extensive interview preparation, she didn’t get the place, but received some helpful feedback.
Then came the knockout blow: NHS funding cuts left her redundant. The fellowship pathway required a regular employer, but her remaining clinical work was locum and self-employed. “It was then really difficult to think about how I was going to do another application,” she says.
That’s when Sandra started looking for other PhD opportunities. An advert from King’s College London’s Cicely Saunders Institute caught her eye – with a PhD project examining palliative care for people with multi-morbidity. It aligned perfectly with her clinical background. This time, after meeting with supervisors and feeling confident about the support on offer, her application succeeded.
“If you didn’t have that persistence and tenacity, you’d give up and say, ‘Oh, this is just too difficult,’” Sandra reflects. “How many nurses have PhDs? Not very many, so why am I going to be one of them?” The difference, she found, was having the support of a supervisory team to help her rationalise that the setbacks were not personal, but part of a competitive process.
Early days: Starting the journey towards independent research
Now almost a year into her PhD, Sandra has navigated some surprises. The biggest? Just how independent the work really is. “Every decision I make, it’s me leading it,” she explains. “There is a sense of responsibility, but also you’re really relying on your own knowledge and skills, which feels quite different to anything that I’ve done previously.” She has also been able to put her own stamp on the work, looking more at integrated primary palliative care.
Coming from a clinical background, she has also had to adjust to her new academic life. “I felt like a bit of a fish out of water initially,” she says. “It really felt like a different environment to anywhere else I’d worked previously, so it’s taken some time for me to get used to that.”
Sandra has learnt to build her own rhythm, creating weekly timetables, chunking different tasks to maintain momentum, and generally sticking to 9-to-5 hours to preserve work-life balance. “It’s really nice being in a big department with lots of other academics,” she says. “Once a week, there’s an expectation that everyone meets in-person, including PhD students, so it’s really good in terms of meeting people and building that sense of community.”
Finding your way: Advice for aspiring researchers
For nurses and others considering PhD research, Sandra’s message is clear: look for support, and don’t be afraid to ask for it.
“Whenever I’ve approached anyone for support, academics in particular, they’ve always been very generous with their time and wanting to support people starting off,” she says. “I’ve never ever had someone say no.”
Practically, that means:
- In NHS trusts: Connect with Research & Development teams who can guide you through funding applications.
- In primary care or other settings: There often isn’t a specific team dedicated to supporting research, but local NIHR infrastructure, like the Applied Research Collaborations (ARCs), can signpost opportunities, especially those related to training.
- In specialist areas: Find academics within your field and reach out directly.
Research beyond academia
Currently, Sandra is preparing for the primary research phase of her project, a realist evaluation to understand how integrated primary palliative care can support people with multi-morbidity. In June 2026, she’ll participate in an exchange programme with nursing PhD students in Vietnam, spending a week learning about nursing in a completely different cultural and healthcare context.
Post-PhD, she’s keeping an open mind. She may return to some clinical practice, but she’s particularly interested in using her evaluation skills in NHS or public sector work, possibly supporting social justice campaigns. Above all, she’s passionate about one thing: “supporting other nurses who want to get into research.”
Her journey shows one way to get into research, and that getting the appropriate support, developing your own independence and networks, and continuous learning are key.
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The Vivensa Foundation supports early career researchers across different disciplines and career stages. Learn more about our funding opportunities here.
