Greetings all! , a couple of student projects have come our way which may be of interest. These are being conducted by university students, both in their third year of study and are not NRAS studies, so do make direct contact with the student in question if you'd like to pursue either of them.

This one, the second for today, is from Fiona Allan in Chester, studying Occupational Therapy at Wrexham:
CONTACT: fiona.36@btinternet.com

Below is a quick summary of what Fiona is looking for....

I would like to explore the impact of rheumatoid arthritis on employment. Occupational Therapy as a profession is concerned with promoting health and well-being through occupation. Its primary goal is to enable people to participate in the activities of everyday life. Occupational Therapists recognise the importance of work and have become increasingly involved in vocational rehabilitation in the UK over the past decade. We consider the impact of work disability not only from a financial perspective, but also from a personal view point, in terms of aspects such as individual identity, self esteem and social roles.

I understand that employment is a critical issue for many people with Rheumatoid Arthritis and that a large number of people give up work or retire early as a direct result of their condition. The overall aims of my research project would be:
- to explore the impact of rheumatoid arthritis on accessing, remaining in or returning to work, from the point of view of a person with rheumatoid arthritis;
- to explore the meanings of the participant's experience;
- to explore the implications of the participant's experience for occupational therapy practice.

The study would be exploratory in nature and based on a phenomenological approach. I would like to interview a person with rheumatoid arthritis who has battled with the challenge of remaining in paid employment for several years. The interview would last about an hour and half and would be unstructured, broad and conversational. I would be simply asking the person to describe what they had experienced and the circumstances of events. I would send an information leaflet to any interested participants, summarising the nature and purpose of the research. This would also outline the rights of the participants (such as the voluntary nature of the research and the right to withdraw) and include any advantages and disadvantages of taking part. I would ensure confidentiality in the research, using pseudonyms for the participant's name and any locations mentioned. I would of course be prepared to carry out the interview in a location convenient for the participant.

I live in Chester, so would ideally like to meet someone in the North West, however I am willing to travel further if needs be.


Thank you all for getting in touch with Fiona if you can help her with this project