Preparing Patients for Communication in the ICU

The scholarship on offer is valued at AU$84,276 over three years with the School providing approximately AU$1500 annually over the three-year candidature to support the candidate’s research activities. Expressions of interest are now sought from applicants who are keen to investigate a communication intervention designed to improve the quality and safety of care for patients entering the ICU.

UTS offers an innovative and stimulating scientific environment underpinned by the UTS Research Strategy. The UTS Research Strategy 2016–20 details an ambitious plan to support the University’s growing national and international reputation as a leading teaching and research institution. The University’s overall strategic goal is to increase the intensity, excellence, impact, and reputation of its research. To support the University’s research direction in Health, the Graduate School of Health (GSH) is offering this scholarship in the discipline of Speech Pathology.

Aim and Supervisory Team

The candidate will explore the feasibility and impact of a pre-admission communication training designed to enhance the communication and patient engagement during ICU admissions. The primary supervisor, Dr Amy Freeman-Sanderson, will supervise the project entitled “Design, feasibility, and evaluation of a pre-admission communication training to enhance patient communication and engagement during admission to ICU”. Dr Freeman-Sanderson’s own PhD focused on critical care communication for tracheostomy patients. She is a specialist speech pathologist with an honorary position at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and the first speech pathologist to have been awarded the status of Honorary Fellow at the George Institute for Global Health. Co-supervision at UTS will be provided by Professor Bronwyn Hemsley, Head of Speech Pathology. Professor Hemsley is a research leader with 20 years of experience in hospital communication research and 11 years postdoctoral and research supervision experience. World leading interdisciplinary critical care researchers based in hospital settings will also guide the research. As such, the candidate will enjoy strong institutional support from both University and industry partners in a vital area of critical care research.

Who can apply?

The research project is suitable for eligible applicants (see below) who wish to pursue research in the areas of communication disability, ICU and enhancing person centred care. We welcome applicants with a background in allied health, medicine, or nursing, as well as those with any prior experience in critical or acute care or patient-provider communication.

The applicant will be supported with a mix of research methods teaching and researcher development modules provided throughout the PhD program. PhD candidates are also supported to attend professional development in research with colleagues in the School and to present their work regularly.

Scholarship Value

• The full-time stipend rate associated with the scholarships is $28,092.00 per annum tax exempt. The total value of the scholarship is AU$84,276 over three years. It is available to suitable domestic and international applicants.
• Tuition fees for domestic (Australian citizen or permanent visa holder) applicants are automatically covered by the Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) Fees Offset (Domestic). A successful international applicant may be offered a UTS International Tuition Fee Waiver.
• Please note that this scholarship is governed by RTPS Conditions of Award. The successful candidate must commence in either Spring 2020 intake.
• In addition to the scholarship, the Graduate School of Health also provides approximately $1,500 per annum to directly support the research related activities (conference travel, training, copy editing, participant recruitment, etc.).

Essential requirements

To be considered for the PhD, applicants must have:

• a completed a Masters (at least two years) with a major research component (a thesis component of approximately 50 per cent of the degree and 20,000 words) at distinction level, unless the following exemption applies
• PhD applicants may be exempt from having to demonstrate either (a) a completed Masters with a major research component if they can also demonstrate:
  • equivalence through having completed a research-intensive undergraduate degree (e.g., with a substantive honours research project), or,
  • capacity to undertake independent research through prior research engagement (e.g., as a research assistant with responsibilities in the conduct of research with publication in peer reviewed journals).
• PhD applicants must also demonstrate their interest in the area of research and their strong quantitative, analytical, and writing skills.

Contact

To discuss your eligibility for entry into the PhD program in Speech Pathology, and prior to preparing your application materials, please contact Dr Amy Freeman-Sanderson so that you can discuss your eligibility and the development of the application.

Name: Dr Amy Freeman-Sanderson
Email:  Amy.Freeman-Sanderson@uts.edu.au
Phone: +61 2 9514 7201

Applications close 30 June 2020