Student Casual – Summer internship in Patient Safety in Healthcare – CMH – Grade 5 – 907358 in Birmingham

This internship forms part of a major research project funded by the Midlands Patient Safety Research Collaboration (PSRC), titled “Patient safety incident reporting systems and huddle-based reporting practices in healthcare organisations.” This project examines the use, effectiveness, and impact of patient safety incident reporting systems and huddle-based reporting practices across healthcare organisations. These approaches are central to identifying risks, improving communication, and fostering a culture of safety. The research brings together expertise in patient safety, organisational behaviour, and health systems to understand how reporting practices function in real-world settings, where gaps and barriers exist, and how they can be strengthened to support learning, prevention of harm, and continuous quality improvement.

The intern will be supervised by Naureen Ali, who will provide structured guidance on evidence synthesis and other research skills needed for the project. Additional mentorship will be provided by Justin Aunger, ensuring a supportive and enriching learning environment.

The Research Intern will support a project examining patient safety incident reporting systems and huddle-based reporting practices within healthcare organisations. Working within a collaborative research team, the intern will contribute to evidence synthesis, data analysis, and interpretation of findings related to safety reporting and organisational practices. Under supervision, the intern will assist with literature reviews, qualitative and/or mixed-methods analysis, and the preparation of reports and research outputs. This role offers experience across the full research cycle, from data collection and analysis. This position is well suited to candidates interested in patient safety, applied health research, and healthcare systems.

By the end of the internship, the intern will be able to:

• Integrate qualitative and evidence synthesis methods skills in patient safety research.
• Critically evaluate incident reporting systems and safety huddles.
• Understand organisational factors influencing safety culture and reporting practices.
• Communicate research findings effectively in written and visual formats.

Main duties include:

• Support qualitative analysis of data related to incident reporting and safety huddles.
• Assist in identifying patterns in reporting behaviours and organisational practices.
• Conduct systematic or structured literature searches on patient safety reporting systems and safety huddles.
• Identify key themes, gaps, and implications for practice.
• Contribute to reports, presentations, and research outputs.
• Support communication of findings to academic and non-academic audiences.
• Participate in team meetings and supervision sessions.
• Engage in training and develop skills in patient safety research and evidence synthesis.

The application involves submitting a CV, as well as a letter of motivation (one page A4 in size 12 font) outlining: (1) your reasons for applying, (2) any background and experience and how this applies to the role, and (3) how you intend to make use of what you learn during the internship in the future. You may need to upload the CV and motivation letter together as a single document.

If shortlisted, in-person interviews are preferred, but can also be conducted remotely via Zoom/Microsoft Teams. Unfortunately, this internship does not have potential to move to a permanent role, but the intern will gain valuable experience and connections useful for a career in health services research. We encourage eligible applicants from all backgrounds to apply, as we are eager to improve representation in health services research.

Required knowledge, skills, qualifications & experience

Essential Criteria:

• Currently undertaking an undergraduate postgraduate degree in a relevant discipline (e.g., public health, epidemiology, statistics, data science, health sciences, or a related field).
• Demonstrated interest in health services research, patient safety, or research.
• Basic knowledge of mixed-methods research methods and statistical concepts.
• Good organisational and time-management skills, with the ability to manage multiple tasks.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively within a research team.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills.

Desirable Criteria:

• Previous experience working with healthcare or administrative datasets.
• Familiarity with qualitative research methods.
• Experience conducting literature reviews or contributing to academic writing.
• Interest in NHS systems, healthcare policy, or health inequalities research.
• Experience in conducting a systematic review.

For any informal queries, please contact Naureen Ali - n.a.ali@bham.ac.uk

The University of Birmingham restricts all students to working up to 20 hours per week during term time for a maximum of 13 consecutive weeks. If your application is successful and your course does not follow the usual academic term timetable (e.g. PGT, PGR or PhD student), you and your supervisor must formally agree vacation periods if this role exceeds 20 hours per week. In addition to this, please be aware if you are an international student you will be required to apply to the Registry for the appropriate authorised absence. You are only eligible to apply to this role if you are a current University of Birmingham student. If you are not a University of Birmingham student your application will not be considered.

To work you will need to carry out a right to work check. These checks will need to be completed prior to work commencing.

Regarding the use of AI in applications, we review hundreds of applications and shortlist candidates based on their unique perspective, motivations and potential. Cover letters generated through, or edited by, AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT or CoPilot) are easy to identify. They produce generic answers and will not score highly enough to progress. You may use AI tools for research, but all written content in your application must be your own work. Authenticity and originality are key to standing out in this process.

Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we’re unable to contact all applicants individually. You can check the progress of your application by logging into the Worklink jobs portal using the same email address you used to apply. If you haven’t heard back within six weeks of the closing date, please assume your application has been unsuccessful.

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• Collaborative: The major challenges facing our city, nation, and the world cannot be solved if we act alone. We enhance our research and education by pursuing creative partnerships within and beyond the University.
• Responsible: We operate with transparency, trust, and respect. We value our role as an anchor institution for Birmingham. We strive to be an excellent employer, to reduce inequalities in access to education, and to place sustainability at the heart of our work.