South Devon College lecturers highlight research skills at prestigious conference 

In an invitation highlighting our highly-qualified teaching staff, nursing lecturers at South Devon College have been chosen to present their research poster at a regional conference. 

Ella Reynolds, Nikki Leach and Kayleigh McGinty, all Registered Nurses and lecturers in health and social care, have been chosen to present at the ‘Developing a Research Skilled Workforce in the South West: A Celebration 2026’ conference at the University of Plymouth.  

Their poster, titled ‘Let’s start somewhere: Cultivating Nursing Research in College-Based Higher Education’, showcases how the college is driving innovation and excellence in healthcare education and research. 

The subject led to the group developing aims and objectives around building research capacity, confidence and scholarly output among College-Based Higher Education (CBHE) nursing/health staff. The abstract demonstrates their team approach to embedding research into teaching and learning and fostering collaboration and career development. 

Ella Reynolds said: “We are delighted to have had our abstract accepted as part of the Developing a Research Skilled Workforce programme which supports work to embed research as the keystone to underpin excellent care and innovation.   

“The conference will showcase and celebrate impact, progress, and collaboration, and what individuals, teams, organisations and networks have achieved in developing and embedding research culture and skills within health and care systems. 

“College-based higher education is a vital but under-recognised space for nursing/health research so I am really proud to be showcasing what we do as a college and University Centre and to mentor and support our Nursing team with our research agenda.” 

^{From left: Kayleigh McGinty, Ella Reynolds and Nikki Leach}

The strategy was co-developed through internal consultation and early outcomes include increased staff engagement in research training, the formation of ‘R-CoP’ (Research community of practice), contributions to internal research showcases, drive for dissemination and publication of research projects and involvement as key stakeholders in policy initiatives.  

Staff are exploring doctoral pathways and interdisciplinary collaborations, and student research modules have been enhanced to facilitate research literacy.  

The project will have clear implications for developing a research-skilled workforce, demonstrating that college-based higher education settings can be fertile ground for developing a research-skilled nursing workforce. By embedding research into teaching, supporting staff development, and creating inclusive pathways, colleges can contribute meaningfully to regional health improvement and policy influence – even with limited resources. 

Kayleigh McGinty, Lecturer in Health and Social Care Professions, commented: “Being able to shadow colleagues delivering research modules and develop my research skills whilst working in college-based higher education has been really beneficial. Evidence-based practice is the cornerstone of good nursing care so being able to develop myself as an academic whilst working for University College South Devon is really important.  

“A large proportion of our healthcare students at the University Centre are from non-traditional academic backgrounds with additional learning needs. As nurse educators, we have to be able to speak the language of health and social care research to best support these learners and the communities they care for.” 

This achievement is a reflection of the lecturers’ expertise and commitment to education and workforce skills development, championing research culture and high standards of healthcare provision. 

Nikki Leach, who teaches on the Health and Social Care courses, concluded: “As Registered Nurses, we have to evidence continued professional development, including research and scholarly activity, to be able to revalidate with the Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) and this can be difficult to achieve in CB-HE when compared with larger academic institutions. Being part of the ‘Nursing Professions Research and Scholarly Activity Plan (2024–2028)’ and being supported to pursue research in a sustainable and inclusive way has been invaluable.”