When YiWen Hon (our Librarian) and Lloyd Allen Lecturer (Practitioner) came to see me, five months ago, to share their ideas for starting an Online Journal, I was intrigued. I wanted to know what its purpose would be and why they wanted to do this. They told me that they wanted a platform for those who studied and worked here to share their work. This online journal would therefore, provide an opportunity for real-world practitioners, doing real work, with real patients, their families and carers, to demonstrate their exemplary work.
Everyone who works at The Royal Marsden School is committed to providing excellent education and career development opportunities that are both accessible and innovative. Our shared aim is to help practitioners to integrate the knowledge they have learnt in an academic environment into their clinical practice, to make a real difference to patient care. We also have a responsibility to support people to disseminate their work to a wider audience.
However, we know that to publish in professional journals can often be difficult and time consuming, and can feel daunting for a novice writer. This online journal will help people to share their ideas and expertise, by not only writing articles but also through other methods. These could include, for example, podcasts, videos and posters. All members of the School’s academic team here will be able to support prospective contributors to develop their ideas and shape their work.
I believe that this online journal will demonstrate the high quality and range of the education provided at the Royal Marsden School, and will contribute to the wider landscape of healthcare education by making the intellectual and academic achievements of our staff and students more accessible to all.
This online journal is a place where you can have a voice, share your knowledge and expertise. So I invite all of you to contribute, by writing or through other methods, and also by providing us with feedback and suggestions for articles.