Research and development laboratory (URIFITS)

The research and development unit at IFITS is a functional institutional structure, entirely dedicated to developing research into education and healthcare. The unit provides a scientific framework in which to conduct research in response to current issues faced by the education and healthcare sectors.

Under the management of Laurence Ledesma (European Master's in Science and Education Research), a nurse with a doctorate specialising in adult training, URIFITS also uses a methodical and scientific approach when evaluating its students' work.

Research at IFITS

Who is involved?

• Students and trainees engaged in training across all sectors
• Trainers and teachers engaged in training across all sectors
• Education coordinators
• Archivists and IT engineers
• Administrative staff.

What type of research?

• Action-based research
• Collaborative research

What are the objectives?

• To respond to the professional questions that concern both trainees and trainers, and all those working to optimise professional paramedical training at IFITS.
• To become professionally qualified in a systematic and disciplined way
• To participate in rewarding research that is ideal preparation for working in the field

If you are motivated and interested in enhancing your formal training and professional work, IFITS will welcome your involvement in our research. .

What does the teaching framework include?

• An introduction to research for student nurses.
  Within the framework of their initial training, student nurses (at degree-level) must conduct a piece of exploratory research. They are trained in a research method that is adapted to this type of research.
• There is no such introduction for trainees.
  Trainee care-givers, trainee childcare assistants and paramedics do not receive any research-based teaching within the framework of their training.  
  What does URIFITS offer them instead?
  Instead, these trainees are introduced to research by participating in collaborative research (data collection, analysis) or in innovative projects as proposed by URIFITS.

Evaluating student work

All of our students and trainees are regularly required to:

• Assist with events linked to healthcare topics, conferences or study days etc.
• Participate in the evaluation of their work that relates to their training and to preventive and educational activities within the health sector (for example)

The participation of five students in the UNESCO International Day of Bioethics, on 19 October 2017: a poster was created, entitled "The administration of medication in cases of cognitive impairment: the abolishment of consent?".

UNESCO International Day of Bioethics – October 2017

URIFITS aims to open its research up for everyone, making it accessible and understandable for all, but particularly for those reading it in a professional capacity.

Project support (nurses and trainers)

• Ongoing training projects at Master's and university-level etc.
• Action-based research projects
• Projects involving calls for papers for conferences and study days etc.
• Projects involving challenging existing healthcare and educational knowledge
• The role played by methodological structuring and scientific guidance
• Support in spoken and written scientific communication (publications)

Collaborative research

URIFITS leads collaborative research based on the framework for the following health-related training:

• "Today's nursing profession: how is it represented?"
• "Health-related simulation at IFSI: a learning tool or strategy? What is its psychological impact on the trainee?"
• "Emotions experienced by trainees during learning through simulation: how do these affect learning?"

Developmental perspectives

• Develop the focus of the research relating to healthcare in collaboration with healthcare establishments
• Methodically support healthcare research projects

Schedule