Burdett Fellows Scholarships

This is the second year we have been offering two full time postgraduate nursing scholarships in the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care. The scholarships have a particular focus on developing leadership and research capacity within the nursing profession. They are meant to support nurses who aspire to develop into senior leadership roles and enable them to build the knowledge and skills needed to influence national and international nursing policy.

As part of the scholarship scheme, you will be able to take one of the one-year, full time Master programmes outlined below. The scholarships are generously funded by The Burdett Trust for Nursing and cover both tuition fees and living costs. Those successful in securing a scholarship, will be known as The Burdett Fellows.

We are collaborating with the School of Health In Social Science, at the University of Edinburgh and their Burdett Fellows, also funded through The Burdett Trust for Nursing. This collaboration will have a particular focus on building a research leadership network for Burdett Fellows. This will provide peer support and an opportunity for growth and sustainability building both nationally and globally. 

 

Supporting your study and professional development

Balancing education and your career can be a challenge, but we’ll give you the support you need to make it happen. At King’s, you’ll join a supportive community of healthcare professionals who share experiences and discuss challenges the sector is facing. We’re known around the globe for the impact of our research. Whether you work in practice or research, we’ll share our latest discoveries and expertise to help you become a leader in your field. We’ll show you what it takes to become an expert and apply the latest evidence to healthcare.

Part of giving you a valuable experience is giving you opportunities to challenge yourself. Some postgraduates get involved with helping to teach. Others make the most of opportunities to help with our latest research. Join our dynamic research community to work with world-leading academics at the forefront of international nursing, midwifery and palliative care research. Joining a society is also a great way to meet like-minded people. The Nursing and Midwifery Society organise talks, seminars and social events.

 

Eligible programmes

• MRes Clinical Research – Full-time one year

The Clinical Research MRes is a multi-disciplinary course aimed at practitioners who wish to develop their clinical or academic research careers. The course seeks to enhance the skills and knowledge needed for supporting, delivering and integrating research into clinical practice, as well as fostering evidence-based practice. Practitioners with the appropriate innovation and critical-thinking skills may be supported to undertake further study at MPhil/PhD level with the aim of developing a future clinical academic career. 

 

• MSc Palliative Care – Full-time one year

Our Palliative Care programme will give you the skills to critically appraise research and evidence on palliative care, conduct high quality research, improve clinical practice and develop services across the world. You will have world-class teaching at one of the strongest centres of palliative care research in the world and the only purpose-built institute for palliative care. This course incorporates leading research and innovative and evidence-based practice. It is delivered by the Cicely Saunders Institute in partnership with St Christopher’s Hospice.

 

• MSc Clinical Nursing – Full-time one year

The Clinical Nursing MSc will provide you with the knowledge you need to ensure the care you provide is compassionate, evidence-based and person-centred. You’ll also learn about the use of digital strategies in healthcare, and be able to engage with institutional and wider cultures that promote patient safety and care. This programme supports qualified nurses to develop their knowledge and skills so they are able to take their career in nursing to the next level.  The Clinical Nursing programme will support you in your path to become an expert clinical decision-maker, able to autonomously manage and lead healthcare practice. 

Eligibility

All nurses applying for the above full-time courses are eligible for these scholarships, including UK, EU and overseas students. Applicants should also be present in London during the academic year for on campus teaching delivery and face-to-face contact.

Criteria

The scholarships will be awarded through assessment of academic performance, relevant experience (where appropriate) and the personal statement indicating reasons for applying.

Application process

All applicants should complete the King’s College London online application process for either the MRes Clinical Research, MSc Clinical Nursing or MSc Palliative Care programmes. The personal statement submitted for that MSc application must include a brief sentence stating that you have also applied for this specific scholarship and how the Burdett Fellow Scholarship would impact you and your local/professional communities.

You will be asked to submit the following documents for your application to be considered:

Supporting documents

• A CV of no more than two pages with evidence of professional registration as a nurse.
• Two references including at least one academic reference. Professional references will be accepted if you completed your qualifications over five years ago.
• Personal statement. This can be entered directly into the online application form (maximum 4,000 characters) or uploaded as an attachment to the online application form (maximum 2 pages). The personal statement should also outline how the Burdett Fellow Scholarship would impact you and your local/professional communities.
• An outline of your research interests and potential project you may undertake as part of your studies. International applicants will need to provide a letter of support from their health institution supporting their research activities in their country (i.e. access to study sites for data collection) if you are planning to undertake a research project abroad.

Interviews

Shortlisted applicants will be invited for a short interview to discuss your experience, reasons for wanting to join the programme, research interest and how the award may support you in pursuing your future career aspirations. Interviews will be held online and will take place towards the end of June 2024. 

Additional task

Applicants should also note that as part of the Burdett Fellows Scholarship successful candidates will be required to submit a personal statement at the end of their studies demonstrating the impact of the scholarship, their experience and the benefits of their selected area of continued professional development.

Burdett Fellows will also be invited to Burdett Trust for Nursing events.

Funding information

Two awards (one for a home and one for an international applicant) are available for full-time entry onto one of our relevant postgraduate courses. For UK (Home) students the award will cover a stipend of £10,506 per annum and the tuition fees for the programme. For international students the award will cover a stipend of £17,860 per annum and the tuition fees for the programme. 

Application closing date and guidance

We recommend that you submit your application as soon as possible as we may need to request further information from you to assess your application. 

The scholarship deadline is midnight UK time on Sunday, 26th May 2024.  Shortlisted applicants will be invited for an online interview taking place end of June.

Please be aware that when applying for any of the eligible programmes, the payment of the deposit will be delayed for you. At the application stage you need to indicate that you are a Burdett Trust fellowship applicant. If your application is successful, the deposit  will be waived. Once you receive an offer from the College, the acceptance deadline will be extended until after the selection of the two Burdett Fellows through the recruitment process.

Contact information

For further information on the awards or academic related questions please contact:  Dr Mary Tanay mary.tanay@kcl.ac.uk Associate Dean for Postgraduate Taught Studies

For information about the application and process please contact: NMPC-PGT@kcl.ac.uk