EGPRN Fellowship Interview with Aleksandar Zafirovska

The EGPRN offers fellowship program for primary care researchers who are early in their research careers, and who would like to be mentoring during a Skype-based practical course on research skills. 

Here is the interview with one of the current fellows, Aleksandar Zafirovska. We hope the interview gives inspiration and encourages those who plan to apply to the program.
 

- How has your experience been on the EGPRN fellowship programme?
When applying for this EGRPN fellowship I was not sure what I was getting into. I had some knowledge of quantitative research and none of qualitative, thus I tended to avoid qualitative-based studies. I got first-hand experience with the British educational approach based on positive reinforcement, which vastly varies from my native one. We had monthly meetings during the 6 months of the fellowship, where step by step gradually included everything you know about “how a study is properly done” from start to end. Appropriate for groups with any level of experience in the field of research.

- How has the fellowship supported your professional growth?
This fellowship has enabled me to confidently tackle previously avoided qualitative studies and reinforced my knowledge of quantitative. During and after the fellowship, I got invited and started as the first author few similar studies parallel to the fellowship, exponentially speeding up my professional growth. Something that if I did it on my own would take me years to understand and use correctly I managed to conquer in a few months. Although I longer am not a general practitioner, I use this obtained knowledge daily for executing studies in the field of radiology.

- What has been particularly memorable?
Our group was made up of members from different countries, experiences, and backgrounds. I got familiar with cultures, protocols, and problems & solutions which I would not encounter otherwise. I get to experience how we used our personal and group advantages over our differences and even though planned to do one study, we manage to produce a few and plenty more for the future. Along the way, I also made friends for life.

- What would be your message to future EGPRN fellows?
If you are an experienced or young researcher, looking to clear some knowledge gaps for the basics of research, make friends from different countries, and have an awesome and supportive mentor, this is the place for you, don’t think twice, you will get out of this lots of concise knowledge and experience. I only wish it would last longer.