ABSTRACT
Careful planning can minimise the cost through establishing the appropriate and flexible supports at home and at work. In an ideal world research training would be funded at professional practice incomes with as much time as necessary devoted to work, free from distractions, but it is not certain that such a world exists. As a rule, clinical service delivery dominates health professional life, and in some jobs there will be a component of urgent or after-hours work to which the whole team, including the research student, must contribute. One's job can be a source of considerable stress for family relationships, and combining professional practice with research training may well increase those pressures. Research projects begin with a research plan that included consideration of the necessary resources, human and financial. With careful planning and use of the available support resources, the potential 'roller coaster ride' should have fewer steep rises and falls.
