What do you like about being a research nurse?

Specialties Research

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I would like to hear from some research nurses as to what they like about being a research nurse? Do you find clinical trials interesting? Is this area of nursing rewarding to you? Thanks! :)

Specializes in Trauma, Research.
ema75 said:
Just have a question though, if I take a Master's Degree in Nursing eventually and would want to still be in research, what specific area do you recommend to specialized in a MSN degree for research? Would a MSN degree in NP or Clinical Nurse Specialist help?

I work with a Nurse Practitioner in research area. Great paying position with a lot more patient interaction than RNs and LPNs in the field (at least where I work). My advice is to apply for a research nursing position while going to school for MSN. It will allow time to get the experience to apply for the research certifications which adds to the $ potential.

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Specializes in Trauma, Research.
ema75 said:
One more question, does research nursing require a lot of field work or does it depend on what organization and position you're working for? Thanks!

It depends on the facility you work for/at.

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Thank you for all the great info in this post. I am applying to an accelerated program after coming from a basic science research background. I want to stay in research, but add clinical care. It was so nice to see that this is an option.

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Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.
aggiepack177 said:
Did any of the nurses here attend a nursing program that actually specialized in some kind of research skills?

No, I took a regular nursing program like everyone else. Everything I learned about working in research, I learned on the job.

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I decided to become a research nurce after the participation in Drug medical trials of Quintiles. It was start for my career.

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Did any of the nurses here attend a nursing program that actually specialized in some kind of research skills?

No. But I would attend such programs with pleasure.

Could you recommend a good one?

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The honors program of the traditional BSN program at The University of Kansas Medical Center is based in research. I am not in it, but I have read about it on line and talked with a student about it, and it sounds pretty impressive if your grades are good enough to get into the honors program. Also at KUMC they have MSN and DNP programs with concentrations in Clinical Research Management.

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Hello everyone,

I am also interested in becoming a research nurse. Right now i'm a new grad RN with a prior BA in biochem in which I have some research experience within the university. My long term goal is to either become a geriatrics NP or nurse researcher...so I'm just applying to every job that fits either of the two.. Is this a good idea or will it make me even more confused on what career path I want to take? And as far as becoming a research nurse, I am applying to Nurse Research positions but I was wondering if I should apply to Research Assistant positions as well in case I don't get the Nurse Research positions? I was thinking that the research assistant position will give me experience in medical research and make me a stronger candidate for a future nurse research positions but i'm an RN, will I be wasting my RN by being a research assistant for a year or two? I guess I really don't know what the best thing to do here is. Please help :/

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Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.
Panda30 said:
Hello everyone,

I am also interested in becoming a research nurse. Right now i'm a new grad RN with a prior BA in biochem in which I have some research experience within the university. My long term goal is to either become a geriatrics NP or nurse researcher...so I'm just applying to every job that fits either of the two.. Is this a good idea or will it make me even more confused on what career path I want to take? And as far as becoming a research nurse, I am applying to Nurse Research positions but I was wondering if I should apply to Research Assistant positions as well in case I don't get the Nurse Research positions? I was thinking that the research assistant position will give me experience in medical research and make me a stronger candidate for a future nurse research positions but i'm an RN, will I be wasting my RN by being a research assistant for a year or two? I guess I really don't know what the best thing to do here is. Please help ?

Do you have any established nursing skills? If not then you should get them 1st before taking a research assistant job. If so then it might be a good way to get your foot in the door.

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Specializes in MPH Student Fall/14, Emergency, Research.
CrunchRN said:
Do you have any established nursing skills? If not then you should get them 1st before taking a research assistant job. If so then it might be a good way to get your foot in the door.

I second this - my research director told me that nurses were innately good as research coordinators because we already know how to talk to patients. I use my floor nursing skills every day on the job, and my experience was critically important to being offered the position.

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For those of you already doing this, what are some tips on keeping everything organized and how to not forget anything especially when handling multiple studies at once? I just started a new position as a research nurse and would love some insight. Any other tips on how to be succesful in this role would be greatly appreciated!

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Specializes in MPH Student Fall/14, Emergency, Research.

We have our own mapped drive with all the studies on it. Any of our staff can access the drive. The study folder has all the current studies (the older ones are archived in a different folder). Each study has all the related documentation i.e. informed consent forms, source documents, etc.

It can quickly become overwhelming with multiple studies. We use a database to track study patients and it automatically tells us who is ready for follow-up (and helps us avoid repeat study enrollments). I like to use Google Calendar with different calendars for each study. You can change the color of them, etc.

Of course there's always the hard copies, obviously clearly labelled and organized binders and file folders are the only decent way to deal with that. And for stuff that I still need to use, I love my bulletin board, it takes up nearly half the wall :)

HTH!

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Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.

Yes, we utilize google calendar as well. Our group manages about 18 different studies. When we enroll a new patient, we go through and add all pertinent dates (and what needs to be done or samples collected on those dates) into our shared calendar. Then each Friday, someone prints out the calendar for the following week so we can see who is due for what, when. Also, we have report sheets that we pass around remotely (it's stored on a secured shared drive that everyone has access to), and that lists all the patients, and ones that have something coming up in the next day or two gets highlighted.

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