Is anyone working as a research nurse?? I am seeing

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a LOT of job postings in my area for "research nurses." What does a research nurse do ? I see the positions are mostly in the clinics of large hospitals. I wish I had a job description.... however, those can be misleading,,,,, as we all know. What they say the job entails and what "the real world " of the job is. So, if any of you have experience or knowledge of these positions, I would appreciate hearing your comments. Thanks.

Specializes in LDRP; Education.

I worked as a research nurse for almost a year and I found it wasn't the right fit for me. But I learned alot.

I worked directly for a neonatologist who was conducting a study out of the local medical college. As her nurse, I was reponsible for all the associated paperwork (informed consent, Institutional Review Board approval, NIH funding and documents, etc), recruiting patients into the study, interviewing them, drawing blood/obtaining urine, following results and following up on patients. It was my job to basically oversee the study and ensure patient rights were maintained and that protocols were followed.

The job allowed me great flexibility as I was able to travel from hospital to hopsital to see patients (the "field") and then transport the samples back to the laboratory. I had a home office in the lab and a temporary one in the two hospitals I recruited from. I set my own hours, did my own recruitment and managed my own work.

I just personally didn't like my doc that much.

Other research nurses work in clinical trials, which is a little "easier" in that there are typically more of you and more guided.

It differs depending on the specialty area and the study (now, that helps, doesn't it?!).

It tends to be a somewhat flexible job. Depending on study requirements, you will probably not have to work nights or weekends; you may never have to be on call...although I have done studies where I carried a pager and had to be at the ER within 30 minutes if it went off. Sometimes you will be so busy you can't stand it and other times you will be twiddling your fingers because there isn't anything to do. And if you get the right person in charge, you can work like crazy when there's work and get comp time off when there's not.

It helps if you like detail (although you can do this job even if you don't -- I don't and I've done studies for 14 years now). You may or may not have long-term patients.

If you are solely responsible for your study, you will be the lab person and the recruiter and the nurse and the administrative assistant and the receptionist.

You are responsible for good charting and good data collection. You have to like a mix of people and paper, because you will be doing a lot of both.

I love my job. There are places I wouldn't work, because the MD doesn't consider patient safety (and, in one case, fabricates data). There are a few for-profit groups where $$$ is the bottom line and eclipses patient safety (that is not true of ALL or MOST for-profit groups) and I wouldn't work those either.

Specializes in Clinical Research, Oncology, HIV, ENT.

The ads you are seeing are probably for clinical research coordinator (CRC) positions. CRCs are generally responsible for coordinating all of the activities related to one or more studies of investigational drugs or medical devices. The CRC handles regulatory documentation for Institutional Review Board and FDA requirements, is responsible for recruiting study subjects, and collecting all study data throughout the subject's participation in the trial. The CRC will interact with pharmaceutical representatives, called monitors, or clinical research associates (CRA). CRAs are also frequently nurses.

CRAs work for the company that sponsors the trial or may be independent contractors. CRAs monitor the activities of a group of study sites and review data and regulatory documentation. CRA jobs require a great deal of travel, but there can be a lot of perks to that.

Research nurses generally work M-F 9-5, but as said previously you might be on call or carry a pager.

Even for CRC's some travel to meetings may be required.

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