chicaroo

Hi tropicalfish, 1) there are many options for working in research--you don't necessarily have to work for a pharmaceutical company. The major areas that hire research nurses are universities, hospitals (free-standing and university-affiliated), privately owned research facilities known as "CROs" (contract research organizations), and pharmaceutical companies such as Amgen, Bayer, GlaxoSmithKline, Medtronic, etc.. Look around in your area to see what you have nearby. 2) Qualifications: knowledge of research design and ethics (especially ethics!) is really key as a specific qualification for research. If you have a community college or an online educational option, look for courses in these areas. I think that knowledge in ethics/good clinical practices is the first thing you have to understand. Also, if you know that the potential employer specializes in certain diseases/devices/treatments, be able to show that you know something about their specialty. More general skills such as attention to minute details and a tendency toward perfectionism are also important. With a background in ICU, you will be EXTREMELY attractive to employers, so you should definitely emphasize this. Particularly if you want to work in Phase One trials (these are trials of medications that are being used in humans for the very first time), you will find ICU experience will get you in the door. 3) Areas of research: depends heavily on your interests. If you want to run trials on a variety of subjects and diseases, you should look for a place that has that kind of variety available (i.e., big teaching hospital, university department, etc., but probably not a private CRO or a pharmaceutical company). 4) At interview: you will be asked about how clinical research is different from standard bedside care. And how it is similar! Example: Things that are different: in a research study, you have a protocol you are expected to follow. If you're wondering whether to give a certain medication or not, you must check the protocol. At the same time, if it's an emergent situation, you are expected to use your judgment and NOT follow the protocol if doing so would harm the patient. The protocol is never a substitute for your best judgment! This kind of thing is referred to as "GCP" (Good Clinical Practices)--look up some resources and familiarize yourself with GCP before any interview. GCP, to me, really means that my research patients and my non-research patients all get the same care in terms of quality--I think carefully about what is best for them at all times. You'll also want to spend some time thinking about how to answer questions about your approach to informed consent--this is VERY important and you want to show you've thought about why this is important. I suggest reading the label of a bottle of OTC medication and thinking about how you would talk with someone who wasn't sure about taking it--the language is pretty similar to how a lot of consent forms are written, and it (understandably) freaks out a lot of patients. Bear in mind that your job is NOT to get the person to take the medication--your job is to answer their questions and let them make a decision. 5) You want to look for "research nurse", "clinical research coordinator", "clinical research nurse", and possibly "research coordinator" first. I don't think you should spend time looking for "CRA" (clinical research associate) positions, which are meant for people who have already spent a few years as study nurses and coordinators. 6) Finally, what will you DO as a research RN? This is also heavily dependent on where you work. I have worked in positions where I did EKGs, blood draws, IV starts, and monitoring of infusions, along with all the data entry and paperwork. And I have also worked in positions where I'm more of a paperwork jockey--combination medical detective and data management person. It is really important that you ask about this at interview--find out how you would be spending an average day, because it is REALLY variable. What you can count on is that you'll be working with patients and physicians who depend on you to know your studies well, and that you'll have monitors who will make sure you are doing everything that needs to be done. Kind of a long answer, but you asked! :) Good luck!

Congrats, AwayWeGo! Welcome to the field. I think you'll like it!

PVT worked for me and every classmate I know of. All of us were convinced we had failed miserably, but we passed!

Salary depends on what type of facility you work in--private research facilities are not going to pay as well as a hospital- or university-affiliated research center. At least that's been my experience, having worked in all three settings.

Just to offer a quick answer to your initial question about the market for RNs in Pharm research--we are definitely in demand. Look for positions seeking clinical research coordinators or clinical research nurses. CRA (clinical research associate) positions are meant for people who have worked as research coordinators or nurses for several years, so that's not where you want to spend time searching. Universities are probably the best place to start--I got my first research job at a university here in California.

Hi AwayWeGo, I've been a research nurse for seven months now. It's the specialty I got into right after graduation. I was able to find work in this area because I had worked in research for three years before I went to nursing school. Just like any job, there are things I like and things I dislike, so I will just make a little list-- Things I like about being a research nurse: 1) getting paid to read new study protocols and learn about new drugs, devices, diseases, and treatments. I have always loved school and learning, so this suits me to a T. I think it helps that I especially love pharmacology, but this is not necessary to enjoy the job. 2) educating patients about the study and the new drug/device, and talking with them about their participation. Not everyone should be part of a clinical trial, so the informed consent discussion is really important. Some studies enroll healthy volunteers who will be asked to take the drug so that its safety/tolerability can be established, and some studies are enrolling people diagnosed with diseases that might be treated by the new drug (e.g., cancer and cancer treatments). Other studies are designed purely to answer a practical or theoretical question about the drug (e.g., does it have an effect on lab values?). The purpose of the trial makes a big difference for the patient, and I work hard to make sure they understand the point and the risks/benefits of the study. I see this as my primary nursing duty when I'm on the job. 3) Caring for my patients! If I have drawn some labs for the study, and I see some abnormalities in the results, I have to take care of that. I consult with my docs and inform the patient, making referrals as needed. This is my favorite part of my job. 4) Highly regular hours, almost no weekends or evenings. 8am-4pm M-F is the rule, with very occasional exceptions dictated by certain studies (pharmacokinetic studies could run for 12-14 hours, some studies might require weekend dosing, etc.) 5) The physicians are generally very respectful of us--they know that we know a study inside and out, and they take our opinion seriously. Things I don't like about being a research nurse: 1) Depending on the particular job, patient contact may or may not be a huge part of the day. Some places you will work only with charts/data/paperwork, and others you will spend maybe half the day with patients. 2) There is always a lot of paperwork in nursing, but research takes it to a whole new level. HUGE amounts of paperwork related to the FDA, the sponsor, the patient chart, the institutional review board, the facility...There is always the anxiety that you've missed something or haven't reported something. Overall, it's a cool specialty if you like learning and can handle the extremely detail-oriented environment. Hope that's helpful!

Apparently I don't have access to the private message area. I'd still be happy to answer them if you feel comfortable posting the questions here. Or, I could probably just write up something and post it if you give me a notion about what you're looking for. Just let me know.

Hi, I am a clinical research RN and would be happy to answer some questions about my specialty. Cheers!

I'm a new graduate who just started my first nursing position as a clinical research coordinator. And I have to say, I LOVE IT! I come home every day with a smile on my face. I work 8-4 Mon-Fri and spend about 50% of my time with patients (either in person or on the phone, depending on the day). There is a LOT of paperwork in this job--which I am OK with, since I'm kind of paranoid about thorough, careful charting. When I'm with patients, I'm starting IVs, doing phlebotomies, running infusions, giving injections, dispensing experimental meds, advising and educating about side effects and drug reactions, and keeping the docs up-to-date about what's going on with my patients. I also review all the labs for my patients and make sure the docs act on anything clinically significant. My docs are very appreciative of the nurses' work and treat us all as valuable team members. I got this job because at interview I emphasized that I'm good at the two most critical elements of the job: being extremely detail-oriented and focused on safety. I'd never worked in clinical research before, but my employers liked that I was able to provide examples from my previous work that showed how I have an eye for detail and take good care of my patients. I am so pleased that I get paid to do this job, and I wish more nurses knew how good it is!

I took it June 8th.

Just wanted to come back and say that the PVT was true for me--I'm on the CA BRN site today! I AM A REGISTERED NURSE!!!!

I took the NCLEX in California on June 8th and am still getting the "good" popup from Pearson. I've read this thread and seen a few people write about getting the "bad" popup despite actually passing the test--has anyone ever gotten the good popup despite actually failing the test? I'm just worried that I'm getting the "contact your board..." part because I failed and have to send in re-application paperwork before I can pay to reschedule the test. Any insight y'all can offer would be appreciated! I really hope the good popup is a reliable indicator.

Sorry, the above response was meant to quote IWant2BeRN's message!

I got accepted to the Oakland campus. Here are my responses to your questions: 1) I've worked in health care for seven years, performing neurocognitive evaluations and running a neuropsychology service. I also did 100 hours of volunteer work at a hospital in the East Bay, working in the ER and the day-surgery unit. 2) I wrote about why I wanted to be a nurse; specifically, I mentioned why I wanted to be educated beyond the master's degree in psych that I already have. I also wrote about why I like working in health care and why I like working directly with patients. And I made sure to mention my volunteer experience in my essay--I wanted them to know that I had seen nurses working first-hand. 3) My current supervisor (a neuropsychologist) and my former supervisor (also a neuropsychologist) wrote my letters. They were each able to address different strengths of mine, which I think was nice. Current boss was able to talk about my administrative strengths, and former boss was able to talk about my clinical and interpersonal skills. I think it's really important to get across that you have an understanding of the difficulties involved in working with patients (which is why healthcare experience is a plus in the application process) and let them know why you want to be a nurse. The people who write your letters need to be people who can really say something substantial about you--you don't want someone who can only say "Well, he/she was always on time and seemed nice enough". You want them to be able to specify what made you a good employee/volunteer/whatever, and how that will translate into you being a good nurse. Hope that's helpful--good luck with your applications!

I got accepted to the Oakland campus, and live in Contra Costa county. If a few of us live near each other it would be great to carpool.