anc33

I added my clinicals to my first resume. I was interested in finding a neurosurgery position so I highlighted that I had spent my med-surg rotation and practicum on a neurosurgery floor.

While having a strong chemo background helps with the OCN testing there is much more to the test material. I myself am not a chemo provider and have never worked directly in that setting. I had no difficultly passing the exam. That being said, if you wish to continue in oncology go ahead and take the exam. It will definitely give you a leg up on the competition.

I am in research and 90% of the time I am behind a desk. While we are allowed to wear scrubs, I wear business casual attire. I will sometimes break out a suit depending on what I need to do for the day. If I am with a patient in clinic or processing samples in the lab I throw on a lab coat.

I am going to say it takes one year to start to feel comfortable is three years to really feel competent. However, you will never know it all because oncology and research are two fields where there is a lot of ongoing change. You can make this field a paycheck or a career, but it is really easy to spot the ones that are phoning it in. Just know... your first priority is always keeping your patients safe. Your second should be maintaining the integrity of the research and third is keeping your PIs out of trouble. Some PIs are more difficult to tame than others. Don't trust any of them to know the protocols. Most are aware of the title and maybe some key inclusion/exclusion criteria. They will need you to hold their hand. And don't be afraid to speak up if and tell them they are wrong or need to do X instead of Y, etc. And you are going to make mistakes. It is OK, that is how you learn. People who A) do not like critique and B) those who do not learn from past experience do not do well in research. You will be critiqued, it is a sport for some monitors. If you are a member of NSABP they actually have a mentor program that may be useful. I would also join either ACRP (more expensive but more active) or SoCRA (more oncology CRCs). ONS has a clinical trials SIG and some educational materials on their site. Spend some time reading the CFR and FDA guidances. If you do not have much background in stats or epi do a little research so you can better understand the scientific design of the protocols you are coordination. Never be afraid to ask questions. Best of luck.

Of the three companies that the supplies the US with 5-FU, only one is foreign. That company, Teva, has cited "manufacturing delays" as the reason for their shortage. Increased demand is the official reason for the other two. The FDA does not routinely allow for importation of drug that was produced for other countries (not even EU countries) because it may not be up to spec. The vast majority of drugs listed as being in short supply by the FDA are generics. In most cases, manufacturers do not produce these drugs year round but in batches. They estimate the amount that is needed based and prior years and produce only that amount. These drugs do not make them a profit so there is no impetus for them to produce more. When the demand suddenly increases it is difficult for them to switch gears and accomodate the change. At least with 5-FU we have a viable alternative.

Yes, the job description varies greatly. 60% of my job is admin work; regulatory, protocol writing, contracts and grants, billing compliance, and so on. The remainder is split between attending rounds, recruiting and following patients, interacting with ancillary services, etc. I do not actually do much of any direct patient care in terms of procedures. I do interview patients, obtain AE reports, review meds, administer surveys and the like.

I too have a BA in Anthro. I did my thesis on odontometrics in forensic anthropology and dreamed of one day working at the Smithsonian. Then I married a grad student in forensics and put my dream on the back burner (there is not a great demand for forensic anthropologists). While I don't draw from much of my anthro education I do think it gave me a much deeper understanding of cultural awareness and how it directly impacts health. I agree with Michelle05 that there is not much that one can do with an anthro degree (BA level). However, if it is a topic that you are passionate about then you should shoot for the PhD. I do know some masters level anthropologists but those jobs are scarce. Looking back, I am glad things worked out as they did as I love my job and the endless opportunities it affords (and it doesn't hurt that I make more than many of my old anthro profs).

Have you ever looked at the Presidential Management Fellowship program through the NIH? NIH's Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Program Sounds like it may be a step in the right direction if you like utilization, access, etc research.

Most likely no. When you are hired into a new research position in general it is because you either have a good handle on the disease processes involved (or just broad knowledge if you are it is general med) or because you have a solid research background. That being said, the NIH clinical center is one place where they do hire new grads, BSNs mostly. They have a very structured training program where you start out doing patient care and, as you work your way up the ladder, eventually move into more administrative roles. Clinical experience, whether that is hospital or clinic based, is invaluable to coordinators. Really prior experience along with a solid understanding of research design is what separates good and great coordinators. As for what type of research organization is best... that depends on your career aspirations. My advice is to find an area of nursing you really love. Get 1-2 years or more of hands on patient care experience preferably in a hospital/organization that has an active research program. Network with MDs and research staff. If they know you are interested in becoming a coordinator you may be one of the first people they go to when a position opens up.

You don't need to be certified to be a monitor although most monitors take their CCRA after two years on the job. Getting a CRA job is all about networking with the project managers and monitors for your current trials. I actually really love my job as a study coordinator. I get to do a bit of everything including writing protocols. I know I will outgrow this job eventually. If I haven't found a management position where I currently work before then I would love to make the jump to FDA safety or regulatory officer.

I don't mean to sound snide but why do you think this job may be perfect for you if you don't know much about the field? Research is an area that is known to chew up and spit nurses out. This is usually for one of two reasons; the person not being a good fit for the job (confident, independent, extremely detail oriented, etc) or having no orientation or mentor to learn from. When we are looking to hire new staff we prefer people with some kind of research background as that piece is much harder to learn than the clinical piece. Please look into some old threads to get some more details. I would implore you to shadow a coordinator for a few days to get better insight into the field. I have had multiple students tag along on my day and I always ask if the experience matched their expectations. I have never once heard a "yes" come out of their mouths.

From what I have found research coordinator positions pay less than floor positions. I have been pretty lucky with salary however one of my colleagues makes slightly less than I do and she has been a nurse for 15+ yrs. She would definitely make more in the hospital. So if starting RN salaries are in the 35-40K range in your state then the number you quoted sounds par for the course.

OCN and CCRC.

Around 59K in FL with 5 years of research experience and two specialty certifications. I used to make more in phase I but I love my current docs and patients.

There are actually two research certifications for coordinators, CCRC (ACRP) and CCRP (SOCRA). I personally have ACRP certification however I do not have many colleagues that are certified through either organization. When I worked previously in phase I all of my fellow nurses either held certification or were studying for the test. I do think certification is beneficial. Just studying for the exam itself and learning all of the ins and outs of the federal regs has made me a much better coordinator. I feel like I have a better global understanding of the field than many people I currently work with. I would encourage anyone who is serious about research to pursue certification.

You may be able to get in the $30 range in places like Miami, Tampa, Orlando and some other south Fl cities. Outside of there you may be out of luck. In my area, RNs at the big hospital are capped at $35 or so. Of course that does not include differential. However, the highest most places will hire you in at is their mid-range. Good luck!

FYI job title means very little. Yes, the CRA title has been traditionally linked with monitors. For example, to become a CCRA you have to be an auditor of some type. I have noticed more and more facilities using the CRA title for research assistants, data managers, IRB coordinators or anyone else who has an "ancillary" role in clinical research. I have even seen some non-nurse coordinators referred to as CRAs. Coordinators also have many titles. I am a RN specialist, others are research nurses, CRCs or study coordinators. As a side note, the majority of RN research coordinators have the title of data manager in many European countries. So basically you have to go by the job description as there really isn't any universally accepted job titles research.

Honestly, I would wait it out. Is there a specific patient population that you enjoy and would like eventually deal with in your research position? If so, you could look into transferring to another hospital floor. Really, depending on the area, there may be some other non-bedside positions to consider. In our office we generally hire people who have either oncology or research experience, preferably both. I know that narrowing the focus may lengthen your job search but it may help in the long run. Any ideas? I might be able to point to some resources for you depending on the area.

People get sick and have to take time off. If there wasn't another person available for coverage a sub investigator or PI would need to step up to the plate. It rarely happens in reality, however if you are looking at a position like you described then I would ask the investigators if they are capable of running the show on their own. But honestly I wouldn't take a job where I was responsible for everything, especially if you are new to research. You really need a mentor for the first year at least. I am still teaching my boss, ironically, about research and she has been in the field for 3.5 years.

We do have backup coverage in our office as there are two study coordinators other than myself. We also have data managers assigned to each coordinator that can take over certain tasks if one of us is out. However, unlike my experience in my bedside position, I cannot leave my work at the office. Rarely have I had a vacation or sick day where I did not have to answer questions via phone or email. I am ok with this and expect it as I know my patients and protocols much better than my colleagues. I would rather have a one min phone conversation than have to come back to work and deal with protocol deviations, etc.

I will chime in here with my thoughts. It might be worthwhile to shadow a research nurse for a few days to get a good idea of the ins and outs of the job. This might help you narrow your education focus. Honestly, an RN is all that is needed to become a research nurse. Having a BSN is helpful as there is usually some competition for research positions, however it is not necessary. I do have a BSN and I am almost finished with my MPH. My focus is in epi and I use my education to assist our PIs with developing internal research protocols and formulating new research questions. This is not one of the main components of my job (85% is coordinating clinical trials) but it nice to out my degree to good use. I think someone actually asked a very similar question not too long ago in this forum. You might want to browse through the forum to see if that thread helps out at all. I am in oncology research so if you have any other oncology research oriented questions let me know.

I personally do not know any nurses who do bench research. I am sure there are some out there but most of the people I interact with in our labs have enginerring/chemistry/biology PhDs or are working towards them. All of our MDs who do basic science have their PhDs as well. Best of luck.

Yes, the prep course is very expensive. I think the paucity of affordable study material is one factor that leads to so many people having to take the test multiple times. I just studied the applicable CFR parts. All are available on the FDA website. Know them backwards and forwards. You won't have to memorize the exact section where information found but know bigger section headings. Good luck.

It depends on your protocol, IRB, phase, etc. In phase I, healthy subject research we would advertise or draw from our subject database. In my current position, phase I-III oncology research, we screen patient lists, referrals, etc and identify patients that may be eligible for our current protocols. We let the physician know they have a potential subject and they broach the subject with the patient.

I think you need to actually get your feet wet before deciding on an advanced degree. I do know research coordinators that are NPs however they do not utilize their advanced nursing skills very often. I have looked into the clinical research degrees and spoken with some faculty in person. For me, I did not think these degrees were very useful. However, I think they may be good for someone with little research experience who has not taken advanced courses in management, planning, etc. Instead of an advanced nursing degree I chose to go the MPH route. My focus is on epi which has helped me design my own research. I am lucky enough to work in an academic setting with very supportive PIs who have allowed me to be involved in research outside prospective treatment trials (the traditional focus of coordinators in our group).