Iriminage

Part of the problem in finding research RN positions is because we tend to restrict our searches to "Companies". I am currently the senior research RN at a research clinic at a medical school in NYC. My research experience prior to this position was at a psychiatric research center within a psychiatric hospital. My non-research hospital experience was in oncology and psychiatry. Nursing school did little to prepare me to even look for a position in research. The research course covered a lot of textbook "methods" and "statistical models" which have little to do with the day to day real work done by research nurses. I get contacted by a lot of head hunters because of the experience I picked up on the job. These people don't want to see you if you don't have the experience. Research nursing is as diverse as any other discipline in nursing. I am constantly striving to keep up with what is current. When I am hiring a nurse for research, the qualities I look for are basic RN competencies, flexibility, initiative (ability to self-start is a must), and adaptability (remember I said it is a very diverse field). As you noted, there are not a ton of entry level positions in this arena. So look for a research position that matches your experience like "oncology" for example. Research is being conducted in almost every area like "diabetes", "kidney disease", "infectious diseases". Mostly demonstrate a willingness to learn.