research nurse to PhD nurse researcher...

[PediatricRNTX]

I am currently starting a PhD nursing program and work in a leadership/educator role. I was offered an interview for a nurse researcher job with physicians. I am interested in doing independent research when I complete my PhD. Would this nurse research position (data abstraction) position help me? It is a "step down" from my current position which is why i am asking. Thoughts and opinions please.

my understanding is research nurses are different than the nurse scientist/researcher role. Am I incorrect in this?

[mika_sf]

Yes, these roles are different. I used to work as a research nurse and most positions involve gathering data for a research protocol written by a principal investigator (usually a physician) or a company acting as a study sponsor, typically a drug or medical device company. The tasks might vary, but often includes screening and enrolling patients into the study, walking through the informed consent process, performing study specific tasks (blood draw, drug infusion, etc.), and ultimately gathering data on the safety and/or efficacy of a particular treatment.

A nurse scientist (in my experience) often looks at the nursing process and related patient outcomes, and authoring scientific papers to be submitted to peer reviewed journals.

Depending on the job requirements of the research nurse position, you could learn things that would be helpful as a nurse scientist, but if your research interests focus on the field of nursing, rather than which blood pressure medication works best for a particular group of patients, then I would say the nurse leadership/educator would be a better position now to support your future interests.

[PediatricRNTX]

thank u!! super helpful