-
Matt Farrah
Co-Founder, Niche Jobs
Research nurse vacancies can be found in both the public and private sectors, and are often open to all branches of qualified nurses. It’s not often that research nurse positions come up for newly qualified nurses because certain professional development qualifications are required such as ENB 998 (Teaching and Assessing in Clinical Practice) or Phlebotomy (Venepuncture) training.
Research nurses work in all specialisms in all parts of the healthcare sector, and their role is broadly to help plan, implement and coordinate clinical trials and research while maintaining advocacy for the patients involved. They will assess and recruit individuals suitable for the particular trial and offer support throughout the process. The research collated throughout the trial is then reviewed by the modern matron, clinical lead and / or senior clinical team.
What skills do you need to become a Research Nurse?
You need a wide range of skills in addition to your nursing skills. You need to be meticulous and accurate when recording data, methodical in your organisation and implementation of the clinical trial as well as able to communicate well with the individuals taking part in the trial. You will be their main point of contact throughout the clinical trial and they will require your guidance and information. It's common for patients to also be receiving treatment from their doctor or consultant during the trial, so it's essential you can work well within a multidisciplinary team.
Most research nurse vacancies to ask for at least 2 years clinical experience prior to applying. In some cases you could be working without direct supervision, so it’s important that you have some experience as a qualified nurse before going into a research position.
What kind of areas can a research nurse work in?
There are research nurses running clinical trials in all areas of healthcare from epilepsy to infection control. You could find there are vacancies advertised for you to conduct research into a very specific area such as haematology in relation to cancer, or probiotics in the treatment of diarrhoea. The vacancies available with vary hugely between different trusts, but NHS research nurse jobs are typically rated at band 6.
Occasionally private sector research nurse jobs do appear, and the most common vacancies are working with pharmaceutical companies, medical devices companies or clinical trials organisations conducting research into new drugs or products. Some trials are conducted on healthy volunteers, others on patients who meet the criteria to be included in a clinical trial. In either case, you will be an advocate for the individuals involved and will monitor their wellbeing throughout.
Clinical trials in the private sector are run in much the same way as in the NHS. There are volunteers or patients with certain criteria that must give their permission to be involved, and the research nurse is the key point of contact for them.
How are clinical trials administered?
As with any research project, its aims and methods must be examined before the research commences. In the case of a clinical trial it must be approved by the Medical and Health Regulatory Agency (MHRA) as well as the Research Ethics Committee (REC). They check that the drugs or treatments are suitable for the patient, and that the aims of the trial are ethically sound and in the interests of further improving treatments.
Once approved, the research nurse will meet patients from both the trial group and the control group and will ask for their consent to be included in the trial. One group of patients are offered the new treatment, and the other is offered either current most effective treatment or no treatment at all, depending on the remit of the trial. Throughout the process the research nurse will monitor certain pre-decided indicators as well as document each patient’s condition by recording data in a uniform way for all participants. The findings are closely monitored by a Data Monitoring Committee (DMC), who are commonly a group of independent experts with a responsibility to look at the efficacy of the data collected.
How can I get into research nursing?
Simple, if you are a qualified nurse with an NMC pin number and at least 2 years experience in nursing you are usually eligible to apply. As with nursing jobs in all other specialisms some employers require different experience or competencies, but if you are an experienced nurse there is no reason why you shouldn't start searching and applying for
research nurse jobs.
Co-Founder, Niche Jobs
About the author
Co-Founder, Niche Jobs
I'm fascinated by the career choice we all make. It speaks so much about who we are. People choose to become a nurse or work in medicine or care for one of two reasons. One: simply, they always wanted to be a nurse or social worker or doctor. Two: even more simply, they want a job which helps people. In our blogs we explore the career choice that puts others first.
Related Blogs
What to know if you're a UK nurse looking to work in Australia
Ever wondered what it’s like nursing abroad? Laura Young compares the key similarities and differences between the NHS and Australian healthcare.
How to change your career and become a nurse
Thinking of becoming a nurse? Ruth Underdown explains exactly what you need to know if you're looking to qualify as a Registered Nurse.
How to become a healthcare assistant with no formal care experience
If you've never worked as a healthcare assistant before, here's how to get a HCA job and develop your career in healthcare.
Related Jobs
Research Nurse
London, Greater London, England
Guy's and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust
CRF Research Nurse
London, Greater London, England
University College Hospital London NHS Trust
Research Nurse
Bristol, City of Bristol, England
University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust
Critical Care Research Nurse
Birmingham, West Midlands, England
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust
Clinical Research Nurse
London, Greater London, England
King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Clinical Research Nurse
Manchester, Greater Manchester, England
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
See all of our RGN jobs
6349 jobs currently available