Things You Need to Know About a Research Nurse
Dec 3, 2014 | 9:00 am
A research nurse is a scientist who conducts research that improves the field for nursing. These scientist design studies analyze data and report their findings. These nurses make discoveries that directly impact the lives of both patients and medical staff.
Some of us may have volunteered for a clinical study in which we were in direct contact with a research nurse. This is a setting where people with certain conditions sign up for a clinical research trial, where patients would get a placebo and others would get a different medicine and all facets of the research are then documented. Patients need to actively participate in order for the clinical studies to be reported with accuracy. There have been many breakthroughs in the medical world due to clinical research. Research much of the time is funded privately or a non-profit and others might be government funded.
Salary and Questions
According to Explore Health Careers, the median salary is $95,000 per year and can go much higher depending on education, experience, and of course, having the permission to conduct research. It is vital to maintain accuracy in research studies and directions are followed explicitly in order to not compromise the findings. Experienced research nurses are needed to create and implement research projects.
On the website, Nursing World, in an article titled “Nursing Research,” Patricia Quigley, PhD, MPH, ARNP, CRRN, FAAN, FAANP stated, “Nurses use research to provide evidence based care that promotes quality health outcomes for individuals, families, communities and health care systems.”
Clare Hastings, RN, PhD, FAAN and Chief Officer at National Institute of Health says, “These clinical nurses are apart of a permanent infrastructure of the research unit and are available to any investigator accessing the facility.”
According to the National Institute of Health Clinical Center Nursing and Patient Care Services, there are 5 components to clinical research. There is clinical practice, study management, human subject protection, contributing to the science and care coordination and continuity. Each component plays a role in how the project is implemented, the instructions that are followed, how the information is documented and protected and results of all the findings then the final report.
The Research Market
There is accountability, expertise, advocacy and continuity of care based on consistency of care providers and approach of care. In the scope of the research come very large amounts of data and analysis that will be gone through with a fine toothcomb, so to speak, to extract all information available for final results. Some studies may be rerun at later dates to compare and see what the changes might be.
Medicine is not an exact science and that is why there is an ongoing need for researchers. Research nurses and other research team members will spend months on some studies; however, there have been studies that have lasted years and maybe even decades. Some studies will be ongoing indefinitely for years to come. Our world is constantly evolving and the scientific of medicine is no different. Medicine is a multitude of studies and those studies will continue as long as there is a desire to improve.