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Clinical research nurses

Clinical research nursing

A one-stop-shop for nurses working in clinical research

Clinical research nurses play a vital role in delivering clinical research, and ultimately improving patient care.

Clinical research is essential

It is the only evidence-based method of deciding whether a new approach to treatment or care is better than the current standard, and is essential to diagnose, treat, prevent, and cure disease. Clinical research nurses play a vital role in delivering clinical research, and ultimately improving patient care and treatment pathways.

Duties could include:

  • supporting a patient through their treatment as part of a clinical trial
  • preparing trial protocols and other trial-related documentation
  • helping to develop new drugs, treatments, care pathways or regimens for patients
  • dealing with data collection
  • submitting study proposals for regulatory approval, and co-ordinating the initiation, management and completion of the research
  • managing a team.

Clinical Research Nurses sub-committee

Discover more about the work of the RCN Research Society Clinical Research Nurses sub-committee

Inaugural Clinical Research Nursing Day

Celebrating clinical research nursing and its vital role in health care

29 April 2021, London

COVID-19 and clinical research nurses

The current pandemic has raised the awareness of clinical research and the impact it has on identifying effective treatments to treat this recently emerging virus. From the outset, clinical research has been a key part of the government's response and the plan to contain, delay, research and mitigate. Clinical research nurses (CRNs) have been key to the effective delivery of many of the COVID-19 interventional and observational studies now running or completed. In order to focus recruitment on key treatment studies, trusts have been encouraged to prioritise studies approved by the UK's four Chief Medical Officers (CMO) and running within the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Network.

The following articles provide further information on the work of CRNs during the current pandemic.

Clinical research and the NIHR

The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funds health and care research and provides the people, facilities, and technology that enables research to thrive.

The NIHR invests significantly in people, centres of excellence, collaborations, services and facilities to support health and care research in England. Collectively these form the NIHR infrastructure, which can support you to:

  • find collaboration opportunities
  • access methodology advice
  • access facilities for early stage research
  • run your study
  • access data, patient cohorts or sample support

Collaborations, services and support for your research

Represent-CRN study

Are you a nurse, midwife or allied health professional (AHP) practicing in the NHS? Do you have views about how research is delivered by Clinical Research Nurses in the NHS? Would you be prepared to share those views?

The Represent-CRN study is part of the Royal College of Nursing Strategic Research Alliance with the University of Sheffield. It aims to explore the views of registered NHS staff operating outside of clinical research delivery teams, in relation to the Clinical Research Nurse role and research delivery.

By exploring these views, we hope to shed light on what leads to different perceptions of research, ultimately to enable more patients to have the opportunity to participate in research that is relevant to their health. 
 
Find out more about the study.

Looking for a career in clinical research?

If you work in the NHS, most Trusts have R&D departments, who will put you in touch with the lead clinical research nurse: there may be opportunities to shadow, or do short-term work placements.

Career ideas and inspiration

Research nursing offers attractive career options, enabling nurses to use core nursing skills, contribute to the development of new evidence and improve patient care

Research nursing across the UK

Wales

Health and Care Research Wales

Further reading

A selection of articles about research nursing.

Research and innovation bulletin

Keep up to date with all the latest developments in nursing research by signing up to the RCN’s fortnightly research and innovation bulletin.

Research and innovation bulletin
International Research Conference

International nursing research conference

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