03.05 Research Nurse

Okay guys, today we're going to talk about what it's like to be a research nurse and everything that goes into it from the beginning. I'm getting ready to go down that career path to some of the things that you're actually going to do in practice. So what exactly is a research nurse? Well, a research nurse is a nurse who's going to go through clinical trials. It really focused on working with other researchers and providers, especially those who are wanting to do specific studies and trials. We actually had a study that I was working on for trauma patients when I was in the ICU and actually focused on this idea of using Lovenox for traumas. And what happened is we were actually checking somebody called a 10 a level and this 10 A-level would help us to determine how effective the Lovenox was being. it was a really, really cool trial. I think the trial is actually still ongoing, so it was a really, really interesting thing to be a part of. I just know that I would actually have to check these A levels a lot more frequently, but this is one of the things that was a response that the research nurses do is they kind of coordinate with both the practicing nurses, the, you know, the floor nurses and also providers if this is a hospital setting. But one thing that they do is they follow these specific protocols. These protocols are set up in place, whether double blind study or study with placebo or et cetera, et cetera. They're gonna follow these specific protocols. And these protocols could be something like a 60 minutes after admission. They always do X, Y, and Z. So that's something that's going to come into play.

So if you're really good and really organized at being detailed in wanting to get in this area of data collection and research, this may be the job for you. So again, you're going to follow the specific protocols and the importance of these protocols is it's going to help determine the efficacy of medications, practice, uh, even some procedures. So when you're thinking about this, do I really want to start this career path or you go down the career path of I want to be a practicing nurse at the bedside, long term. Do I want to work in a specific unit or in this case, do I want to continue this aspect of science? I want to do, go to these scientific methods and follow these protocols and, and really find out what's going to be the best for practicing nurses.

So let's talk about education background in research, a lot of times this is going to be the bare minimum. Associate's degrees usually aren't enough in terms of formal education to propel a nurse into the career of research. BSN has required an, oftentimes an MSN or PhD is referred to this as a master's degree. It doesn't necessarily, it could be a master's degree in education. It could be a master's degree in some sort of other areas that pertain to nursing. But typically these are actually the preferred methods for employers to find those nurses to become research nurses for whatever firm or organization are working for the typically request two or more years of experience in the area of interest. So if you have an area I'm interested maybe in trauma, Hey, this would be a great opportunity for you to do research in trauma.

This too or more is typically at the bedside and then there's usually some additional likes. Sometimes I'll actually prefer five. So just know that right out of school, after you get your bachelor's and after you pass the NCLEX, that this is going to take you some time to get your feet under you and to make sure that you have that experience so that all of the research actually makes sense. There's also certification. So there's a certification called CCRP, which is a certified clinical research professional and applies to all researchers. So, it's a good certification to have. So just something that you will get if you go down the path of research that you either may need to get or may need to have prior to being hired by an employer, the other one that you will also have to get as your ACLs or BLS. It just kinda, it's organizational dependent. So if you're more of like in a university setting, you may only have to have like a BLS at a baseline.

What are the responsibilities of a research nurse? Well, it really falls into this idea of doing clinical trials. So in this clinical trial, you're going to do a couple of things. First off, you're going to follow those protocols. You're gonna help develop the protocols and you're going to help identify. Hey, maybe this is a barrier that we're going to have to overcome in order to make sure that we execute this well. But the protocols get set in place and you have to follow those protocols specifically. So good organizational skills are a must healer. The other one is you have to communicate well with providers and patients. You have to be able to explain what you're doing. You have to be able to explain, Hey, my name is so-and-so and I'm coming in and we're asking you to be a part of this clinical trial.

And we want you, we need a blood sample. Is it okay if we get, you know, I know when your nurses are drawing blood, you mind if we get just a little bit more to submit? Usually, those providers in the heads of those departments are going to go over consent. But again, you're still going to need to have those good communication skills with those patients. Also, you're going to need to collect data. You're going to, it's all about data collection. So if you are really, really into research and science, then this definitely may be the area for you. So collecting data, analyzing results, helping to formulate papers like this is a big part of, Hey, we're going to make sure we get all the information. This is like going back to microbiology when you're doing all those tests inside the lab. This is very similar to it, but it deals more with, with types of procedures and stuff, which is what we come down with us with the trial types.

So you can have surgical trials. Hey, we want to see how effective surgery is. For this type of disease. Is there a new type of, maybe a stent for myocardial infarction patients that may be super. Then you have pharmaceutical trials. So this is, Hey, what a combination of medications or a new medications to market or um, or maybe, Hey, there's a really expensive medication. We found a way to cut the cost, but we need to make sure that this is going to be just as effective as a medication X. This is another type of trial that you may do. And the last one is practice applies more kind of to the nursing realm. So there was something called the A, B, C, D E F bundle in the ICU. And what it is, is it really focuses on decreasing the likelihood of patients staying in the hospital longer.

It also helps to reduce patient mortality. It improves discharge to, to get the patient out of the hospital. And the other thing it does, it also decreases the likelihood that patients would return as a result of poor herder in hospital. So by checking off every one of these A B, C, D, E and F components of the bundle what we did is we hope to reduce ICU related delirium and we're able to help improve recovery by following this. And that actually was shown to be effective in practice. And a lot of hospitals, especially in trauma facilities, are starting to incorporate this bundle. So what or where would you potentially work if you're a research nurse? Well, here's where you've got hospitals, you've got universities, hospitals, you're really going to get into the teaching hospitals.

So all of these hospitals and universities work together. Then there are certain research organizations, there are governmental agencies. So the CDC, the FDA, these are areas, um, where you could be doing clinical trials and also pharmaceutical companies. This is going to be a big one, especially when we're trying to figure out if medications are going to be effective for patients. So let's recap. When you're looking at becoming a research nurse, and remember you've got to start with education. You've got to have the BSN and that the master's or the PhD is going to be a preferred degree level that you're going to need to have. Also, experience is a really important because it's that minimum two years in that area and the interest is going to be really helpful in determining not only where you're going to be successful, but things that you actually want to do.

Do you want to come to work and you want to be excited about coming to work? If you're working in an area that you're not interested in, then, then that area, that specific area may not be beneficial. But if you really want to go after being a research nurse in maybe internal medicine, then being on a medicine ICU floor or a Medsurge floor that may help you to get your feet under you. Next, you've got your responsibilities, you've got to follow those protocols, collect data, and communicate with patients and the providers and the people running the clinical trials. Those are all important aspects. And lastly, where are you going to work while this, you could be in a hospital or university, a pharmaceutical company or even governmental agencies. Okay. Well, I hope that all the information in this lesson has been helpful in helping you determine if being a research nurse is for you. Now. We'd love you guys to go out and be your best selves today. And as always, happy nursing.