Research

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

Opportunities for development may include senior researching roles, leading teams or research facilities (akin to the ward manager role), education or even being principal investigator on studies. Working in research may lead you to become interested in an academic career, and pursue a PhD, or a Professional Doctorate to become an independent nurse researcher.

Nurses within research provide and deliver high quality patient care to support the delivery of clinical research studies within a service or department.

Duties could include 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 coordinating the initiation, management and completion of the research, managing a team, or working in academia.

Examples of jobs within Research:

• Clinical Research Nurse (CRN)
• Research and Development Nurse
• Research Midwife
• Research Sister / Charge Nurse
• Senior clinical research nurse
• Research Manager
• Research Associate
• Clinical Academic
• Joint Clinical Nurse Specialist and Clinical Research Nurse
• Independent Nurse Researcher 

If you're interested in research roles...

• See the RCN's Research and innovation section for news, resources and information.
• Join the RCN Research Forum
• Most major NHS trusts or organisations will have a Research and Development department. Contact them and request to speak to the lead clinical research nurse for advice, shadowing, or short term work placements.
• Research whether there are any pilots, projects or initiatives around research / quality improvement / innovation in your organisation and ask to be involved.
• Contact relevant organisations and companies to arrange informal visits, to gain more info, insight and contacts.
• Shadow nurses in various research roles. This could be through your network, informal visits, or through your current employer.
• Use your contacts, colleagues, etc. to get in touch with nurses working in research. Ask them if you can take their contact details for future reference.
• Examine research nurse job vacancies yo identify what experience, skills, or knowledge employers prefer.
• Speak to your manager for support, and make sure any goals or aspirations are documented in your 121s.
• See if your employer offers mentoring or coaching, or has any career frameworks. 
• See if there is an RCN Learning rep within your workplace.

Nursing Career Resource

For more information about the desired qualifications, education, skills and experience needed to transition into Research Nursing, see the Research section of the RCN's Nursing Career Resource which includes videos, case studies, links, and further resources.