research nurse skills

Top 12 Research Nurse Skills to Put on Your Resume

In the highly specialized field of research nursing, showcasing a tailored set of skills on your resume can significantly elevate your marketability to potential employers. This article outlines the top 12 skills that research nurses should highlight to demonstrate their adeptness in clinical research, patient care, and data management, setting the foundation for a successful career in this dynamic healthcare sector.

Research Nurse Skills

• EHR (Electronic Health Records)
• SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences)
• Clinical Monitoring
• Patient Recruitment
• GCP (Good Clinical Practice)
• IRB Submissions
• Data Analysis
• Protocol Development
• Informed Consent
• Patient Education
• CPR/BLS Certification

1. Phlebotomy

Phlebotomy is the process of making an incision in a vein with a needle to collect blood samples for medical testing, transfusions, or research purposes, including tasks often performed by a Research Nurse to obtain specimens for study analyses.

Why It's Important

Phlebotomy is crucial for a Research Nurse as it enables the collection of blood samples for analysis, helping in the diagnosis, monitoring, and research of medical conditions, and evaluating the effectiveness of treatments.

How to Improve Phlebotomy Skills

Improving phlebotomy skills, especially for a Research Nurse, involves continuous education, practice, and adherence to best practices for patient safety and comfort. Here are concise strategies:

Stay Updated : Engage in ongoing education and training. Organizations like the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) offer resources and certifications.

Practice Technique : Regular hands-on practice, possibly through workshops or simulations, improves skill and confidence. Facilities like the Simulated Learning Centers in healthcare institutions provide realistic training environments.

Use of Technology : Incorporate vein visualization technology to improve success rates in difficult venipunctures. Products like AccuVein can assist.

Follow Guidelines : Adhere to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines for phlebotomy to ensure consistency and safety in blood collection practices.

Patient Communication : Enhance communication skills to better prepare and reassure patients, reducing anxiety and improving the overall experience. The Institute for Healthcare Communication offers insights on effective communication strategies.

Peer Review and Feedback : Engage in peer review sessions where techniques and experiences are shared. This encourages learning from real-life scenarios and fosters a culture of continuous improvement.

By integrating these strategies, Research Nurses can enhance their phlebotomy skills, contributing to more efficient and patient-centered care.

How to Display Phlebotomy Skills on Your Resume

2. EHR (Electronic Health Records)

EHR (Electronic Health Records) is a digital version of a patient's paper chart, used by healthcare providers to record, manage, and share patient health information securely, facilitating improved patient care and research data accuracy.

EHRs are crucial for research nurses as they facilitate efficient access to comprehensive patient data, enabling precise monitoring, improved patient care, and streamlined data collection for research, ultimately enhancing healthcare outcomes and advancing medical knowledge.

How to Improve EHR (Electronic Health Records) Skills

Improving Electronic Health Records (EHRs) involves several key strategies, especially from the perspective of a Research Nurse. Here are concise recommendations:

Enhance User Interface (UI) Design : Simplify the UI to make navigation and data entry more intuitive for clinical staff. HealthIT.gov offers guidelines on usability to improve EHR systems.

Implement Standardized Data Entry : Use standardized terminology and data entry formats to ensure consistency and accuracy. The LOINC system for lab results and the SNOMED CT for clinical terms are valuable resources.

Ensure Interoperability : Facilitate the seamless exchange of information between different EHR systems and healthcare providers. The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) provides standards and resources for promoting interoperability.

Incorporate Decision Support Tools : Integrate clinical decision support tools to assist research nurses in making evidence-based decisions. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has resources on integrating these tools into EHRs.

Enhance Data Security : Protect patient information through robust data encryption and access controls. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) establishes standards for patient data protection.

Offer Training and Support : Provide ongoing training and support to ensure that research nurses can effectively use EHR systems. Tailored training materials can be found through The American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) .

Utilize Patient Portals : Encourage the use of patient portals to improve patient engagement and self-management. Insights on effective implementation can be found on HealthIT.gov’s Patient Engagement Playbook .

By focusing on these areas, research nurses can significantly contribute to the enhancement of EHR systems, thereby improving patient care and research outcomes.

How to Display EHR (Electronic Health Records) Skills on Your Resume

3. SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences)

SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) is a software tool used for data management, statistical analysis, and graphical representation of data, widely utilized in healthcare research to analyze complex datasets and derive evidence-based conclusions.

SPSS is important for a Research Nurse because it offers a user-friendly platform for managing, analyzing, and interpreting complex healthcare data, enabling evidence-based decision-making and improved patient outcomes.

How to Improve SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) Skills

Improving your proficiency with SPSS as a Research Nurse involves a mix of foundational understanding, practice, and seeking out resources that cater to your specific needs in healthcare research. Here’s a concise guide:

Understand the Basics : Start with understanding the fundamentals of statistics and how SPSS operates. IBM's official SPSS tutorials can provide a solid foundation.

Practice with Relevant Data : Apply what you've learned by practicing with datasets. You can find healthcare-related datasets on Kaggle or through government databases like CDC to practice on real-world examples.

Utilize Online Courses : Platforms like Coursera offer SPSS courses tailored to various levels of expertise. Look for courses that focus on healthcare or scientific research to stay relevant to your field.

Join SPSS Forums : Engage with communities such as the IBM SPSS Community or ResearchGate. These platforms allow you to ask questions, share insights, and learn from the challenges and solutions of others in your field.

Explore Advanced Features : As you become more comfortable, delve into SPSS’s advanced features like predictive modeling and syntax scripting for automation. IBM provides resources and guides on advanced techniques.

Seek Feedback : Regularly consult with colleagues or mentors who are experienced in SPSS or statistical analysis. Peer review can offer insights and tips tailored to your specific research needs.

By systematically working through these steps and integrating SPSS into your regular research activities, you'll enhance your proficiency, leading to more efficient and accurate data analysis in your nursing research projects.

How to Display SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) Skills on Your Resume

4. Clinical Monitoring

Clinical monitoring in the context of a Research Nurse involves overseeing and ensuring the integrity, safety, and compliance of a clinical trial. It includes verifying that the study is conducted according to the protocol, regulatory requirements, and good clinical practice, safeguarding the rights and well-being of participants, and ensuring the accuracy and reliability of data collected.

Clinical monitoring is essential to ensure the safety, rights, and well-being of participants are protected, and that the data collected in clinical trials are accurate, reliable, and verifiable. For a Research Nurse, it involves continuously assessing and overseeing trial processes and patient care to maintain high-quality standards, compliance with protocols, and adherence to regulatory requirements.

How to Improve Clinical Monitoring Skills

Improving clinical monitoring, especially for a Research Nurse, involves enhancing accuracy, efficiency, and patient safety during clinical trials. Here are concise strategies:

Continued Education : Engage in ongoing training programs to stay updated with the latest clinical practices and monitoring technologies.

Adopt Technology : Utilize Electronic Health Records (EHR) and Clinical Trial Management Systems (CTMS) for better data management and real-time monitoring.

Effective Communication : Foster clear and consistent communication with the clinical trial team and participants. Tools like REDCap can streamline data collection and sharing.

Compliance and Ethics : Always adhere to Good Clinical Practice (GCP) guidelines to maintain ethical standards and regulatory compliance.

Risk Management : Implement a proactive risk management approach to identify and mitigate potential issues early in the trial process.

By focusing on these areas, research nurses can significantly contribute to the effectiveness and reliability of clinical monitoring.

How to Display Clinical Monitoring Skills on Your Resume

5. Patient Recruitment

Patient recruitment, in the context of a research nurse, involves identifying and enrolling suitable participants for clinical trials or studies to ensure the research objectives can be met effectively and ethically.

Patient recruitment is crucial in clinical research as it ensures a sufficient and diverse participant pool to validate study outcomes, enabling the development of effective treatments and advancements in healthcare. For a Research Nurse, effective patient recruitment directly impacts the study's progress, adherence to timelines, and overall success in achieving reliable and generalizable results.

How to Improve Patient Recruitment Skills

Improving patient recruitment involves strategic planning and effective communication to ensure the right participants are enrolled in clinical trials. Here's a concise guide tailored for a Research Nurse:

Understand the Study : Deeply understand the study criteria, objectives, and patient needs. This knowledge enables you to accurately identify and engage potential participants.

Engage with Potential Participants : Develop a clear, concise, and compelling way to communicate the study's purpose, benefits, and what participation involves. Personalized communication can increase interest and trust.

Leverage Technology : Utilize patient databases, electronic health records (EHRs), and social media to identify and reach out to potential participants. Platforms like ResearchMatch or ClinicalTrials.gov can also be useful resources.

Collaborate with Healthcare Professionals : Work closely with physicians, nurses, and other healthcare providers to identify potential participants from their patient pools. Ensure they understand the study so they can accurately inform and refer their patients.

Community Engagement : Engage with local communities through health fairs, presentations, and social media. Building relationships with community leaders and groups can help reach potential participants.

Streamline the Process : Ensure the recruitment process is as simple and clear as possible for participants. Minimize paperwork, offer flexible scheduling, and provide clear instructions.

Follow Up : Maintain communication with potential participants through follow-up calls or emails. This keeps them engaged and allows you to address any concerns or questions they may have.

By focusing on clear communication, leveraging technology, and building strong relationships with healthcare professionals and the community, you can significantly improve patient recruitment for clinical trials.

How to Display Patient Recruitment Skills on Your Resume

6. GCP (Good Clinical Practice)

GCP (Good Clinical Practice) is a set of internationally recognized ethical and scientific quality standards for designing, conducting, recording, and reporting trials that involve the participation of human subjects. For a Research Nurse, GCP ensures the rights, safety, and well-being of trial participants are protected and that the trial data are accurate, reliable, and verifiable.

GCP is important for ensuring the safety, integrity, and rights of participants, as well as the credibility of clinical trial data, which is essential for a Research Nurse to conduct ethical and reliable studies.

How to Improve GCP (Good Clinical Practice) Skills

Improving Good Clinical Practice (GCP) as a Research Nurse involves several key strategies aimed at enhancing compliance, patient safety, and data integrity in clinical trials. Here’s a concise guide on how to improve GCP:

Stay Educated : Continuously update your GCP knowledge through certified training programs and workshops. GCP guidelines evolve, and staying informed is crucial.

Adhere to Protocols : Strictly follow study protocols and standard operating procedures (SOPs) to ensure consistency and reliability in data collection and patient care.

Ensure Informed Consent : Prioritize obtaining and documenting informed consent ethically and accurately, ensuring patients are fully aware of their participation scope.

Maintain Documentation : Keep comprehensive and accurate records according to ALCOA principles (Attributable, Legible, Contemporaneous, Original, and Accurate), facilitating audit processes and data verification.

Prioritize Patient Safety : Always monitor and report adverse events promptly, emphasizing patient safety and well-being as paramount. Familiarize yourself with the reporting protocols on the FDA’s adverse events page .

Engage in Continuous Quality Improvement : Regularly review and assess clinical practices for areas of improvement, engaging in quality improvement initiatives and audits to enhance GCP adherence.

Collaborate and Communicate : Work closely with the research team, fostering an environment of open communication and collaboration to address GCP-related challenges and share best practices.

By focusing on these areas, Research Nurses can significantly contribute to the integrity and success of clinical trials, ensuring that they are conducted in accordance with the highest standards of ethical and scientific rigor.

How to Display GCP (Good Clinical Practice) Skills on Your Resume

7. IRB Submissions

IRB submissions refer to the process of submitting a research proposal to an Institutional Review Board (IRB) for ethical review and approval before starting a study involving human subjects. For a Research Nurse, this entails ensuring that the planned research respects participants' rights, safety, and welfare and complies with regulatory requirements.

IRB submissions are crucial for a Research Nurse as they ensure the ethical and safe conduct of research involving human participants, protecting their rights and welfare throughout the study.

How to Improve IRB Submissions Skills

Improving Institutional Review Board (IRB) submissions involves a clear and thorough approach, ensuring that all necessary components for ethical review are effectively communicated. Here are concise strategies for a Research Nurse:

Understand Submission Requirements : Familiarize yourself with your IRB's specific submission requirements. This includes knowing the forms, checklists, and any electronic submission protocols. Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) provides general guidelines that can help.

Complete Training : Ensure you have current training on human subjects research ethics, such as the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Program . This will not only improve the quality of your submission but also demonstrate your competence to the IRB.

Pre-Submission Consultation : If your IRB offers pre-submission consultations, take advantage of this service. It allows you to clarify any questions and improve your submission proactively. Check your institution’s IRB website for consultation services.

Detailed Protocol : Provide a clear and detailed research protocol including objectives, methodology, participant recruitment, data collection, and analysis plans. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Protocol Template can serve as a helpful guide.

Informed Consent Documents : Ensure informed consent documents are clear, concise, and at an appropriate reading level for your participants. The Readability Test Tool can help assess the readability of your consent forms.

Risk Mitigation Strategies : Clearly outline potential risks to participants and the steps you will take to mitigate these risks. This demonstrates a thorough understanding of your study’s impact on participants.

Complete and Accurate Forms : Double-check that all forms are complete and accurately filled out. Incomplete or inaccurate forms are a common reason for IRB submission delays.

Check for Consistency : Ensure that all parts of your submission, including the protocol, consent forms, and recruitment materials, are consistent in describing the study’s purpose, procedures, and risks.

Seek Peer Review : Before submission, have a colleague review your application. Fresh eyes can catch errors or areas that need clarification.

Respond Promptly to IRB Queries : Once submitted, respond promptly and thoroughly to any queries or requests for additional information from the IRB.

By following these strategies, Research Nurses can improve the quality of their IRB submissions, potentially reducing the review time and facilitating a smoother approval process.

How to Display IRB Submissions Skills on Your Resume

8. Data Analysis

Data analysis in the context of a Research Nurse involves systematically examining, cleaning, and interpreting collected data to draw meaningful conclusions, identify patterns or trends, and inform evidence-based healthcare decisions and practices.

Data analysis is crucial for a Research Nurse as it enables the systematic interpretation of clinical data to improve patient care, inform evidence-based practices, and contribute to the advancement of medical knowledge and healthcare outcomes.

How to Improve Data Analysis Skills

Improving data analysis, especially for a Research Nurse, involves a combination of enhancing statistical skills, leveraging technology, and applying best practices in data management and interpretation. Here are concise strategies:

Strengthen Statistical Knowledge : Familiarize yourself with statistical software and methodologies relevant to your research area. Consider online courses from platforms like Coursera or Khan Academy's statistics and probability for foundational knowledge.

Utilize Data Analysis Software : Learn to use data analysis tools such as SPSS , R , or Python for more complex data manipulation and analysis.

Data Visualization : Master data visualization tools like Tableau or Microsoft Power BI to effectively communicate your findings.

Continuous Learning : Stay updated with the latest research and data analysis techniques in nursing research through journals and publications from sites like PubMed and Nursing Research .

Ethical Considerations and Accuracy : Adhere to ethical guidelines in data handling and analysis to ensure accuracy and reliability. Refer to The American Nurses Association (ANA) for standards and guidelines.

Collaborate and Seek Feedback : Engage with colleagues or use platforms like ResearchGate to discuss data analysis strategies and challenges specific to nursing research.

By focusing on these key areas, Research Nurses can significantly enhance their data analysis capabilities, contributing to more effective and impactful research outcomes.

How to Display Data Analysis Skills on Your Resume

9. Protocol Development

Protocol development, in the context of a research nurse, refers to the process of creating a detailed plan that outlines the study's objectives, methodology, participant care, and data management procedures to ensure the research is conducted safely, ethically, and effectively.

Protocol development is crucial for a Research Nurse as it ensures the safety, consistency, and integrity of clinical trials, guiding every aspect of the study from participant selection to data analysis, thereby protecting participants and producing reliable, valid results.

How to Improve Protocol Development Skills

Improving protocol development in research nursing involves enhancing the design, implementation, and management of research protocols to ensure they are efficient, ethical, and capable of yielding reliable, actionable results. Here's a concise guide:

Stay Informed : Continuously update your knowledge on the latest research methodologies and ethical guidelines. NIH Clinical Research Trials and You is a valuable resource.

Collaborate Effectively : Engage in interdisciplinary collaboration. Utilize platforms like ResearchGate to connect with other professionals.

Understand Regulations : Have a deep understanding of regulatory requirements and ensure compliance. The FDA's Clinical Trials and Human Subject Protection provides essential guidelines.

Adopt Technology : Utilize digital tools and software for protocol management, such as REDCap for secure data management.

Enhance Participant Engagement : Focus on participant-centered approaches to improve recruitment and retention. The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute offers insights into patient-engaged research.

Continuous Education : Invest in your professional development through courses and certifications in clinical research. Coursera and edX offer courses on clinical trial design and management.

By incorporating these strategies, research nurses can significantly contribute to the development of effective and ethical research protocols, ultimately advancing the quality and impact of clinical research.

How to Display Protocol Development Skills on Your Resume

10. Informed Consent

Informed consent is a process through which research participants are given comprehensive information about a study, including its purpose, duration, procedures, risks, benefits, and their rights, ensuring they voluntarily agree to participate with a clear understanding of their role and the research implications. For a research nurse, it involves clearly explaining this information to participants and ensuring they understand it before obtaining their written consent to participate.

Informed consent is crucial for a research nurse as it ensures participants are fully aware of the research's nature, procedures, risks, and benefits, thereby respecting their autonomy and right to make an informed decision about their participation. This process protects both the participants' welfare and the integrity of the research.

How to Improve Informed Consent Skills

Improving informed consent, particularly from a Research Nurse's perspective, involves enhancing communication, understanding, and documentation processes to ensure participants are fully aware of what participation entails. Here are concise strategies:

Simplify Language : Use plain language, avoiding medical jargon, to ensure clarity. CDC’s Simply Put Guide provides tips on simplifying information.

Multimedia Tools : Incorporate videos or interactive digital content to explain the study details, catering to various learning styles. The NIH’s Clinical Trials website offers examples.

Iterative Process : Treat consent as an ongoing conversation rather than a one-time event. Continuous engagement allows for clarification and reassurance. The Hastings Center provides insights into ethical considerations, including consent as a process.

Cultural Sensitivity : Adapt communication to be culturally sensitive, respecting the participant's background and beliefs. The Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) offers guidelines on ethical standards in diverse settings.

Feedback Mechanism : Implement a mechanism for participants to ask questions and express concerns at any time, strengthening trust and transparency. The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) emphasizes patient engagement in research.

Documentation Tools : Utilize clear, concise consent forms and checklists to ensure all critical information is covered and understood. The FDA’s Informed Consent documents provide templates and guidelines.

By focusing on these areas, Research Nurses can significantly improve the informed consent process, making it more participant-friendly and ethically sound.

How to Display Informed Consent Skills on Your Resume

11. Patient Education

Patient education, in the context of a Research Nurse, involves informing and instructing participants about the details of clinical trials, including the study's purpose, procedures, potential risks, and benefits, to ensure they have a clear understanding and can make informed decisions about their participation.

Patient education is crucial as it empowers individuals to manage their health effectively, improves treatment adherence, reduces complications, and enhances patient outcomes. For a Research Nurse, it ensures informed consent, facilitates patient participation in clinical trials, and promotes understanding of research procedures and their potential impact on patient care.

How to Improve Patient Education Skills

Improving patient education, especially in a research nursing context, involves clear communication, tailored information, and the use of diverse educational tools. Here are concise strategies:

Understand Your Audience : Assess the patient's literacy, health literacy, and learning preferences. This foundational step ensures the information provided is accessible and comprehensible. Health Literacy Out Loud offers insights into understanding patient needs.

Use Plain Language : Simplify medical jargon into everyday language. Tools like the CDC's Clear Communication Index provide guidelines for creating clear and understandable health messages.

Incorporate Visual Aids : Visual aids such as diagrams, charts, and videos can enhance understanding and retention. The use of patient education technology, like Understand.com , offers a variety of medical animations and explanations.

Personalize Education : Tailor information to the individual's condition, treatment plan, and concerns. Personalized education increases relevance and engagement. Resources like Patient Education Institute's X-Plain offer customizable educational materials.

Reinforce Learning : Provide written materials or digital resources for review after the visit. Websites such as MedlinePlus offer accessible patient education materials on a wide range of health topics.

Evaluate Understanding : Use teach-back methods where the patient explains the information back to you in their own words to confirm understanding. The Always Use Teach-back! training toolkit is a valuable resource for learning how to effectively implement this technique.

Encourage Questions : Create an open environment where questions are welcomed. Providing a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) can also be helpful.

Follow-Up : Schedule follow-up interactions to address any ongoing questions or new concerns. This can be through phone calls, secure messaging, or additional appointments.

By implementing these strategies, research nurses can significantly enhance patient education, ensuring patients are well-informed, engaged, and empowered in their health care decisions.

How to Display Patient Education Skills on Your Resume

12. CPR/BLS Certification

CPR/BLS Certification for a Research Nurse signifies that the nurse is trained in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Basic Life Support (BLS), essential skills for providing immediate and effective responses to individuals experiencing cardiac or breathing emergencies. This certification ensures the nurse can perform lifesaving interventions until further medical treatment is available.

CPR/BLS certification is crucial for a Research Nurse as it equips them with the essential skills to promptly and effectively respond to cardiac and respiratory emergencies, ensuring the safety and potentially saving the lives of patients under their care during clinical trials or research settings.

How to Improve CPR/BLS Certification Skills

Improving your CPR/BLS certification as a Research Nurse involves staying current with the latest guidelines, practicing regularly, and adapting your skills to diverse clinical scenarios. Here’s a concise guide:

Stay Updated : Regularly review the latest American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines or International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) recommendations for updates in CPR/BLS practices.

Continuous Education : Enroll in refresher courses or advanced life support training programs. Providers like the American Red Cross offer specialized courses that are often tailored to healthcare professionals.

Hands-On Practice : Participate in simulation-based training sessions. Utilizing manikins and simulation technology can enhance your practical skills and confidence. Look for opportunities at local hospitals or educational institutions.

Peer Learning : Engage in peer-led study groups or workshops to share experiences and techniques. This collaborative approach can introduce new perspectives and reinforce best practices.

Feedback and Reflection : After CPR/BLS scenarios, either in training or real-life situations, actively seek feedback from instructors or colleagues. Reflect on your performance and identify areas for improvement.

By focusing on these strategies, you can ensure your CPR/BLS skills are not only certified but also competent, responsive, and up-to-date.

How to Display CPR/BLS Certification Skills on Your Resume

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• Clinical Research Nurse
• Research and Development Engineer
• Research Administrator
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• Research Associate
• Research Biologist

Home / Nursing Careers & Specialties / Research Nurse

Research Nurse

What does a research nurse do, becoming a research nurse, where do research nurses work, research nurse salary & employment, helpful organizations, societies, and agencies.

What Is a Research Nurse?

Research nurses conduct scientific research into various aspects of health, including illnesses, treatment plans, pharmaceuticals and healthcare methods, with the ultimate goals of improving healthcare services and patient outcomes. Also known as nurse researchers, research nurses design and implement scientific studies, analyze data and report their findings to other nurses, doctors and medical researchers. A career path that requires an advanced degree and additional training in research methodology and tools, research nurses play a critical role in developing new, potentially life-saving medical treatments and practices.

A highly specialized career path, becoming a nurse researcher requires an advanced degree and training in informatics and research methodology and tools. Often, research nurses enter the field as research assistants or clinical research coordinators. The first step for these individuals, or for any aspiring advanced practice nurse, is to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree and pass the NCLEX-RN exam. Once a nurse has completed their degree and attained an RN license, the next step in becoming a research nurse is to complete a Master's of Science in Nursing program with a focus on research and writing. MSN-level courses best prepare nurses for a career in research, and usually include coursework in statistics, research for evidence-based practice, design and coordination of clinical trials, and advanced research methodology.

A typical job posting for a research nurse position would likely include the following qualifications, among others specific to the type of employer and location:

• MSN degree and valid RN license
• Experience conducting clinical research, including enrolling patients in research studies, implementing research protocol and presenting findings
• Excellent attention to detail required in collecting and analyzing data
• Strong written and verbal communication skills for interacting with patients and reporting research findings
• Experience in grant writing a plus

To search and apply for current nurse researcher positions, visit our job boards .

What Are the Education Requirements for Research Nurses?

The majority of nurse researchers have an advanced nursing degree, usually an MSN and occasionally a PhD in Nursing . In addition to earning an RN license, research nurses need to obtain specialized training in informatics, data collection, scientific research and research equipment as well as experience writing grant proposals, research reports and scholarly articles. Earning a PhD is optional for most positions as a research nurse, but might be required to conduct certain types of research.

Are Any Certifications or Credentials Needed?

Aside from a higher nursing degree, such as an MSN or PhD in Nursing, and an active RN license, additional certifications are often not required for work as a research nurse. However, some nurse researcher positions prefer candidates who have earned the Certified Clinical Research Professional (CCRP) certification offered by the Society for Clinical Research Associates . In order to be eligible for this certification, candidates must have a minimum of two years' experience working in clinical research. The Association of Clinical Research Professionals also offers several certifications in clinical research, including the Clinical Research Associate Certification, the Clinical Research Coordinator Certification and the Association of Clinical Research Professionals – Certified Professional Credential. These certifications have varying eligibility requirements but generally include a number of hours of professional experience in clinical research and an active RN license.

Nurse researchers work in a variety of settings, including:

• Medical research organizations
• Research laboratories
• Universities
• Pharmaceutical companies

A research nurse studies various aspects of the healthcare industry with the ultimate goal of improving patient outcomes. Nurse researchers have specialized knowledge of informatics, scientific research and data collection and analysis, in addition to their standard nursing training and RN license. Nurse researchers often design their own studies, secure funding, implement their research and collect and analyze their findings. They may also assist in the recruitment of study participants and provide direct patient care for participants while conducting their research. Once a research project has been completed, nurse researchers report their findings to other nurses, doctors and medical researchers through written articles, research reports and/or industry speaking opportunities.

What Are the Roles and Duties of a Research Nurse?

• Design and implement research studies
• Observe patient care of treatment or procedures, and collect and analyze data, including managing databases
• Report findings of research, which may include presenting findings at industry conferences, meetings and other speaking engagements
• Write grant applications to secure funding for studies
• Write articles and research reports in nursing or medical professional journals or other publications
• Assist in the recruitment of participants for studies and provide direct patient care for participants

The Society of Clinical Research Associates reported a median salary for research nurses of $72,009 in their SoCRA 2015 Salary Survey , one of the highest-paying nursing specializations in the field. Salary levels for nurse researchers can vary based on the type of employer, geographic location and the nurse's education and experience level. Healthcare research is a growing field, so the career outlook is bright for RNs interested in pursuing an advanced degree and a career in research.

• National Institute of Nursing Research
• Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science
• International Association of Clinical Research Nurses
• Nurse Researcher Magazine

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The Role of the Clinical Research Nurse

Published: 17 May 2019

Version: 1.0 - June 2019

Clinical Research Nurses: In their own words

We spoke to nurses about their experience of working in this exciting space and the variety of roles our clinical research nurses undertake. All speak of having started their research careers with an uninformed view of what a research role could bring them.

All speak of their surprise at the autonomy of the role, the skills they have developed and the variety of work they undertake. All speak of working in great teams, the career opportunities that have opened for them and the importance of their relationships with the clinical research nursing community.

All speak of the challenges they have faced and overcome in research. And all speak of their passion for research. Most importantly they all speak of their crucial role in delivering high quality patient care. 

Here are their stories, in their own words.

Building Local Research

Anne Suttling, Senior Research Nurse, Portsmouth Hospitals Trust

After qualifying as a nurse, I commenced a rotation programme for 18 months. I worked in surgery, medicine, Accident and Emergency, critical care and also coronary care – where I gained a permanent post. That’s where my love is in coronary care and cardiology.

After seven years, I needed a change but still wanted to remain in cardiology. That’s when the opportunity to set up a research study came up. On the first day I was faced with an empty six – bedded bay, on an empty ward and told this was the available space to set up the clinic. The study was a success and on the back of this, the PI got funding for a full – time research nurse, to run interventional studies.

I remember the first complex commercial portfolio study I set up. Before I recruited my first patient I did not sleep the night before. I took home the packaging for all the bloods and biomarkers and had it all out in my living room … there was so much to get my head around. It did go ok – we became one of the top UK recruiters for the study. Because research in the department was working well, more PIs wanted to come on board. They could see research wasn’t such a demanding workload for them because research nurses were organising what they had to do and carrying out the study management.

I currently manage 17 staff in eight specialities. This brings its own challenges. A ward manager has one speciality on their ward and can see what is happening. In this role, you can’t be in renal, gastro and surgery if problems arise. So it’s slightly more difficult to manage. But I am learning so much about other specialities. I enjoy the patient contact and the patients really enjoy being in research. Patients have a hotline to consultants and any problems or issues they call the research nurse.

Our role is so diverse – it is not just recruiting patients. 

I go to monthly meetings with the industry manager. If a company want 8 sites in the UK, they will send out expression of interest forms. If they get 20 back, they will do site selection visits. We also get selected for commercial studies off the back of our success in recruiting to other studies … you start to build up a name for yourself. We also get selected for commercial studies off the back of our success in recruiting to other studies. You start to build up a name for yourself.

A clinical research nurse has a certain amount of autonomy. You have to be able to manage your own time, prioritise and pay attention to detail. Data queries can drive you insane, but that is what research is about. It is all recruit, recruit, but, what is the point if the data is not correct? Part of being a research nurse is having the determination to meet targets. Follow ups don’t necessarily count (as part of the target). You are under pressure to recruit but you still have to follow-up patients … that is what I find difficult. You are perceived to be successful if your recruitment figures are high. Follow up and maintaining consent throughout the trial is just as important – this is when the majority of data is collected.

Our role is so diverse – it is not just recruiting patients. There are follow-ups, collecting data for the CRFs, maintaining site files, knowing about the agencies, regulatory bodies, protocols, consent and giving presentations to inform colleagues about what we do in research.

Cardiology were nominated in 3 or 4 categories at the Portsmouth Hospitals Research Conference and won a “Research Merit Award”. This was in recognition of how we built up cardiology research over the last three years. In cardiology we are getting more PIs on board because they can see we are organised. The PIs are understanding that they don’t have to do all the work. They have a team of experienced research nurses to co-ordinate their trials.

Change Research Cultures

Alison Mortimer, Lead Nurse, NIHR Clinical Research Facility, Sheffield

I fell into research. I bumped into an old colleague on the stairs, she was working in research and had a job going. My first reaction was negative, as research was like a swear word and I hated anything to do with research in my training but I went away, did some reading and decided to apply. I was shocked when I actually got it. I had no idea what I was walking into.

I absolutely loved it. It was so fast-paced, the workload was immense but the patient benefit was amazing. I could see positive outcomes, but it wasn’t only that. I was working with the same patients for a year or longer and built up rapport with them, and they spoke to you about everything that was going on with them. I loved it.

For me research has the best mix of autonomy and teamwork. You manage your own caseload but good communication across the team is essential. I also love the element of surprise … on one occasion I came in to find an email saying we needed to pull all of the patients on one of our trials off the drug immediately. I love that fast-paced excitement, it makes you grateful for the rare moments you do get to sit down at your desk and answer a data query.

My main passion is thinking about how we can unite clinical and research nursing.

I moved into the Comprehensive Local Research Network (CLRN) in 2009. To me it felt like a completely new way of thinking. You were working across such a wide area and with acute and primary care organisations that weren’t at all geared up for research. We had to be flexible so we could be responsive to the different needs of the Trusts. We also had to be sensitive to the internal politics, we were perceived as outsiders. It took a lot of thought and time to ensure we didn’t mess that up. But it was definitely rewarding.

In my role I have responsibilities for the Clinical Research Facility, research nurses within the trust and the CLRN. After that first conversation on the stairs I would have laughed if you had said I would be in this position now. I think research is still a dirty word amongst nurses. The most common reaction is ‘why would you want to do that’. It’s mainly a misunderstanding of the role, research used to be an easy role that people took when they are coming up to retirement. Once that perception exists it is hard to change. My main passion is thinking about how we can unite clinical and research nursing.

One of my main struggles is getting buy in from matrons on the ward. A lot hate research because they feel keeping posts open while nurse go on research secondments depletes their staff. For ward matrons they have targets and certain expectations to make their ward high quality and forward thinking. They don’t realise that we are feeding into that. I think some of the tensions arise because clinical nurses don’t realise that patient welfare and good patient outcomes are as central to our work. We need to stop speaking our own research language, go back to our roots and speak the same language.

After the Francis Report, nurses developed the 6 Cs to guide nursing – Care, Communication, Compassion, Courage, Competency and Commitment. If you think about what a research nurse does these are as essential to us as they are to clinical nurses. We should use this as a common language to unite us.

Supporting Surgical Trials

Joyce Katebe Clinical Trials Nurse, Surgery/Gastroenterology

I am a Surgical Clinical Trials Nurse and I trained and qualified in Zambia. My research started during post basic nursing training, during my BSc Nursing. Research was not part of the pre-registration nursing diploma/certificate then, but it was a requirement for the completion of the BSc Nursing.

After this, I became interested in research and was encouraged as I worked with my lecturers. I helped with data collection which I found very interesting and thought it was something I would like to do more of in the future. I was fortunate to be involved in research for the World Health Organization (WHO) on family planning in Zambia, and this inspired me to want to do more and helped me to develop my own questions about improving nursing practices to improve patient care.

While working in a local teaching hospital, I helped come up with a proposal about teenage pregnancy and the provision of ante-natal clinics for them. It was noted that most of them were first seen in labour when they were admitted to give birth. This prompted me to ask about what services were available for these mothers. I thought I would use this project to help set up ante-natal clinics for teenagers.

In research I find that there are many opportunities to learn.

Having moved to the UK and having spent time working in the NHS, I applied for a position at the Oxford University Hospitals. It was my first research nurse role and I worked with an enthusiastic professor who was very keen to involve nurses in his research. Very exciting. There were always new studies and each of the studies had different research questions to answer.

In my role, I was required to attend research meetings as well as having regular meetings with the principal investigators. I really got a buzz from these meetings as I felt really involved in trying to improve health of patients for the future. I lived in Oxford during the week and went home to Bristol at the weekends. Family life was difficult because my family stayed behind in Bristol and could not relocate as the children felt settled in their schools in Bath and were not keen to move to Oxford.

Many people when they hear the word research think having a career in research is beyond them, but in research I find that there are many opportunities to learn different things. I applied for my current position in Bath to help set up a research unit in the department of General Surgery and Gastroenterology. I was the first research nurse recruited to work purely for the two units.

Initially, it was a challenge because I had to find my way around the system. With the help of the surgeons and colleagues from oncology clinical trials unit, I had to look for office space, desk and all the equipment needed. I had to ensure that everyone joining the unit had Good Clinical Practice training and I went around the wards meeting the different specialists and nurses to discuss the research we did in the unit and this was repeated as required.

It is important that I develop good working relations with non-research nurses because most of my patients are in their care. It also allows them opportunity to understand the research we are doing. I meet patients in pre-op assessment unit, wards and in outpatients. The majority of them are keen to participate in research, the phrase I hear a lot from patients is "I am doing this because I want to give something back to the NHS and community at large” and some say "If no one did this years back, we would not have the treatment we have today."

To hear these words from patients is very encouraging. Many people when they hear the word research think having a career in research is beyond them, but in research I find that there are many opportunities to learn different things as well as witnessing how research is improving lives.

Developing Nurses

Lisa Berry, Senior Research Nurse, NIHR Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility, Southampton

The desire to be a research nurse came from a passionate belief that healthcare needs to be evidence based. It combines all the things that I enjoy; law, ethics, clinical care and working in complete partnership with research participants. At times, healthcare can be paternalistic. Patients come to us unwell and we do things to make them better.

Whereas in research the balance of power shifts considerably, we cannot achieve medical advances without help from patients (research participants). We work with them to assess the efficacy and safety of novel therapies and there is no guarantee that participating in a research study will be of benefit to the participant. In research, the safety and wellbeing of our participants is at the centre of everything we do and the research nurse is crucial to supporting them through the whole process of taking part in research.

Research nurses bring a study to life.

There are a specific set of skills that a research nurse needs. All the skills you learn on the ward are transferable and it is essential to have a good clinical grounding. You also need to pay attention to detail, understand the principles and importance of informed consent and be extremely organised. You need to understand not only the science behind the protocol but what participation will entail for the patients/healthy volunteers taking part.

Our nurses need to have the confidence to act as an advocate for the participant and must remain clinically relevant. We specialise in experimental medicine and provide care to healthy volunteers and patients with a wide range of disease and conditions. It is possible that a participant could become very unwell during a trial and therefore it is essential that research nurses remain sufficiently engaged with their clinical training to act appropriately and quickly.

Part of my role is to ensure that researchers are allocated appropriate levels of support and that the studies are set-up in a timely, safe and efficient manner and that we deliver an excellent standard of clinical and research care. Research nurses bring a study to life; they make a huge contribution to advancing healthcare and are a valuable asset for any research team. I was a Health Care Assistant before qualifying as a nurse. Although I am passionate about research nursing, this is not enough to build a career. I would not have progressed as quickly to the role of Senior Research Sister without support, mentoring and developmental opportunities.

Since I started in research in 2006 I have seen more career opportunities. More training has become available and there is a greater understanding of what clinical research nursing is. Even I didn’t really know what research nursing was when I started. We try to encourage our nurses to consider all their development options. We facilitate academic development as needed and also strive to provide career opportunities. A few of our band 6 and 7 nurses have been very fortunate in obtaining MRes funding. The NIHR funds the course fees, salary and also backfill for their position. The NIHR fund one person to do a Masters degree in research, but really they are funding the development of two people because someone else can then act-up into a more senior role and is also developed.

Our aim is to ensure that research is fully embedded within healthcare at this hospital. All research nurses now wear a dark grey uniform. This has given us a very visible identity and it is exciting to see how integrated into and dispersed around the hospital we are. Suddenly people become very much aware of the research presence in every division.

Informed Consent

Arshiya Pereira, Research Nurse, Renal Transplant Department, Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

I was trained in India to become a nurse. My first placement was in renal dialysis. I was interested in learning more about renal because of its vast subject area; renal medicine, renal transplant, research, transplant clinic and dialysis.

The main aim was to get more knowledge and experience working in a specialised unit. After moving to the UK I worked on the renal ward and dialysis unit at Sunderland Royal Hospital. I moved to Manchester as I wanted to gain more knowledge and experience of transplant. Initially working in the renal transplant clinic conducting follow up I became aware of research and I was curious about the research studies my patients had been recruited to. When a vacancy in Renal Transplant Research was advertised I applied.

I was a bit apprehensive in taking the role initially as I had heard many people say you lose your clinical skills and you do not get to take care of the patients as you would on the ward. I realise that those assumptions are inaccurate. I get to spend more time with the patients and I have discussions about the research. What we do in research today may change the way we practice medicine in the future.

Every day is different in renal research.

We work with two different types of donors, live donor transplant and cadaveric donors. With live donor transplant we know when they are coming to us. With cadaveric donors we don’t know when we are going to get the kidney. So I have to organise myself on the day itself. Recruitment always takes priority. The first thing I do each day is check if there are any transplant operations and if there are, I see if the patients are eligible for my study, and recruit them if they are happy to take part.

At times I have found it difficult to get the Principal Investigator (PI) to consent the patients because they were either in surgery or clinic. I began to wonder whether it would be possible for me to conduct informed consent? At the same time, the Trust was undertaking a scoping exercise to assess the need for clinical staff who were not doctors to take informed consent and developed policies and procedures to support us to take on this role. This is a wonderful opportunity for clinical staff who were not doctors to extend their role. Initially the role was delegated by the Principal Investigator who had to justify the need for a clinical research nurse to take the informed consent for a specific study. 

The main aim was to get more knowledge and experience working in a specialised unit. A half day training programme was developed to gain more in depth knowledge of informed consent and group activities to explore the issues and processes involved. My competency in obtaining informed consent was assessed by the PI. I passed and felt really proud of myself.

To take consent I screen the patients’ eligibility and send information sheets two weeks prior to clinic visit, so they have time to read the information and speak to family. I also consult with the respective surgeon to see whether they are happy for their patient to be approached for the particular study. When the patient comes to clinic I discuss the study and if they are happy to take part, I make sure they are fully aware of what the study involves. In total, I have taken 20 informed consents so far, which has enabled the team to recruit to time and target.

I have now been working in research for over five years. I feel that due to the skills and expertise gained in particular informed consent my leadership qualities have improved significantly. I ensure the patient feels valued, they are followed closely from their pre-transplant appointment to their aftercare and they always remember me for the care I provide for them.

Ruth Hulbert, Lead Nurse, Kent and Medway Comprehensive Local Research Network

I came into the NIHR from the pharmaceutical industry, working with GSK and then Pfizer, I was used to an environment where money was no object and it wasn’t necessary to get people on board with the idea of research. The need to influence the right people in order to get research done was completely new to me.

Clinical research nursing is definitely not for the fainthearted. Most people get into nursing for the patient contact. You still have that but you also get other experiences like handling data, project managing and making direct approaches to very senior managers and consultants. You have to be proactive which can be difficult. The patients don’t come to you, you have to go out and find them.

When I began in the Cancer Research Network my personal worry was about approaching patients to join a study. It is an unusual position for a nurse, you are asking them to help you. The first patient I recruited was a lung cancer patient for an observational trial. He was very receptive which gave me the confidence going forward.

Clinical research nursing is definitely not for the fainthearted.

Clinical Research Nursing comes with a lot of autonomy, you don’t get that freedom in other areas of nursing. Nurses are in a much better position now in clinical research as there is a much clearer career structure. Most nurses come into our CLRN as a Band 5 with some nursing experience. Our goal is to develop them, and within a year to 18 months, most become Band 6s.

Training is passion of mine. I think there is a lot of satisfaction to be gained in passing on your knowledge and skills to people who are new and inexperienced. It is great when you see people growing and becoming a more confident and competent version of themselves. I am one of the Network’s Good Clinical Practice facilitators. At the last facilitators meeting it was announced that we had now trained 30,000 people across the network, to be even a small part of that it great.

Clinical research nursing is definitely not for the fainthearted. I was twice involved in developing new networks in Kent and Medway; the Cancer Research Network and then the CLRN. There was very little research activity at the time but awareness of research is definitely starting to change. A major culture shift but there are still areas within our CLRN where there is no research activity. In the early days there was a mixture of lack of knowledge and lack of interest in research, but most of all the clinical staff didn’t realise we were there as a resource for them to handle the more time consuming aspects of starting up a trial. That has changed.

My hope is that within my lifetime research will be embedded into the NHS in Kent to such an extent that the public can go to their doctor and ask what clinical trials are available for them and their doctor will know. Wherever my career takes me from here, I know that I want to stay within research I have developed a passion for it.

Research Management

Debbie Beirne, Nurse Consultant, Cancer Research UK, Leeds

I loved research from the start. I loved the autonomy, responsibility, the degree of change, the degree of learning. When new nurses start with me I tell them that they will probably feel like a fish out of water for six months. I explain it is a very dynamic and interesting environment, not suitable for anyone who likes things to stay the same.

Adapting to change is probably the most important thing. With research we don’t want things to stay still, we want them to move forward and nurses have to be able to move with that. A big misconception is that research nurses float around with a clipboard, drink tea and work very standard hours. None of that is true. I don’t think that there is the appreciation that we are actually delivering care, not just writing protocols for others.

Research nurses can now have a role that is much broader.

I have several parts to my role – my day-to-day operational role, a translational development role, a role within my trust as a research expert for other departments, and my Cancer Research UK role in engaging with the public at events. I work with some of our clinician scientists to deliver their protocols. I help them look at what they are currently doing in the labs and how that could translate into patient care. As a result, I have some co-investigator roles on a few grants.

I have seen huge changes in almost every aspect of research since 1999, except for the fundamental of how we care for the patient. Research Governance has changed, the way we structure and deliver clinical research has changed, the way we inform people has changed. Clinical trials are much more complex than they were ten years ago, and so the role of a research nurse is much more complex too. It's a very dynamic and interesting environment, not suitable for anyone who likes things to stay the same.

Obviously medical science wants to engage with the public and keep them aware of advances but when a newspaper runs a 'magic bullet' headline it impacts the work I do. I frequently get calls from patients who don’t realise that the headline doesn’t relate to their situation or refers to something in a lab which could take us 18 months to translate. I think we have a duty to give people hope but make sure it is a realistic hope.

Research allows you a degree of personal and professional development in a more flexible framework than traditional nursing. There are lots of different avenues; Network managers and lead nurses, Trust and R&D lead nurses and new roles are always coming up. As recently as five years ago if you wanted to move beyond a Band 7 you had to leave nursing, now I am a Band 8b and still a nurse.

We need to move away from the idea that as a research nurse you are just picking up the trial and delivering it. Research nurses can now have a role that is much broader. You can be involved in writing the protocol, be a patient voice with scientists, change the research culture within the wider trust.

Patient and Public Involvement

Maggie Peat, Lead Research Nurse, Harrogate and District Foundation Trust and Patient and Public Involvement Lead North and East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire Comprehensive Local Research Network

I was working as a nurse giving chemotherapy. It was just at the start of the cancer research networks. I didn’t really have much idea about what research networks might do, it just sounded like a really interesting job. When I started there was a lot of feeling your way, there wasn’t a lot of guidance around. There is a lot more now. We mentor people.

We recognised fairly early on that most student nurses didn’t really know anything about research. I wanted to show them that it wasn’t just about systematic reviews and all the really dull stuff but about actually recruiting patients into studies and the really exciting stuff of being at the sharp end of research. Student nurses absolutely loved it.

Often patients will take part in research because it's for the greater good.

Some of the Patient and Public Involvement work has been about raising awareness because patients and the public have all sorts of good ideas that we don’t think of, like putting information up on screens in patient waiting areas. Everybody is doing that now but none of us had thought of that because we didn’t wait in the waiting areas. Accessibility to information is really important. The people who need properly accessible information the most, are the people who are least likely to ask because they don’t want to look stupid or think that they are going to be judged.

It’s a simple thing that after taking consent to say to the person "right I want to be really sure that you understand what you are taking on. So can you say to me, what you might say to your wife when you get home?" It is simple but nurses are not taught how to do that. It is important that we have tools to measure understanding.

The power imbalance between a nurse and a patient is less than between a consultant and patient. It makes it easier for a patient to say no to taking part in a study. It is important, that people can say no to a trial. Patients understand the incremental process of research. One of the things they say is "all that I have benefited from has come from someone else doing a study." Often patients will take part in research because it is for the greater good or sometimes it is a positive thing to come out of something bad that has happened to them. 

I wanted to show them that it wasn’t just about systematic reviews and all the really dull stuff. I think people are sometimes terrified of signing up for Patient and Public Involvement, thinking that they may have to do more than they want to do. So all our stuff is about saying to people, you can be involved as much as you want to be, you can do the occasional information sheet, you can look at a questionnaire and comment on it or you can come and be part of a steering group. People and patients can be involved in research as much or as little as they like.

NIHR has made it easier for consultants to take a study on, partly because of the nursing infrastructure. Nurses and support staff can work with consultants and we are here to stay. If you are interested in research nursing just do it, it suits most people. We have not had anyone work here that doesn’t love doing research.

Informing the Public

Karen Doyle, Senior Nurse, Cancer Research UK

When I started, research nursing was on the fringe of nursing. At the time we were told "you look after the doctors that is your role". That old fashioned view of nursing was still there.

I started in clinical research nursing because I wanted to be using all of the knowledge that I had gathered in my career. There were nurse specialist posts but I wanted something more intriguing, more complex. I didn’t want to do nurse management because it would take me away from patients. I always wanted to be patient centred. Research nursing offered all of that. I loved the fact that research nurses were involved in the science.

There were a lot of cancer patients with horrible side effects from the treatments available at the time. I wanted to be part of something that was not just accepting what we had because there was room for improvement. I wanted to be with the team that was making things better for these patients. Initially we were given early phase work such as toxicity and safety of the drug or treatment. So lots of additional testing. I loved the intensity and you got to know patients really well. I loved that in-depth interaction.

We are getting out into the communities with the right messages.

Medical teams sometimes want to get their patients into trials for compassionate, for misguided reasons. Sometimes you will get medical teams saying "But we have no other treatment to give them." You have to be strong. A clinical trial is not a treatment option and I think people forget that. We have to make sure that it is the right thing for the patient. That is what we are there for. When deciding if a trial is the right thing for a patient it is not only the science that matters. Sometimes it is the simple questions that matter for patients. Can you take tablets? Will you be able to cope with travelling to the trial? Those questions are missed if you haven’t got a nurse. We are the practical voice that makes the trial work.

I have developed my research nursing role to include informing members of the public about research. I love talking in the community because that is where the information is needed. We are getting out into the communities with the right messages – myth busting about clinical trials. Public understanding is better than it was but it has a long way to go. I have discovered that in addition to being face to face with the patient making the difference, I can also become the person (as a trainer) who will influence the nurses who are face-to-face. I can benefit many more patients through training than I could with nursing alone. I get a lot of reward from influencing other nurses. It is not management to me, management was taking you away from patients.

Research nurse leaders should be proud. We have taken the role of nurses in research from setting out someone’s lunch to a dynamic career. We have got national research nurse networks, we have got training and we have got the support of the NIHR. The change really is dramatic. I don’t know of any other type of nursing where it has improved as much and got more respect over time. You are really working as a specialist team member. That is the way it should be.

Claire Merritt, Lead Research Nurse Manager, Dementias & Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Network, Oxford

I caught the research bug in my first research post about 10 years ago. A consultant colleague had a grant to do a pilot study and asked me if I would be interested in working as a research nurse on their research study. 

I was the only research nurse and was responsible for recruitment and study delivery and very quickly learnt about how challenging it was identifying patients and accessing patients for research. Rightly, there are people who want to protect patients, but it’s about persuading them that research is a good idea. Encouraging them to introduce the idea to a patient can be hard. People think there is a large cohort of people out there for trials. In reality, the numbers are much lower than you expect them to be.

What we have done for the last seven years within DeNDRoN is about trying to facilitate a culture change within the Trusts and make research part of everyday thinking. We’ve introduced what we call link workers into teams. Each of the community mental health teams has an honorary research worker linked to it. This has been successful as they develop an understanding of what that teams needs and wants and how they work.

Working with patients is what nurses do best.

As well as building up a team it’s about building up an infrastructure to support research to happen. During the time I have been working with DeNDRoN the portfolio of research studies within Trusts has grown, as has the complexity of studies we are able to support. The key message is that research becomes embedded in patient pathways so it becomes everyone’s business and not just ours.

Our job is about helping to facilitate research to happen. Partly, that’s just continuously giving that message that research is an important activity. We’ve had a degree of success, but I think we still have a way to go to persuade all clinicians that research is their business. Some clinicians have bought into this concept well, some still argue they do not have the time to do research and some say they find research is something scary. However, research is about empowering patients and their caregivers and the general population to help.

You get a very interesting range of people who are keen to take part in research. Some people want to be able to access something that may make a difference to their relatives or themselves. Others have altruistic motives and want to help, because it will help others rather than help themselves. On the other hand some people don’t really understand what we mean by research, or feel it’s too scary or risky or too much of a burden. So education is important. We must always remember we work with people in crisis and sometimes it is not the right time for them to consider research.

Working with patients is what nurses do best. So for most research nurses the contact with patients bit deals with itself. There is though a lot to learn and it’s all the other stuff around research you have to work hard at. As a lead nurse most of my job is about providing clinical leadership to staff, making sure that things happen and supporting workforce development. Key to what I do is making sure we have the right people with the right training in order for us to do research that can go on to make a difference to people in the future. Everything we do is about forward thinking, you always have to be thinking about the future.

Toward the end of a long career in mental health nursing I am really pleased to have found myself following a career in research. I am quite passionate about working in research. You have to believe in research to make this job a success.

Patient Care

Kathryn Kennedy, Trainee Advanced Clinical Research Nurse Practitioner, Manchester Clinical Research Facility

When I worked as a clinical nurse we did not have that much interaction with the research nurses who came onto the ward, even though most of the children were on trial drugs with a protocol I don’t think I really understood what that meant. Because I was nosy and interested I got to know more about the research side of things.

When I started in clinical research nursing the studies were lower intensity to what we have now, generally well children in an out-patient setting. At first it felt like a little bit of step back on the clinical side but that gave me the opportunity to really develop my research knowledge.

The team is now dealing in phase 1, phase 2 trials now in children who have no other treatment options, sometimes quite unwell, so we are in the heart of clinical nursing on a daily basis. The role of the research nurse is critical to keeping families motivated to stay on the trial … we spend a lot of time ensuring that their journey through the trial is a positive experience.

Our expertise is essential in ensuring that the study runs smoothly.

I think the perception of losing the clinical part of the nursing role perhaps puts some people off. Friends have expressed that they would not consider research because they see it as a very academic, very administrative based role. That could not be further from the truth. We don’t cut corners with informed consent. Parents need to understand at a level where they are able to put their emotions to one side and make a decision based on the knowledge we have given them.

Some of our children come from Europe and can be re located in this country for up to 6 months with their family. The research nurse is very much responsible for that relocation, as the liaison with hospital services or sponsors, ensuring bank accounts are in place, other children are getting educated. A lot of biotech companies are new companies. It might only be their third or fourth clinical trial.

Our expertise is essential in ensuring that the study runs smoothly. It is not reasonable to involve parents in that process if these things have not been thought through. We are invited earlier now to go to (sponsor and management) meetings because they are recognising our expertise. We are the ones who understand how to get things right from the very beginning.

I am a trainee advanced practitioner due to qualify in September. It is really exciting to be the first. This is a brand new role to research; able to recruit children to clinical trials, deal with physical examinations, prescribe and see patients without the support of a medic. As an advanced practitioner we can provide support for PIs hopefully this will ease some of that pressure so that trials that we wouldn’t perhaps have been able to do, because there wasn’t the medical support, get done.

I wasn’t sure that research nursing was somewhere I would stay forever. I wanted the research knowledge and experience but knew that my heart would be in clinical nursing. This new opportunity coming along has allowed me to be even more clinical in research nursing.

My new role has generated interest from other nurses that did not know this kind of role would be possible in research. You get to make a difference in a very different way. I still get to look after sick children which is what I always liked about nursing. But now there is a deeper level to this.

Supporting Primary Care

Julia Rooney, NIHR Primary Care Research Nurse, Kent, Surrey and Sussex Clinical Research Network

I used to manage the cardiac care unit at Brighton for many years. I also had a period in the Middle East working in a heart centre. When I came back I worked for the heart network in Sussex where I also worked within primary care which was great experience as it is very different from secondary care.

I am now a research nurse working in primary care, coordinating and running studies in practices where there isn’t capacity to carry out research. I started in this post six months ago and I have found it to be a very fulfilling job for many reasons. It is so rewarding what you get back from patients who want to be involved in research for the greater good

In nursing you cannot move forward without research and we are an evidenced based profession, for example we wouldn’t have made the advances we have in the treatment of heart attack patients without research. The autonomy you get within this role and the one-to-one patient contact you have means the whole process is extremely worthwhile. I cannot recommend the role highly enough. I was looking for a something that would get me more contact with patients and a new challenge … it allows me to utilise my clinical background and experience within research and means I can make a difference that way.

As a nurse you always are an advocate for patients. You make sure they are the priority in the research.

I was apprehensive recruiting my first patient despite years of experience in nursing. I am a bit of a perfectionist and wanted to get it right, taking the informed consent, making sure the patients understood what they were entering into. Once you start it becomes very natural. In my previous position I was moving further away from patients and then this opportunity came up. Everyone who asks about my job I say 'I love it! There isn’t anything I don’t like about it'. People are probably getting a bit bored of me talking about it now.

I underestimated the job in the beginning. I knew it was something I wanted to do but I underestimated how much I would love it and how much of a difference I could make to patients’ lives. This will change lives for future generations. You actually get time with a patient. In that hour or so you can hear other concerns they have and you can talk to them and advise them. You get the opportunity to discuss issues that may be of concern to the patient.

My working days vary so much, for example for one study I arrive in clinic, order a courier to collect the bloods, get the clinic room ready and all of the paperwork. Then you consent the patient and run the study. I might have to then go to another clinic in another practice to complete paperwork or run a shorter clinic. I genuinely don’t have two days the same. If you have the clinical background just do clinical research. Until you are doing the job you cannot be sure how fantastic it is. The studies I am involved in will change lives. You cannot put a price on that.

Susan Read, NIHR Primary Care Research Nurse, West Midlands Local Clinical Research Network

Five years ago the Midlands Research Practices Consortium (MidRec) secured funding to recruit some half-time research nurse posts based in local GP research active practices. I’ve always been interested in research and was working in a very busy GP surgery at the time, seeing patients every 5-10 minutes, with no quality time available to spend with my patients. I thought this job would give me the opportunity to spend more satisfactory time with patients while becoming involved in gathering accurate information to provide evidence based medicine.

I was the first nurse appointed and now part of a successful team of six nurses, based in our own individual surgeries, overseen by a Lead Research Nurse. Before we started running research studies in our nominated surgeries our Lead Nurse manager ensured that we underwent a programme of mandatory training so we had an understanding of what was required to safely be involved in research.

We have this supportive network of research nurses which makes for a powerful effective team.

Gradually the studies came in and I remember being asked by Professor McManus how many studies we were running and I said we were currently running about 20 studies. He was surprised. I think that opened the GPs’ eyes and they realised the opportunity they had with the support of the nurses.

Many studies are observational where you are looking and extracting data. We also look at feasibility of studies, so we are contacted by a study manager and asked to find out the number of patients we have. So we can go back to the study team and say these are the numbers for this head of population which we think you will be able to access at these surgeries.

The medical knowledge nurses have comes in useful when running feasibility studies. We can search effectively for eligible patients. We significantly help the GPs. I remember my first patient recruited to a study. I was absolutely thrilled because patients were willing to participate in the study where we were doing near patient testing and baseline health measurements with immediate feedback of results which we then had time to discuss. If necessary the patients could be referred back to their GP for any concerns that were highlighted.

The patient contact, the communication pathway that opened up in the last five years with the team has given me job satisfaction. We really feel included more so now than ever before. What pleases me the most is that although we are autonomous within our own environment there are five other host nurses. We have this supportive network of research nurses which makes a powerful effective team. We have opened up effective pathways between the university, study teams and other professionals. If they need help or an answer to a query we can normally provide the information quickly and efficiently because we have close contact with the GPs.

If someone is considering a career in research I would say come and join me for a day and see things first hand. Many of the host nurses have come from a Practice nurse background and have a wide range of knowledge because you can in any given day look after babies, give travel jabs, look after women’s health to caring for a patients with a chronic condition. Over the years our training has covered an enormous remit.

You learn a lot from problems, you have to be pragmatic and always look for solutions. When they set up this scheme, we were a pilot study. The success of the Pilot enabled funding to continue and currently the NIHR fund us through their networks even after MidRec itself came to an end. Patients deserve the opportunity to be involved in research.

Building Social Media Networks

Nathaniel Mills, Research Nurse Manager, Clinical Research Network: Yorkshire and Humber

My research career started in 2007. I was working in a large teaching hospital, part-time research and part-time primary care. When I started there was some negativity around working in research from colleagues who thought it was not real nursing. They thought it wasn’t direct patient care. But for me it was something I felt I could do to make a difference.

The whole notion of improving health and wellbeing through research appeals to me. I joined the NIHR Clinical Research Facility in Sheffield when it was a relatively new facility and I was in one of the first cohorts of research nurses. As a novice to clinical research you think ‘what’s it all about?’ but with experience and as time goes on, you physically see a patient’s symptoms improving. That gave me a great deal of job satisfaction.

In some cases the patient you see at the beginning of a trial is different to the same patient at the end of the trial. This is not just because they have had an trial intervention but because you, the nurse and the research team have given them the support and care that comes with trial participation.

I am passionate about twitter because it pulls together these groups of people who have common themes and needs.

When the NIHR Coordinating Centre began to consider social media as a tool to support research staff and utilise established tools, I became involved in the work of the NIHR Clinical Research Network Nurses Strategy Board. I met up with Fiona O’Neill, a few colleagues and Teresa Chinn from ‘@WeNurses’ to start up a clinical research nursing network on twitter. Teresa was inspiring in the sense that she’s a nurse working on her own and used social media to connect with other nurses. She now has a community of over 10,000 active and innovative followers.

So we developed a social media strategy (#crnnurse) with the aim of connecting the clinical research nursing community - especially reaching out to those nurses working in silos, something which is common in clinical research. We advertised this through the Clinical Research Network newsletter, and widely on Twitter we have regular ‘tweet chat’ debates and anyone who has anything to say about clinical research can participate - this has led to an active and vibrant community on social media.

Sometimes I get the odd negative responses such as 'I don’t want to do this in my own time' or 'what’s the point?' and that’s the beauty of it, you don’t have to, you can participate as much or as little as you like, the conversation is always going on.

Since its launch we have achieved a lot. We have a community of nurses and international nurses from the USA, Australia, South America and North Africa. We promote good practice and social media brings the learning to the community ... it’s free, cheap and easy. People who link in to our network can find out which Trusts are running trials. Problems can be shared rather than dealing with them by yourself, because it is highly likely someone will have already encountered the problem. So I would encourage nurses to get out there and start networking through social media, it can help make the life of clinical research nurses much easier.

I think the future is whatever you want it to be in terms of social media. If we do it right we can respond to what the nursing community wants. I am passionate about twitter because it pulls together these groups of people who have common themes and needs. Of course we have to consider what we say on a public forum, but we are all professional nurses and we are accountable for our actions. Follow me @natwm10 or @resnurse.

How to Become a Nurse Researcher

Are you ready to earn your online nursing degree?

how long to become

Degree required, job outlook.

Nurse researchers perform research or work with patients who are participating in medical research and ensure their wellbeing and gather data for the research project. If you enjoy research and caring for patients’ rights, are detail oriented, and want to apply your nursing expertise to make new discoveries, becoming a nurse researcher may be the right career for you. This guide describes how to become a nurse researcher.

What is a Nurse Researcher?

What do nurse researchers do? Nurse researchers work for hospitals, especially academic medical centers, and for research organizations. They may conduct original research on how to improve nursing practice, administrate research studies, or help to care for patients who are participating in research studies. Because most nurse researchers still work with patients, becoming a nurse researcher is an excellent career choice if you want to combine research and patient care. In addition to nurse researcher schooling, nursing knowledge, and nursing skills, you must have strong analytical skills, be able to analyze data and recognize patterns or unusual results, and be able to communicate with academics as well as patients.

Steps to Becoming a Nurse Researcher

The first step to become a nurse researcher is earning a nursing license. Different states have different requirements for this. However, the minimum nurse researcher degree for most jobs is an MSN, making nurse researcher school requirements more academically rigorous than other nursing jobs.

While you can become a nurse with just an ADN, a BSN degree is required for nurse researchers. Typically, this takes four years, but if you have an ADN, you can enroll in an RN-to-BSN program and if you have a bachelor’s degree in another subject, you can enroll in an accelerated BSN program . You will get more exposure to nurse researchers and careers if you attend a good nurse researcher school, such as one affiliated with a respected research hospital.

To receive your nursing license, you will need to pass the NCLEX-RN exam , a multi-hour multiple choice examination. The examination covers nursing practice, hygiene and infection prevention, communication, legal and ethical aspects of nursing , and other related topics.

Most MSN programs require or prefer at least two years experience in nursing. If you are interested in becoming a nurse researcher, you can use this time to explore possible specialties or different academic medical centers or other settings. This will help you pick a specialization in your MSN program. The MSN is the minimum nurse researcher degree for most jobs, though you may want to earn a DNP if you want to lead research studies, An MSN typically takes two years and a DNP two or more.

While certification is not a legal requirement, many employers prefer or require certification. You have different certification options as part of becoming a nurse researcher, but most research nurses have either a clinical research coordinator (CRC) or a certified clinical research associate (CCRA) credential. Both of these require at least 3,000 hours of experience in clinical research or a combination of academic study and experience.

Once you have earned certification, you have even more employment options. You may work for a hospital or health system, a medical device or pharmaceutical company, or in any setting where medical or healthcare research is performed.

Nurse Researcher Schooling

Because the minimum nurse researcher degree is an MSN, it will take most nurses at least eight years to become a nurse researcher (four years for a BSN, two years nursing experience, two years for an MSN). However, if you have an ADN or a bachelor’s degree in another field, you can earn a BSN or MSN more quickly.

To become a licensed nurse, you must have an ADN or BSN degree and pass the NCLEX-RN exam. Once you have your license, you can gain experience in nursing and in research hospitals or other research settings. If you have an ADN, AP credits, or other college credits, you may finish faster.

• Admission Requirements: Most BSN programs require at least a 3.0 GPA, at least two references, the ability to pass a background check (each state has different regulations on what kind of criminal convictions might disqualify you), and a completed application, including an essay.
• Program Curriculum: Your program will include classes on practical nursing, basic nursing research and evidence-based practices, the healthcare system, communication, legal and ethical aspects of nursing, public health, and disease and injury prevention. You will also complete clinical hours working in a healthcare setting.
• Time to Complete: Most BSN degrees take at least four years, but if you have applicable credits, you may be able to finish sooner. Most accelerated or bridge programs take at least one year.
• Skills Learned: You will be able to administer tests, including blood drawing for blood tests; take patient vital signs; record symptoms; read and update health records; help lift and move patients; and communicate effectively with patients and colleagues.

Becoming a nurse researcher requires at least an MSN, though many nurse researchers earn a DNP after earning an MSN. During your MSN program, you will learn more advanced research skills and how to conduct research, as well as more advanced nursing skills.

• Admission Requirements: Most MSN programs require at least a 3.0 GPA, with some requiring a 3.25 GPA, and at least two years of experience as a licensed nurse. You will also need references and an essay or personal statement as part of your application.
• Program Curriculum: An MSN includes more advanced courses in research and research methods, as well as more advanced courses in practical nursing, nursing leadership, and analyzing and applying evidence-based studies. Like a BSN, an MSN includes clinical hours.
• Time to Complete: Most MSN programs take at least two years of full-time study, though most programs will allow part-time students up to four years. If you know you want a DNP, you can enroll in an MSN-DNP program, which will take less time than both programs separately.
• Skills Learned: In addition to basic nursing practice, you will learn about diagnosis and prescribing treatments (though you will not be able to perform these unless you become an APRN), advanced research and research analysis, nurse leadership, healthcare management, and public health.

Doctor of Nursing Practice

A DNP is the terminal degree in nursing practice (that is, there is no higher degree). Unlike a Ph.D. which takes several years, a DNP usually takes two years of study. Many nurse researchers have a Ph.D., as a Ph.D. in nursing focuses more on research than a DNP program. However, many employers also hire DNPs for nurse researcher positions.

• Admission Requirements: An MSN (or enrollment in an MSN-DP program), at least a 3.0 GPA, references, and often some academic publications or other existing contribution to nursing literature or research.
• Program Curriculum: DNP programs have different tracks and the curriculum varies by track. Most nurse researcher degree programs will focus on research methods, evaluation and evidence-based practice, analytics and informatics, financial and cost-effectiveness analysis, as well as clinical hours and an original research thesis.
• Time to Complete: A DNP typically takes at least two years of full-time study. Most programs allow part-time students up to four years. A joint MSN-DNP usually takes three years.
• Skills Learned: You will be able to conduct original research, act as lead author on academic publications, analyze existing research at an expert level, and understand how to apply research to lead systems change.

Getting Licensed

Nurse researcher credentials.

Earning a nursing license is required for becoming a nurse researcher. Each state establishes its own licensing requirements, but all states require a nursing degree and passing the NCLEX-RN examination. Certification cannot be legally mandated the way that licensing can, but most employers require or prefer certification. Independent boards set the standards for certification, which include experience and/or education and passing an examination.

Certifications

• Certification demonstrates that you have a combination of experience and knowledge in a particular topic. Certification requirements are designed by independent professional organizations.
• Unlike a license, certification cannot be legally required, but employers may require certification.
• The Association of Clinical Research Professionals is the main certification organization for nurse researchers.
• Maintaining certification typically requires continued experience and continuing education from approved providers. These include academic courses, conferences, webinars, and approved professional reading (which often requires passing a test).
• You must have a nursing license to practice nursing, so becoming a nurse researcher requires earning a nursing license.
• Requirements vary by state. To earn a nursing license, you must have an ADN or BSN, pass the NCLEX-RN examination, and meet other state requirements, typically including a background check.
• You must maintain your license the same way you maintain certification, though continuing education and experience. You must also maintain a record without certain kinds of disciplinary action or criminal convictions.

Working as a Nurse Researcher

You can find a job as a nurse researcher through school career services, networking, recruiters, or finding jobs on job boards. The median annual salary for a nurse researcher is $82,000, according to Payscale . Nurse researchers work in a variety of settings, including:

Act as liaison between researchers and participating patients; monitor patient wellbeing during research studies; track patient data and results.

Medical Clinics

Educate participants on the study and what to expect; track patient progress and update records; act as patient advocate; report any side effects patients experience.

Research Laboratories

Educate participants; conduct tests and track results; monitor patient physical and emotional wellbeing; act as patient advocate.

Other settings

Nurse researchers may also work in pharmaceutical or medical device companies and academic medical centers.

Becoming a Nurse Researcher: FAQs

How many years does it take to become a nurse researcher.

Becoming a nurse researcher takes at least six years of school and two years of experience (four years for a BSN, two years of experience to apply for an MSN, two years for an MSN). You will need at least 3,000 hours of experience (or a combination of experience and education) to earn clinical research certification.

What is the quickest way to become a Nurse Researcher?

The quickest way to become a nurse researcher depends on your education and experience. If you do not have any college credits, it will take you about eight years (four years for a BSN, then two years of experience to apply to most MSN programs, then two years to earn an MSN). If you have an ADN or other college credits, you can finish faster. Additionally, some nurse researcher positions only require a BSN.

How hard is it to become a Nurse Researcher?

Becoming a nurse researcher takes excellent skills in data collection and analytics, statistics, analyzing and interpreting research, as well as good nursing skills. Nurse researchers must be especially observant, as part of their job is detecting possible side effects, and good communicators with patients and academics.

Do Nurse Researchers get paid well?

Nurse researchers earn a median annual $82,000, according to Payscale . This is approximately twice the national median salary in the United States. However, the minimum nurse researcher school requirement is an MSN, so early-career nurse researchers may have loan debt.

Learn More About Nurse Researchers

Nurse Researcher Career Overview

This guide provides information on nurse researcher responsibilities, career pathways, and salaries. Learn how to advance nursing through nursing research.

Nursing Careers

Nursing Careers Find everything you need to know about becoming a nurse or advancing your nursing career with our career guide series. Entry-Level Nursing Careers Advanced Practice Nursing Meet a Nurse Specialized Nursing Careers Ready to start your journey? You might be interested in

Page last reviewed January 13, 2022

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• Department of Health and Human Services
• National Institutes of Health

Nursing at the NIH Clinical Center

Clinical research nurse roles.

Medical Support Assistant: The Medical Support Assistant (MSA) performs administrative duties to support the medical staff, nursing staff and patients, as well as other Clinical Center Departments and Institutes. They are responsible for coordinating and organizing patients' administrative and clerical information utilizing the hospital information systems. They facilitate patient visits, coordinate administrative work, and serve as the focal point for communications within the clinic/unit.

Program Support Assistant: The Program Support Assistant (PSA) provides direct administrative, procedural, and informational resource assistance and support to program staff and/or managers by organizing, collecting, analyzing, and presenting information related to the current and future program/project workload. Assists with the coordination of program workflow and the coordination of various duties assigned to program staff.

Program Specialist: The Program Specialist (PS) supports the administrative functions of the operations of the area assigned including financial management, procurement, quality assurance, management analysis and timekeeping. They participate with senior specialists in the coordination, preparation, and analysis of a wide variety of reports.

Staff Assistant: The Staff Assistant directs and implements administrative functions for the assigned office. Keeps the supervisor fully informed of current conditions throughout the department and takes appropriate action to ensure that administrative activities are properly implemented to support its mission. Maintains liaison and coordination between the department and other offices in the Clinical Center and the NIH. Establishes and implements standards for the efficient operation of the office and coordinates with other staff within the office and department, ensuring that administrative and clerical functions result in smooth operations.

Health Technician, Phlebotomist: The Health Technician Phlebotomist provides clinical care and supports biomedical research under the supervision of a licensed nurse. The incumbent supports a team that provides collection of blood and blood components from donors/patients by either collection of a unit of whole blood or blood components utilizing apheresis. The incumbent performs venipuncture on donors/patients within the Blood Services Section for allogeneic use or for in vitro studies carried out by the various Institutes at the NIH.

Health Technician, Surgical: Provides technical support and patient care support for both major and minor surgical procedures. These duties include assistance with positioning the patient and surgical prep. Patient care also involves the transport of patients to and from the surgical suite, as well as assisting staff during surgical procedures as directed.

Medical Instrument Technician (Surgical): The Medical Instrument Technician (Surgical) assists with surgeries under the supervision of surgeons, registered nurses, or other surgical personnel. They help set up the operating room, prepare and transport patients for surgery, adjust lights and equipment, pass instruments and other supplies to surgeons and surgeon's assistants, hold retractors, and help count sponges, needles, supplies, and instruments.

Patient Care Technician: The Patient Care Technician supports the activities of the professional nurse by independently providing patient care functions to assigned patients while maintaining a safe environment.

Behavioral Health Technician: The Behavioral Health Technician supports the activities of the professional nurse by independently providing patient care functions to assigned behavioral health patients while maintaining a safe and therapeutic environment.

Healthcare Simulator Technician: The Healthcare Simulator Technician assists the Simulation Program Coordinator/Nurse Coordinator by providing simulation operational expertise and clerical support for the NIH Clinical Center Simulation Program.

Diagnostic Radiologic Technologist (Interventional Radiology): The Diagnostic Radiologic Technologist in Interventional Radiology (IR) is trained in radiographic imaging guided procedures and has the professional skills/expertise required to integrate interventional procedures/exams into overall clinical management. This position is a key part of the IR team performing procedures/exams on patients and actively participates in the design, implementation and evaluation of new imaging methods and techniques utilized in this area.

Lead Diagnostic Radiology Technician: The Lead Diagnostic Radiology Technician functions as the team leader for the team of diagnostic radiology technicians performing interventional radiology services. As the team leader they utilize a variety of coordinating, coaching, facilitating, consensus-building, and planning techniques.

Program Manager for Sterile Processing Service: The Program Manager for the Sterile Processing Service manages the Sterile Processing Service which is the central point that all contaminated supplies, equipment, and materials are sent after use. It includes sterile and non-sterile storage, and centralized decontamination, high-level disinfection, and sterilization. It supplies equipment to the operating rooms, laboratories, inpatient areas and specialty clinics, and dispatch areas for distribution to approximately 60 supply issue points throughout the NIH Clinical Center complex.

Lead Medical Supply Technician (Sterile Processing): The Lead Medical Supply Technician for Sterile Processing functions as the team leader for the team of medical supply technicians (sterile processing) on an assigned shift and personally performs the work of medical supply technicians (sterile processing). As the team leader, they utilize a variety of coordinating, coaching, facilitating, consensus-building, and planning techniques.

Medical Supply Technicians (Sterile Processing): The Medical Supply Technician is responsible for the decontamination, packaging, sterilization, high level disinfection and distribution of medical/surgical instruments and equipment in the Clinical Center.

Clinical Research Nurse 1: The Clinical Research Nurse (CRN) 1 has a nursing degree from a professional nursing program approved by the legally designated state accrediting agency. The CRN 1 is a newly graduated registered nurse with one year or less of clinical nursing experience. The incumbent functions under the direction of an experienced nurse to provide patient care, while using professional judgment and sound decision making.

Clinical Research Nurse 2: The Clinical Research Nurse (CRN) 2 has a nursing degree or diploma from a professional nursing program approved by the legally designated state accrediting agency and has practiced nursing for at least one year. This nurse independently provides nursing care; identifies and communicates the impact of the research process on patient care; adjusts interventions based on findings; and reports issues/variances promptly to the research team. The CRN 2 administers research interventions; collects patient data according to protocol specifications; evaluates the patient response to therapy; and integrates evidence-based practice into nursing practice. The CRN 2 contributes to teams, workgroups and the nursing shared governance process. New skills and knowledge are acquired that are based on self-assessment, feedback from peers and supervisors, and changing clinical practice requirements.

Clinical Research Nurse 3: The Clinical Research Nurse (CRN) 3 has a nursing degree or diploma from a professional nursing program approved by the legally designated state accrediting agency at the time the program was completed by the applicant. The CRN 3 has practiced nursing for at least two years. The role spans the professional nursing development from “fully competent” to “expert” nursing practice. The CRN 3 provides care to acute and complex patient populations and utilizes appropriate professional judgment and critical decision making in planning and providing care. They master all nursing skills and associated technology for a particular Program of Care and assists in assessing the competency of less experienced nurses. The CRN 3 participates in the planning of new protocol implementation on the patient care unit; administers research interventions; collects patient data according to protocol specifications; evaluates the patient’ response to therapy; responds to variances in protocol implementation; reports variances to the research team; integrates evidence-based practice into nursing practice; and evaluates patient outcomes. The CRN 3 assumes the charge nurse and preceptor roles as assigned. Formal and informal feedback is provided by the CRN 3 to peers and colleagues in support of individual growth and improvement of the work environment.

Clinical Research Nurse 4: The Clinical Research Nurse (CRN) 4 has a nursing degree or diploma from a professional nursing program approved by the legally designated state accrediting agency at the time the program was completed by the applicant. The CRN 4 is a clinical expert and leader in all aspects of nursing practice. They demonstrate expertise in the nursing process; professional judgment and decision making; planning and providing nursing care; and knowledge of the biomedical research process. The CRN 4 utilizes basic leadership principles and has an ongoing process of questioning and evaluating nursing practice.

Supplemental Nurse/Float Pool/Per Diem: Supplemental Staff are Temporary Intermittent RN positions within the Nursing Department that are assigned to either a Central Pool or are Unit Based. Central Pool Supplemental staff work out of the Office of Staffing and Workforce Planning, select their schedule based on the available needs of the house and are assigned as needed to different units. Unit Based Supplemental staff are assigned to a unit and select their schedule to meet the unit’s needs. If not needed on the unit for their scheduled shift, they can be floated like any other member of the unit nursing staff. Float to all units as assigned within their competency skill set as needed.

Clinical Manager/Team Lead: The Clinical Manager (CM)/Team Lead is an experienced staff nurse who supports the Nurse Manager and other departmental leadership with operations and leadership of a patient care area(s). This position functions as a team leader and it utilizes a variety of coordinating, coaching, facilitating, consensus-building, and planning techniques to lead a team of Clinical Research Nurses and paraprofessionals. They provide patient care, as well as support protocol implementation, data collection and human subject protection.

Clinical Educator: The Clinical Educator (CE) is an experienced staff nurse who provides direct patient care and collaborates with the Nurse Manager and other departmental leadership to oversee educational needs of unit staff. The CE develops/coordinates/evaluates orientation for new unit staff, trains/mentor’s unit preceptors, serves as a liaison/resource for departmental/Clinical Center/professional educational opportunities, identifies educational needs, coordinates unit in-services, and plans unit educational days. The CE designs, implements and evaluates learning experiences for all staff levels to acquire, maintain, or increase their knowledge and competence. The Clinical Educator teaches at the unit and departmental level.

Safety & Quality Nurse: The Safety and Quality Nurse provides direct patient care and coordinates, oversees and evaluates the quality improvement and patient safety initiatives at the unit or program of care level. They collaborate with the nurse manager and department leaders on improvement activities related to promoting patient safety, clinical quality and reducing risk. They develop and maintains proficiency in effective use and interpretation of data to drive quality improvement activities on the unit or program of care level.

Program Director : The Program Director serves as the supervisor of a group of expert advisors for a specific area of nursing expertise (education, recruitment & outreach, safety & quality, staffing & workforce planning). The incumbent coordinates, implements, and oversees all the operations of the program they oversee. They serve as the liaison to other Clinical Center departments and the ICs for issues related area of expertise and assigned responsibility and to provide communication and consultative services to all credentialed nurses at the Clinical Center.

Nurse Manager : The Nurse Manager has 3 to 5 years of recent management experience; advanced preparation (Masters degree) is preferred. The Nurse Manager has experience in change management, creative leadership, and program development; an demonstrates strong communication and collaboration skills to foster an effective partnership with institute personnel. The Nurse Manager demonstrates a high level of knowledge in a particular specialty practice area and utilizes advanced leadership skills to meet organization goals.

Clinical Nurse Specialist : The Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) has a Masters or Doctorate Degree in Nursing from a state-approved school of nursing accredited by either the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) or the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) with a major in the clinical nursing specialty to which the nurse is assigned. The CNS has a minimum of 5 years’ experience, is certified in a specialty area, and is accountable for a specific patient population within a specialized program of care.

Nurse Educators : The Nurse Educator plans, directs, executes, and evaluates a broad program of nursing professional and educational activities directed toward professional development of nursing and support staff. Designs, implements and evaluates learning experiences for all staff levels to acquire, maintain, or increase their knowledge and competence. Collaborates in the design and implementation of learning needs assessment tools for unit and specific programs of care.

Nurse Consultant: The Nurse Consultant serves as an expert advisor with responsibility for managing a broad array of administrative projects and providing clinical consultative support for a Clinical Center Nursing Department Service or program. The Nurse Consultant leads, or directs projects related to clinical research nursing, staffing, budgeting, policy, safety, and human resources.

Nurse Scientist: The Nurse Scientist is a nurse with advanced preparation (PhD or doctorate in nursing or related field) in research principles and methodology, who also has expert content knowledge in a specific clinical area. The primary focus of the role is to (1) provide leadership in the development, coordination and management of clinical research studies; (2) provide mentorship for nurses in research; (3) lead evaluation activities that improve outcomes for patients participating in research studies at the Clinical Center; and (4) contribute to the overall health sciences literature. The incumbent is expected to develop a portfolio of independent research that provides the vehicle for achieving these primary objectives.

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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.

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.

• Iles-Smith H et al on behalf of the Association of UK Lead Research Nurses (2020) How research nurses and midwives are supporting COVID-19 clinical trials . Nursing Times [online]; 116: 11, 20-22.
• Jones H et al (2020) Clinical research nurses and midwives - a key workforce in the coronavirus pandemic . Nursing Times [online]; 30 Apr 2020.

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

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.

• National directory of NHS research offices

Research nursing across the UK

National Institute for Health Research

• The role of the clinical research nurse

Health and Social Care R&D Division

• HSC Trust research offices
• Northern Ireland Clinical Trials Unit
• Cross-border Healthcare Intervention Trials in Ireland Network (CHITIN)

Chief Scientist Office

• NHS Research Scotland (NRS)

Scottish Research Nurse and Co-ordinators Network

Health and Care Research Wales

• Clinical Trials Units

Organisational research structures and strategies

Publications which may help organisations to develop their own research infrastructure.

• Whitehouse, CL. And Smith, HA. (2018) The Whitehouse Report: Review of research nursing and midwifery structures, strategies and sharing of learning across the UK and Ireland in 2017. The Florence Nightingale Foundation .
• Jones, HC. (2017) Exploring the experience of Clinical Research Nurses working within acute NHS trusts and determining the most effective way to structure the workforce: A mixed methods study .

Further reading

A selection of articles about research nursing.

• Tinkler L. Smith V. Tuannakou Y and Robinson L. (2017) Professional Identity and the clinical research nurse: A qualitative study exploring issues having an impact on participant recruitment in research . Journal of Advanced Nursing
• Jones H.C. (2015) Clinical research nurse or nurse researcher? Nursing Times. 111(19) 12-14
• Hamer S. (2015) The nurse's changing role in clinical research . Nursing Times. 111(39) 12-14
• Gleason K (2013) What is a Research Nurse and what do they do? Clinfield Blog

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Clinical Research Training For Nurses: A Guide to Becoming a Clinical Research Nurse

Clinical research training for nurses, guide to becoming a clinical research nurse, what is clinical nursing research.

Nurses are known for providing direct care for patients. However, nurses may take up roles that are completely new to them within the world of clinical research. These roles include clinical research coordinator , educator and manager. They can also take up less traditional role like regulatory specialist, study monitor and IRB (institutional board review) admin.

Regulatory specialist: their activities relate mainly with preparing regulatory documents and communicating with regulatory bodies. Nurses can work as a regulatory affairs specialist, a regulatory operation coordinator, or a regulatory coordinator . They can work within government agencies, pharmaceutical companies, academic medical centers.

Study monitor: they monitor clinical research practices and make sure that it complies with necessary research protocols and regulations. They tend work at government agencies, biotechnology companies, pharmaceutical companies, contract research organizations, device manufacturers etc. Aspiring study monitors can enhance their qualifications with a Pharmacovigilance Certification .

Institutional Review Board (IRB) administrator: they are the professionals in charge of overseeing, administrating, implementing and managing IRB activities, like policies and procedures that relates to protecting human welfare. They can work at all IRBs: local, commercial or central IRB.

Nurses that have developed interest in the field of clinical research can join professional organizations. This provides them with the opportunity to network and continue their education through mediums like conferences, webinars, discussion groups, publications and online resources. These avenues serve as part of their clinical research training .

Certification is often a parameter used to measure professional expertise. This is based on criterion that reflects skill, knowledge, educational preparation, ability, and competence that are developed from experience in that area of specialization. Nurses that developed an interest in clinical research and have taken a clinical research training program have an opportunity to be certified through the:

Society for Clinical Research Professionals, Inc. (Certified Clinical Research Professionals)

Association for Clinical Research Professionals (Certified Clinical Research Associate or Certified Clinical Research Coordinator)

This field of clinical research gives nurses a chance, an opportunity to advance themselves professionally in a field that might not have been explored by them before. The benefits of having a registered nurse cover letter are insurmountable. This also provides a career path that can show family members the benefits of working in the medical field.

Nurses that have gone through the clinical research for nurses , otherwise called research nurse can carry out research on the various aspects of the human health, such as illness, pharmaceutical and health care methods and treatment plans. The main aim of this research is to improve the quality of health care service delivery. Helping patients and their family in a healthcare facility also brings a level of joy that is hard to find in many other career paths.

Roles of Research Nurses

They are responsible for designing and implementing research studies.

They observe procedures for treatment, collect and analyze data.

They report their research results to appropriate quarters.

They write articles and report their research findings in nursing or medical professional publications and journals.

They help in recruiting participants for studies and are involved in providing direct care for the participants.

Clinical research nurse salary can make use of their communication skills as well as their critical thinking skills gotten from their knowledge and experience in healthcare to further their career in this exciting way.

Know that future CRNs can speak to our 24/7 chat and phone advisors to request information on partial scholarships and payment plans for nurses.

2. Clinical Research Nurse Salary

The average pay for a Clinical Research Nurse is $31.28 per hour.

MD Anderson Cancer Center  Clinical Research Nurse salaries  - $71,503/yr

Northwestern University  Clinical Research Nurse salaries  - $75,005/yr

NIH  Clinical Research Nurse salaries  - $77,331/yr

CLINICAL RESEARCH NURSE JOB Description

A clinical research nurse conducts scientific research on different aspects of human health like illnesses, pharmaceuticals, treatment plans and healthcare methods. Their major goal is to improve the quality of healthcare services that are administered to the patients.

Source: Payscale

3. How do I get Clinical Research Nurse Experience?

Experience don’t just jump on you, you have to get it by practice. CCRPS affords you an opportunity to acquire knowledge in clinical research , and not just knowledge but experience as well. Registering for the appropriate course will boost your knowledge base and as well you get experience of clinical research first hand.

As a clinical research nurse, you will be at the forefront of new medical discoveries, and help develop breakthrough cures and medical treatments. The work that you do during your career can help some patients live longer or better quality of life. You may be responsible for studying diseases and disorders, as well as developing new treatment plans. You will also help test new treatments and medications that could possibly change the way a disease or disorder is perceived.

The field of clinical research can be very rewarding and fulfilling. A good research nurse is dedicated to their work and ready to take on everything that the profession throws their way. If you’re looking to pursue a research nursing career, you should have an excellent understanding of the research process as well as the specialty area that you’re studying.

Excellent communication skills are also a must. You must be able to effectively communicate with scientists, physicians, researchers, patients, and corporate executives.

4. What Does a Clinical Research Nurse Do?

The duties of a research nurse will typically depend on their employer and role. Some research nurses may be responsible for studying diseases, while others may help create and improve new medications and other treatments.

clinical research nursing scope and Standards of Practice

Clinical research nurses can take up clinical research jobs in institutions like research organizations, pharmaceutical companies, universities, research laboratories, government agencies and teaching hospitals.

The work that a research nurse does is quite exhaustive and it includes;

They use their knowledge of the basics of clinical research in designing and implementation of research studies.

Observation of the procedures for patient treatment, collection and analyzing of data.

They report their research findings to the relevant authorities. They may also have to present their results at health conferences and publish them in journals.

They write grant applications in order to secure funds to carry out the research.

They render assistance in the process of recruiting study subjects.

They provide direct treatment for research participants.

Research nurses that study diseases and illnesses will often perform a great deal of research, both by studying previous findings and observing patients. They may be required to examine medical journals, for instance, as well as observe, study, and care for patients suffering from a particular disease.

They make decisions based on the observations made as to which patients are the best candidates for certain clinical trials. During clinical trials , the research nurse will administer medications or perform other treatment procedures, During this process, research nurses must closely monitor each patient’s progress. This includes documenting side effects, drug interactions, and the overall efficiency of the medication.

Aside from caring for patients, documenting and recording information during clinical trials are the most important responsibility that a research nurse has. The information and data gathered during the research must be compiled into reports and handed over to senior clinical researchers or specialists.

5. How Do I Become a Research Nurse?

Don’t expect to become a research nurse overnight. It's a lot of work and you are expected to undergo years of training and experience.

The clinical research nurse job is a competitive one and certificates are not just handed out to anybody. The conditions to be eligible to take the certificate exam is that you must be an experienced registered nurse and your experience must include having thousands of hours of experience in the area of clinical research.

How to Become a Registered Nurse (RN) in 2020 that contains everything a person pursuing a nursing job should know - responsibilities, education, salaries and more.

The first step toward becoming a research nurse is to obtain a proper education. You can start with a bachelor’s degree in nursing, although many employers prefer that their research nurses have master’s degrees or even doctoral degrees in their chosen specialty. During your schooling, classes in research and statistics are a must and are courses in your chosen area of expertise.

According to clinical research job websites , many research nurses have a MSN degree and some have a PhD in nursing. Many of them attain these degrees of education in order to give them an edge on getting clinical research positions . While studying, courses in statistics and research are mandatory.

There are two main certifications that clinical research nurses can get from the Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP). You can get certification to become a certified clinical research associate or you can choose to become a certified clinical research coordinator.

Take courses from CCRPS and learn more on how to become a clinical research nurse.

Discover more from Clinical Research Training | Certified Clinical Research Professionals Course

6. Clinical Research Nurse Requirements and Certifications & Nursing Cover Letter

A bachelor's degree in nursing does meet licensure requirements for graduates to become registered nurses (RNs), which qualifies individuals for the specialized certification. Bridge programs, such as an RN-to-Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), require previous nursing education for admission. Nursing students complete traditional classroom courses, laboratory experiences, and a clinical practicum in a medical setting, which includes a hospital, assisted living facility, and long term care center.

For specific education in clinical research , trained RNs enroll in graduate certificate and degree programs. There students are introduced to case studies, ethical research practices, and financial matters affecting the design, implementation, and funding of clinical research trials. In a master's program, studies in research ethics point students towards ethical research practices, including a discussion on human rights, misconduct, and conflicts of interest. Graduate programs will also include quantitative research and a capstone project.

All RN-to-BSN programs will require an RN license to enroll. Master's and graduate certificates will need a bachelor's degree with sufficient prerequisite coursework in the field. In addition, they will need letters of recommendation or reference, a personal statement, and GRE scores.

Becoming a nurse researcher which is a highly specialized career requires an advanced degree and training in informatics and research methodology and tools. The initial step for these individuals, or for any aspiring advanced practice nurse, is to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree and pass the NCLEX-RN exam. Once a nurse has completed their degree and attained an RN license, the next step is to complete a Master's of Science (MSN) in Nursing program with a focus on research and writing. MSN courses prepare nurses for a career in research and usually include coursework in statistics, research for evidence-based practice, design and coordination of clinical trials , and advanced research methodology.

A TYPICAL JOB POSTING FOR A RESEARCH NURSE POSITION WOULD LIKELY INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING QUALIFICATIONS, AMONG OTHERS SPECIFIC TO THE TYPE OF EMPLOYER AND LOCATION:

MSN degree and valid RN license.

Experience conducting clinical research, including enrolling patients in research studies, Implementing research protocol and presenting findings.

Excellent attention to detail required in collecting and analyzing data.

Strong written and verbal communication skills for interacting with patients and reporting research findings.

For a person to practice nursing legally, acquiring of nursing credentials and certifications is very important. For instance, some nurses who achieve a master's degree (MSN) leave the patient care aspect of nursing, and practice in a more managerial role.

CRA JOB OPPORTUNITIES

If you choose to become a Clinical Research Associate (CRA), you will have a key role in the success of clinical trials. Most CRAs have a nursing background, like yours. You will be the primary contact and support for trial sites, ensuring that the study is conducted according to the protocol, ICH-GCP, regulatory requirements and standard operating procedures (SOPs).

The Clinical Research Associates also offers you the unique opportunity to have an exciting career in the research of drug and medical device development while making a difference in the lives of those around them.

Take courses from CCRPS and learn more on how to become a clinical research professional.

Speak to our 24/7 chat and phone advisors to request information on partial scholarships and payment plans for nurses.

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How much is a clinical research coordinator’s salary.

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Clinical Research Nurse skills for your resume and career

A clinical research nurse should have a strong foundation in patient care and clinical assessments. This includes skills such as direct patient care, monitoring patient outcomes, and critical care. Surgery, infection control, and quality care are also important skills to possess. Additionally, the ability to work in a fast-paced environment and perform under pressure is crucial. According to Allyssa Harris RN, PhD, WHNP-BC , Dean and Professor at Prairie View A&M University, "The health care system is experiencing a shortage of health care providers including nurses. Between 2020 and 2030 the need for RNs is expected to grow by 9% yearly, making the profession on of the fastest growing in the health care sector."

On the other hand, soft skills are also important for a clinical research nurse. These include compassion, patient education, and communication. It's important to be able to connect with patients and their families, as well as to work well with other medical professionals. As Natalie Heywood DNP, RN, CNE , Clinical Assistant Professor at Arizona State University, says, "The first few years of a new nurses career lays the foundation for the rest of their career, so it's important to give yourself grace as you learn & build your confidence."

15 clinical research nurse skills for your resume and career

1. patients.

Patients are people receiving medical treatment from healthcare professionals. Clinical research nurses use patients in various ways, like conducting diagnostic tests, administering medications, and monitoring their condition. They also provide education and counseling to patients and their family members. They assess patients' comfort, pain management, and the effectiveness of interventions. They also coordinate with a multidisciplinary team to ensure patients are safely discharged and provide care for immediate post-operative patients.

• Performed therapeutic nursing interventions, such as stabilizing patients, providing basic life support, administering medications and initiating corrective actions.
• Recorded medical histories, monitored patients, performed diagnostic tests and explained after-care to patients and/or family members.

BLS stands for Basic Life Support. Clinical Research Nurses use BLS in various ways. For instance, they are responsible for BLS certification of staff members and mock codes. They also design and implement hospital-wide and community American Heart Association Accredited BLS programs. Some maintain BLS, ACLS, and PALS certification, while others act as BLS instructors.

Sophia Thomas , President of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, highlights the importance of BLS certification. She says, "The bureau of labor statistics (BLS) offers an excellent breakdown of salaries by region and state as well."

• Certified in Advanced Cardiac Life Support and responsible for BLS certification of staff members and mock codes.
• Designed and implemented hospital wide and community American Heart Association Accredited BLS program from 1994-1996.

3. Acute Care

Acute care refers to immediate medical care provided to patients with severe injuries or illnesses. Clinical research nurses work in acute care settings to develop and implement individual patient care plans. They also provide direct patient care and triage for acute care situations. According to Michelle Hampton Ph.D. , Associate Professor at San Jose State University, "Acute care settings are challenged with increased workload and understaffing."

• Provided quality patient care through development, implementation and evaluation of individual patient care plans in a medical/surgical/acute care hospital setting.
• Provided triage for acute care situation, direct nursing care medication and immunization administration to minors.

ACLS stands for Advanced Cardiac Life Support. Clinical research nurses use ACLS in their job by performing duties of staff nurse, assisting in writing nursing care plans, and carrying out medical care plans. They also maintain PALS, ACLS, TNCC, & CEN certifications, acquire ACLS INSTRUCTOR CERTIFICATION, and apply ACLS guidelines in emergency situations. They respond to emergency codes throughout the hospital according to ACLS guidelines, coordinate trauma and ACLS protocol during life-threatening situations, and perform ACLS measures for several trauma patients. They also execute appropriate certified critical nursing action, collaborate nursing care with members of the healthcare team, obtain IV/IO access, monitor EKG rhythm and vital signs, administer ACLS medications, and defibrillate/pace as appropriate.

• Perform duties of staff nurse; assisted in writing nursing care plans; carried out medical care plans; ACLS certified.
• Care of patients in the emergency department; maintained PALS, ACLS, TNCC, & CEN certifications

Surgery is a medical procedure that involves the use of manual or instrumental techniques to repair or remove damaged or diseased tissues and organs. Clinical research nurses use surgery in their job by providing complete nursing care for patient populations undergoing procedures related to abdominal surgery, multiple trauma, oncology, and peritoneal dialysis. They also assist surgeons and anesthesiologists, prepare and apply dressings and/or bandages, and provide post-operative care for patients. They may also coordinate all aspects of research protocols for the cardiovascular surgery department and assist in justification documentation for intrauterine surgery with insurance companies.

• Provided complete nursing care for patient populations undergoing procedures related to abdominal surgery, multiple trauma, oncology, and peritoneal dialysis
• Administered pain medication through intravenous, oral or subcutaneous injection to recovering patients in the immediate post-operative period of surgery.

6. Quality Care

Quality care is the delivery of safe and effective care that meets a patient's unique needs and improves their health outcomes. Clinical research nurses use quality care by providing thorough patient assessments, developing individualized care plans, and ensuring that medical protocols and guidelines are followed to provide the highest quality care. As Diane Salvador Ph.D. , Executive Director and Professor at Elmhurst University's Department of Nursing and Health Sciences, puts it, "You must critically think and evaluate situations you find yourself in and make wise nursing decisions."

• Provided quality care to a variety of post-surgical and procedure patients receiving anesthesia using strong observation, assessment and intervention skills.
• Developed quality care systems and standards, including improvement of medical protocols and guidelines.

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7. critical care.

Critical care refers to the specialized treatment required by patients who are critically ill or unstable. Clinical research nurses use critical care skills to provide direct patient care and to monitor and communicate changes in patient condition. They operate and maintain complex monitoring equipment, consult with attending physicians, and develop skills utilizing critical care medical technology. As Clare Chambers , Assistant Professor of Nursing at Mars Hill University, puts it, "Skills that typically stand out on RN resumes include special certifications such as Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) or Acute/Critical Care Nursing (CCRN)

• Completed 21 hours of continuing education in obstetric assessment, electronic fetal monitoring interpretation, and critical care communication tools.
• Operated and maintained all complex monitoring equipment utilized in the critical care environment.

8. Patient Outcomes

Patient outcomes are a key part of a clinical research nurse's job. They use patient outcomes to monitor vital signs, collaborate with physicians and nursing staff, and develop a plan of care to manage patients' problems. They also use patient outcomes to improve patient care and patient outcomes, to achieve ideal patient outcomes, and to evaluate the effectiveness of care during a shift. As Alison Alaimo MSN, RN , Undergraduate Program Director/Clinical Assistant Professor at Missouri State University, puts it, "They possess a variety of tools and knowledge in which to do this. They assess and monitor patients, which is often a very dynamic process. They work tirelessly to promote positive patient outcomes."

• Consult and advise physicians and care managers/discharge coordinators on different therapies for optimal patient outcomes.
• Developed evaluation plan that encompassed cost effectiveness, patient outcomes and services.

9. Oncology

Oncology is the branch of medicine concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Clinical research nurses use oncology in their job by working with patients who have cancer, coordinating care with oncology doctors and other medical professionals, and participating in clinical trials for cancer treatments. They also provide direct nursing care to oncology patients and administer chemotherapy. As Susan Zori , Clinical Associate Professor at Adelphi University's College of Nursing and Public Health, puts it, "Specialty certification recognizes the nurse as an expert with advanced knowledge in a chosen specialty such as Oncology Nursing."

• Provide skilled nursing care for patients spanning the pediatric medical spectrum including hematology, immunology, oncology, neurology and endocrinology.
• Managed caseload of ambulatory oncology and HIV patients participating in clinical trials sponsored by the National Cancer Institute's Intramural Program.

10. Infection Control

Infection control is the prevention of the spread of infection or disease. Clinical research nurses use infection control by following proper methods of sanitation and sterilization, implementing policies and procedures, and educating patients and families on proper hygiene practices. They also monitor facility compliance with infection control reporting and agency standards.

• Develop policies and procedures according to current evidenced bases practice for department and organization to ensure patient safety and infection control.
• Obtained consents and skillfully administered seasonal Influenza vaccines in a variety of settings of clinics while maintaining proper infection control measures.

11. Compassion

Compassion is a feeling of deep sympathy and concern for others. Clinical research nurses use compassion in their job by collecting personal information, providing a therapeutic environment, and offering advice through telephone triage. They also demonstrate clinical competency and compassion in providing care, administering medication, and managing emergencies. As Mary Farmer MSN, RN, Associate Professor and Practical Nursing Program Coordinator at the University of Hawaii Maui College, puts it, "Soft skills for nursing assistants would include. empathy and compassion for others."

• Collected highly personal information; Demonstrated integrity, respect, compassion and empathy for patients and families.
• Provide compassion and a therapeutic environment for the patients.

12. Patient Education

Patient education is the process of equipping patients with the knowledge and skills needed to manage their health. Clinical research nurses use patient education in various ways, such as providing medication instructions, explaining medical procedures, and offering resources for further information. They also use patient education to empower patients to take control of their health, build trust, and create a sense of community within the healthcare setting. As Professor Jeffery Christian from the Sac City Nursing Department puts it, "Building relationships with patients is vital for patient education and teaching. So much of nursing is teaching."

• Provided patient education, monitored physical condition, planned and implemented care based on needs and initiated emergency procedures when indicated.
• Serve as Charge Nurse/Patient Care Coordinator facilitating admissions, discharges, patient education and perform medical rounds with multidisciplinary teams.

13. Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation is the process of restoring someone's physical or mental capacity after an illness or injury. Clinical research nurses use rehabilitation to help patients recover and regain their strength. They assess patients' needs and guide them through exercises and activities that help them regain their independence. They also collaborate with other healthcare professionals to ensure patients receive appropriate care and support during their rehabilitation process. As Cynthia L. Dakin , Professor at Elms College's School of Nursing, puts it, "nurses in the community or in rehabilitation or long-term care facilities will be needed to assist patients in reaching their optimum level of health to be maintained at home or in long-term care facilities."

• Helped the pt in early recovery and rehabilitation with surgical medical conditions assessing encouraging them for early discharge from hospital.
• Guided patient to anticipate difficulties regarding medication adherence upon release into the community including substance use, sobriety and rehabilitation.

ICU is short for Intensive care units. Clinical research nurses use ICUs in various ways. They provide primary nursing care to inpatients, as well as outpatients in ICU, convalescing settings, and Newborn ICUs. They also work in combined medical and cardiac ICUs, plan, implement, deliver, and evaluate clinical components inpatient ICU studies, and ensure compliance in documentation, nursing interventions, and adherence to existing standards in ICU. As Kara Sump MSN, CNE , Assistant Professor of Nursing at George Fox University, puts it, "Communication will never go away, but is moving to a highly virtual format. You need to be able to articulate well in writing and orally. You also need to be relatable and personable. Working interprofessionally and collaboratively is going to be the expectation. Managing high volumes of information in shorter time periods. This is usually seen through the electronic health records and electronic communication."

• Demonstrated clinical leadership and problem solving in a variety of patient care situations including in times of emergent circumstances/medical ICU transfers.
• Implemented medical management in combined medical and cardiac ICU.

15. Patient Safety

Patient safety is the prevention of harm or injury to patients while in medical care. Clinical research nurses use patient safety by designing systems that meet national goals, performing patient assessments, and monitoring responses to ensure compliance with protocols. They also coordinate all aspects of clinical research trials and enforce patient safety standards, policies, and procedures.

• Designed systems to meet national patient safety goals in medication reconciliation, communications between levels of care and mandatory vaccinations.
• Performed patient assessments, medication administration, patient safety, admission/discharges and transfers of patients, educated patient and families.

12 Clinical Research Nurse Resume Examples

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What skills help Clinical Research Nurses find jobs?

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List of clinical research nurse skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a clinical research nurse resume and required skills for a clinical research nurse to have include:

• Quality Care
• Critical Care
• Patient Outcomes
• Infection Control
• Patient Education
• Rehabilitation
• Patient Safety
• Physician Orders
• Direct Patient Care
• Informed Consent
• Data Collection
• Advanced Life Support
• Medical Care
• Clinical Trials
• Family Education
• Chemotherapy
• Research Studies
• Vital Signs
• Medication Administration
• Home Health
• Primary Care
• Resuscitation
• Discharge Planning
• Phone Calls
• Excellent Interpersonal
• Surgical Procedures
• Registered Nursing
• Patient Flow

Updated April 25, 2024

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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Home > Online Programs > MSN > Master of Science in Nursing in Nursing Administration > Why Are Research Skills Important in the Nursing Field?

Why Are Research Skills Important in the Nursing Field?

• Published On: November 2, 2022

Nurses occupy an influential position in the field of medicine. They spend about 70% of their time at the bedside, working directly with patients and observing treatment outcomes firsthand.

They also field questions from curious patients. In many cases, patients feel more comfortable confiding in or asking nurses questions instead physicians. This relationship allows nurses to address patient concerns while providing quality care.

How can nurses feel more confident and authoritative in addressing patient needs? One answer: research.

Research in Action

Nursing research provides an opportunity for nurses to advance treatment techniques and improve patient outcomes. So, for example, one focus is on supporting the “evidence” equation of evidence-based care.

Research can also take the form of knowing how to oversee projects or interpreting cutting-edge research, which professionals can then apply directly to patient care. Ultimately, strong research skills contribute to nurses’ ability to impact the current and future state of healthcare.

Research’s Role in Improving Medicine

Developing solid research know-how impacts the types of treatment patients receive. Nurses witness which existing techniques and treatments are working (or aren’t working) for patients through direct contact, so they are perfectly positioned to report research findings that involve patients. As a result, research can provide more accurate tools and chances to advance the nursing field .

For example, Florence Nightingale, known as the “Mother of Nursing,” applied research to determine that sanitation improved the survival rates of wounded soldiers during the Crimean War. Her findings still influence how medicine is practiced today.

Nurse research strives to progress treatment protocols for a broad spectrum of patients. Research projects can harness ever-changing technology to better support the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Discoveries made through research can be relayed to other nurses throughout the health system, allowing everyone to be better patient advocates and deliver the best care possible.

Personal and Professional Impact

Nursing research benefits patients, but it can also provide more career opportunities for those who are not content with day-to-day clinical practice – many report that a research position is less physically and mentally demanding than bedside care. Nurses who do research often like the field’s more “structured” atmosphere.

From a personal-plus-professional perspective, research is an excellent option for nurses who want to significantly impact the nursing profession. Research can support widescale policy changes that help improve patient care on a micro and macro level. Nurse administrators and educators can uncover and disseminate advancements that promote evidence-based care.

Nurse researchers also serve as leaders and mentors , especially for members of their research team. As experts, they have skills that garner respect from students, peers and other departments. Their involvement in research sets them up for careers in academia, government and publishing. Nurse researchers are welcome additions to committees and boards, having earned professional prestige through their work.

How Can You Expand Your Research Skills?

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) programs help nurses hit the ground running in entry-level positions. However, BSN programs usually have limited coursework dedicated to nursing research. Master’s programs help nurses develop the important and influential skill of conducting nursing research and gaining data insights . Nurses learn to evaluate findings and implement new practice guidelines based on study results. 

The University of Texas at Arlington offers online classes as part of the MSN Nursing Administration degree program with the goal of fostering necessary skills for nurse researchers. For example, the Principles of Research in Nursing course addresses how research generates evidence for nursing practice. Another course, Evidence-Based Practice, covers how to implement changes discovered from nursing research.

The Future Is Yours

An advanced degree is the first step to a career in nursing research, whether within academic medical centers, government agencies or other healthcare settings. As medical science continues to evolve, nurse researchers will increasingly be valuable assets to the development of the field.

Learn more about The University of Texas at Arlington’s MSN Nursing Administration online program .

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What does it take to be a good research nurse, posted on feb 2, 2014 by kelly gleason in professional development , research.

If you were asked to define the characteristics of a good research nurse, what would they be?

Words that immediately come to mind for me are takes initiative, eager to learn new things, organised, assertive, flexible, good communicator, self-assured, robust, leader, autonomous and creative thinker.

So often when I am interviewing or speaking with someone who is interested in getting into research, I get a feeling as to whether I think they have the right characteristics to actually enjoy research and really thrive in this field.  There is nothing scientific about my approach but simply some signs that make me think the person will like working in research. They include things like a nurse who has handled challenging clinical situations and has developed sound problem solving and decision making skills, a great communicator, someone who is resourceful and eager to find solutions to problems, someone who can get along with all kinds of people in all kinds of situations and someone who does not back down from a challenge or failure.  I think the person who enjoys research definitely has to like a challenge.

This reflection on what makes a good research nurse and my more intuitive and less logical approach led me to the literature for further ideas.  I found there is a great deal explaining the duties of a research nurse but very little describing the characteristics and/or skills of a good research nurse.  I did, however, find two great publications that described what characteristics made advanced practitioners more successful and happy in their roles. I did find many of the characteristics mentioned were also desirable characteristics of a good research nurse.

The first paper was a systematic review and meta-synthesis written by Myfanwy Lloyd Jones. She found there were core characteristics that facilitated effective working for advanced practitioners.

Here is her top twelve list:

Ability to accept responsibility

Ability to make decisions

Adaptability

Assertiveness

Flexibility

Negotiating skills

Conflict resolution skills

In my every day work, I must say that I definitely see these characteristics in action. I also think we need to demonstrate these in appraisals and when developing job descriptions.

Another important aspect that Lloyd Jones lists is political astuteness.  Political awareness was again mentioned in the second paper by Chrissie Bousfield.  I think this is particularly important when looking at modelling the role and its destiny. Bousfield also defined other core characteristics of the advanced practice role.  She felt advanced practitioners were driven by leadership and shaping the future of their roles.  They were innovative and forward thinkers; they were passionate about quality patient care and had a very self-directed approach.

I believe these characteristics also fit very well with those of a good research nurse.  In Developing Yourself in Clinical Research I ask what people like most about research.  Innovation, improving outcomes and autonomy are always at the top. We like taking action and having the freedom to do so and we like that our actions contribute to improving patient care.

Not every research nurse will have all these characteristics, we are all constanly evolving and developing our skills.  Which characteristic would you desire more of and what would this year look like if you focused on developing that?

One Response to What does it take to be a good research nurse?

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• v.2021; 2021

Students' Perspectives on Learning Practical Nursing Skills: A Focus Group Study in Norway

A. g. gregersen.

1 Department of Health and Welfare, Ostfold University College, Postal Box Code 700, 1757 Halden, Norway

M. T. Hansen

S. e. a. brynhildsen, v. a. grøndahl, a. c. leonardsen.

2 Department of Surgery, Ostfold Hospital Trust, Postal Box Code 300, 1714 Grålum, Norway

Associated Data

The data used to support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon request.

Practical nursing skills are complex and involve technical, theoretical, and practical aspects, caring perspectives adjusted to both patient and circumstances, as well as ethical and moral considerations. Patients' length of stay in hospitals is decreasing, and more advanced patient treatment is conducted in primary healthcare settings. Hence, education and nursing skills need adjustment in line with the rapidly evolving field of practice. Studies emphasize a need to uncover whether the technical aspect of nursing skills, in general, is challenging in students' learning. The aim of this study was to explore students' perspectives on practical nursing skills and how they can best learn these. Three focus group interviews were conducted with registered nurse students and intellectual disability nurse students in their last semester ( n  = 11). Conventional, inductive content analysis in line with recommendations from Hsieh and Shannon was used to analyze the data. Two main categories with subcategories were identified: (1) the content of practical skills, with subcategories (a) human-to-human relations, (b) organizational competence, and (c) technical mastering and (2) building competence, with subcategories (a) need for supervision, (b) planning the learning situations, and (c) relevance for practice. Students experienced that practical skills did not only include technical aspects but also the ability to establish a relationship to the patient and to organize their working day. Supervising was assumed as essential both when training in the simulation center and in clinical placement, as well as planning of the training, respectively. Students experienced that some skills learned in the university college were less relevant in clinical practice and that certain skills were difficult to perform in practice due to the type of clinical placement. Hence, there is a need to review the approach to and content of practical nursing skills' learning in healthcare undergraduate programs, to prepare students for clinical practice, and to ensure that they build the competence needed in healthcare services.

1. Introduction

As a consequence of increasing demands due to the demographic development, with an increasing number of older people and people with chronic illness, the organization of healthcare services and nursing competence needs are changing. Patients' length of stay in hospitals is decreasing, leading to more advanced patient treatment being conducted in primary healthcare settings. Hence, nurse education and nurses' competence need adjustment in line with the rapidly evolving field of practice [ 1 – 3 ].

To ensure quality in patient care, healthcare personnel must be qualified in practical procedure performance [ 4 ]. Research indicates that newly qualified nurses experience the nursing demands as complex and overwhelming. They wish for higher competence in concrete situations and better knowledge about procedures they are expected to master [ 5 – 7 ]. Consequently, it has been emphasized that the nurse education curriculum needs to be better oriented towards the healthcare service needs and include more practical procedure training [ 4 , 6 ]. The performance of practical procedures is complex and involves technical and theoretical aspects, caring perspectives adjusted to both patient and circumstances, as well as ethical and moral considerations [ 8 ].

It has been claimed that education of nurses should focus more on factors that influence students' practical skills' learning [ 9 ]. Performing practical skills on actual patients is assumed to be more efficient to reach an in-depth understanding than what students achieve through simulation or training in skill centres [ 10 , 11 ]. Clinical placement is therefore considered a very important learning environment for the development of practical skill competence [ 8 , 12 ]. Clinical placement is a major component of the nursing education curriculum but provides nursing students with varied opportunities to practice practical skills due to a high degree of specialization and the introduction of innovative medical technologies in healthcare services [ 13 , 14 ]. Hence, which students have an opportunity to learn depends on where they have their clinical placement. Moreover, supervisors in the clinical placements experience challenges with balancing the responsibility for both patients and the student. In addition, they have limited time to supervise, and they request closer collaboration with the educational institution [ 15 , 16 ]. Both supervisors and students experience a tension between theory and practice [ 17 , 18 ]. As a consequence, it has been emphasized that policymakers should focus on improving the clinical environment, enabling for the professional development of students [ 19 ].

In Norway, two different bachelor programmes for authorized healthcare personnel with a defined medical competence exist: one for registered nurses (RNs) and one for intellectual disability nurses (IDNs). The defined medical competence for IDNs is related to patients with intellectual and/or physical disabilities, as well as patients with psychiatric illness or addiction. RNs' medical competence is related to patients in primary and specialist healthcare services with primarily somatic and psychiatric diseases. Practical nursing skills' learning across these undergraduate programmes is very much similar and includes both theory and practical skills' training in simulation centres and in clinical placement. Fifty percent of the RN education in Norway consists of supervised clinical placements, while it comprises thirty percent in the IDN education. As both RNs and IDNs are authorized healthcare personnel with competence in practical nursing skills, calls for positions often include both, especially in primary healthcare services.

A recent study found that supervisors perceive that students should learn most practical skills in the educational institution, while they should get further training in these skills when in clinical placements [ 20 ]. This may have an impact on supervisors' approach to, or facilitation of, students' learning of practical skills. A review of the literature concludes that the teaching of practical skills is a shared responsibility between nursing education at university-based settings and the training of nursing students during clinical practice [ 21 ]. Still, little is known about the ways in which students learn practical skills during their clinical placements [ 22 ]. A few studies have been conducted on RN students' learning and performance of peripheral vein cannulation both in university-based and in clinical settings [ 8 , 11 , 23 ]. One conclusion was that low-fidelity simulation was effective, providing familiarity with equipment used in the clinical setting, but also inadequate due to lacking opportunity to discern differences encountered in the clinical setting [ 11 ]. A need has been emphasized to uncover whether the technical aspect is challenging in students' learning of practical nursing skills in general [ 8 ]. Hence, researchers emphasize the need to explore RN students' learning and performance of technical aspects of other practical nursing skills [ 11 , 24 ]. We are unable to identify research on IDN students' learning of practical nursing skills.

Consequently, the aim of this study was to explore RN and IDN students' perspectives on practical nursing skills and how they can best learn these.

2. Materials and Methods

A qualitative, explorative design was used. A focus group is an interview technique that uses purposive sampling to select participants, who are of a specific population, share similar characteristics, and have something to say about the topic [ 25 ]. Focus groups are appropriate when the aim is to explore areas that need improvement based on participants' perspectives and ideas [ 26 , 27 ]. The participants' experiences are deepened and developed through discussions and dialogue between the participants [ 28 ]. Hence, this method was assumed appropriate for the aim of this study.

The authors consist of RN and IDN student educators ( n  = 5). The authors are also part of a research group that consists of an IDN working in the university college simulation center, three RNs working in a hospital, and three RNs working in primary healthcare services. The research group was included in the planning of the study, as well as in interpretation of the findings. The manuscript adheres to the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR) [ 29 ].

2.1. Study Setting

The university college is located in an area that covers 320,000 inhabitants. The clinical placement of students takes place in a hospital with two different geographical locations: one with elective services only and one with both acute and elective services. Primary healthcare services include, e.g., acute care wards, casualties, nursing homes, homes for people with intellectual or functional disabilities, and home-based nursing services. The students have six (RN) and three (IDN) periods of clinical placement, respectively, in different wards and healthcare levels, during a three-year undergraduate program. They receive theory and training in practical skills in the simulation center during their first and second year of education (RN students), and IDN students in the third year as well. Practical skills' learning includes many different skills, varying from simple to complex skills, and from, e.g., bed making to catheterization. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is trained all three years in both programs.

2.2. Participants

We chose to include RN and IDN students in their last semester of education. As of 2020, this included 162 RN students and 59 IDN students. A purposive sampling method was used. All students from each educational program were invited to participate through e-mail. In total, 11 students responded and were consequently included.

2.3. Interview Guide

An interview guide was developed based on earlier research [ 15 , 16 , 18 , 30 ] and informal feedback from supervisors in primary and specialist healthcare services, as well as several discussions between the participants in the research group, until consensus was reached. Feedback indicated that the guide was concrete, relevant, and understandable. The guide consisted of five different themes: practical skills, preparedness, self-assessed competence, mastering, and the educational program (see Supplement 1 ).

2.4. Procedure

The focus group interviews were conducted in a meeting room at the university college and lasted from 40 to 55 minutes. The focus groups were led by a moderator and an assistant moderator. We ensured that the RN educator participated in the IDN student interviews, and vice versa. The assistant moderators were two RNs not working in the university college. The assistant moderator observed the interaction in the group and noted down observations and nonverbal communication. The moderator focused on letting the participants freely discuss their experiences related to the themes presented. Participants were encouraged to exchange experiences and spontaneously comment on each others' views and statements. The interview guide was used as a support to ensure that all themes were covered in both the focus groups and the interview with two participants.

The interviews were digitally recorded. All records were transcribed verbatim by an external transcriber, who had signed a nondisclosure agreement. The recordings were deleted after transcription.

2.5. Ethical Considerations

The study was conducted in line with recommendations in the Declaration of Helsinki [ 31 ]. Students received oral and written information about the study purpose and delivered signed written consent to participate. Due to the nature of a focus group, it was not possible to withdraw from the study. Participation was voluntary. The study was approved by the Norwegian Center for Research Data (NSD, reference no: 95194). All the data were handled confidentially. It is not possible to recognize individuals in the transcripts or in the presentation of results. To ensure anonymity, students were given codes/numbers: RN 1–5 and IDN 1–6, respectively.

2.6. Analysis

We used a conventional, inductive content analysis in line with recommendations from Hsieh and Shannon [ 32 ]. The analysis followed four steps: (1) reading and rereading the transcripts to get an overall impression of the data (AGG, MTH, and ACL); (2) identification of keywords and meaningful units (coding): this included making notes of first impressions, thoughts, and initial analysis. Labels for codes emerged that were reflective of more than one key thought (the initial coding scheme) (AGG and MTH); (3) codes were then sorted into categories based on how different codes were related and linked. These emergent categories were used to organize group codes into meaningful clusters (AGG, MTH, and ACL). These were then presented and discussed between all authors; and (4) development of definitions for each category/subcategory, where examples for each category were identified from the data to prepare for reporting the findings.

In addition, a reflexive method was used to raise awareness among the researchers on factors that could have affected the interview process and dynamics [ 33 ]. Directly after each interview, the researchers noted down initial impressions and thoughts from the interview. The notes focused on student activity, own thoughts, and own experiences from many years of experience as educators and supervisors in clinical placement. This was included and discussed during the analysis process.

During the analysis, the transcripts were included in a table. Keywords were marked yellow. Meaningful units were then transferred to the next column (initial coding scheme), and collated categories were placed in the next column. This was an iterative process, moving back and forth from transcripts to codes to categories. The analysis consisted of several discussions between the researchers until consensus was reached. See Table 1 for an example of the analysis process.

Example of the analysis process.

Three focus group interviews comprising five RN students (1 male) and six IDN students (2 males) were conducted in the period October to December 2018. The age range of the participants was from 25 to 35 years. Table 2 gives an overview of participants in different focus group interviews.

The three interviews.

RN = registered nurse students. IDN = intellectual disability nurse students.

Through analysis, two main categories with subcategories were identified: (1) the content of practical skills, with subcategories (a) human-to-human relations, (b) organizational competence, and (c) technical mastering and (2) building competence, with subcategories (a) need for supervision, (b) planning the learning situations, and (c) relevance for practice. The difference between RN and IDN students was that IDN students talked more about competence in communication related to aggressive patients and clients. Otherwise, practical skills were described very much similarly by all participants.

4. The Content of Practical Skills

4.1. human-to-human relations.

All students experienced a need for competence in collaboration and communication and defined this as practical skills. In clinical placement, students found it necessary to be able to meet people in different situations. This was described as to “tune in on,” “be aware,” and “be sensitive” to the patients' situation and condition. They gave several examples of this, e.g., one of the IDN students described especially challenging situations:

…aggressive actions, and how to treat people humanely, and at the same time limit their behavior (IDN 3)

The students found it essential that they were able to treat the patient with dignity in such situations. Moreover, they were concerned about how to handle interaction appropriately, for the patients' as well as for their own sake. Students talked about being sensitive to the patients' vulnerability, for example, in care situations. One of the RN students stated that

Care situations, it is a very vulnerable situation for the patient, and that is why we have to know something about that. Something I have learned from the skill training in school is how to act within the circle of intimacy (RN 2)

This was verified by nodding in the rest of the focus group.

Students emphasized that nurses always have to pay attention to the patient and that patients' needs always are in focus. This was also interpreted as an observation, giving an opportunity to adjust nursing practice accordingly. One of the IDN students prompted

We continuously communicate with the patient, observing facial expressions all the time, we don't do anything without… we're not blind when we are there, we continuously adjust and change according to the patients' needs (IDN 1)

4.2. Organizational Competence

To the IDN students, the practice field seemed complex and requiring different kinds of competence. They talked about being able to guide clients, patients, and relatives in meeting different health and social services. One of the IDN students said that

We need knowledge on how to guide the client through a quite complex system (IDN 4)

Organizational competence was described as “to know the organization,” “be able to plan,” and “to have an overview.” One way to show this was to know the distribution of duties during both day and night shifts. One of the RN students said that

I find it important to know who is meant to do what in daytime, evening, night… Then I have the overview… (RN 1)

Organizational competence also included being effective. One of the RN students prompted

… to be able to plan the actions without much extra work (RN 5)

Moreover, organization was also related to planning of collaboration between professionals. One of the IDN students gave an example of this:

… and during the doctors' visits, if you're not updated on patients' somatic health, then you cannot reach far … both regarding procedures and tests before the visit starts, right … (IDN 1)

4.3. Technical Mastering

All of the students talked about several practical procedures they needed to know. These varied from basic practical skills such as making a bed to procedures such as vein cannulation or blood sampling. Students claimed that they gained a basis for technical mastering when training in the simulation center. Moreover, they experienced that training in specific procedures was generalizable to other procedures, e.g., related to aseptic principles. One of the RN students said that

… many procedures need to be performed aseptically, for example catheter insertion or wound care…To know aseptic principles is essential … (RN 4)

The IDN students more clearly described experiencing, not mastering, the same skills as RN students, even though they experienced the same relevance of these procedures in clinical placements. This was, for example, related to vein cannulation and blood sampling.

Mastering was experienced as a result of the combination of theory, training in school, and training in clinical placement. The IDN students experienced not getting the same preparedness in school as the RN students, even though they needed this competence in clinical placement. One of the IDN students described this:

… for example related to handling medications. Of course, I could read about the drug, but still there are some basics you need to know … Can you give him this dose of paracetamol in relation to ibuprofen? There are several interactions with the most common drugs … We have not received any lectures or training in this, as far as I can recall … (IDN 2)

The rest of the focus group expressed agreement with this.

The students experienced mastering after clinical placement that gave them the opportunity to repeat practical skills. This was especially related to clinical placement in hospitals. One RN student said that

It is mass-training, because you do it many times during a shift (RN 3)

One of the other RN students continued

In the surgical ward we have done a lot of wound care. I would not say that I am 100 percent secure, but I feel that I know a lot about this … And I have also been in an observation ward, taking ECG daily. So, I feel secure in taking an ECG, but not in how to read it (RN 2)

5. Building Competence

5.1. need for supervision.

The students had various experiences with supervision, and they wanted more supervision and different sorts of supervision. This was expressed differently, but all of the students in all of the three focus groups described “to be shown,” “to be drilled,” and “to be pointed out” as different approaches to supervision. All of them emphasized that healthcare services are hectic and that there is not always room for the supervision they need. In the simulation center, they experienced having more time and supervision available. At the same time, they emphasized that a teacher had to be present during practical skills' training to secure the quality before students practice on real patients.

In one of the focus groups, students stated that it was embarrassing when they did not know the skills and procedures before clinical placement. They wanted to be prepared to avoid discomfort or pain. One of the RN students stated that

You can feel insecure yourself, but to be able to perform without the patient feeling this … (RN 4)

To be able to do so, students reported the need of a supervisor present in the situation and the need for concrete guidance and feedback. One of the IDN students said that

One-to-one, I would say. It is best to be together with your supervisor in practice, and then he or she does it, and then you do it…While that person watches and tells if you are doing it right. That is a good way to make you feel safe, yet able to try out things (IDN 6)

5.2. Planning the Learning Situation

The university college requests a plan from the student for the whole placement period as a pedagogical tool. The students had ambivalent experiences regarding this. Several of both RN and IDN students found this disturbing during clinical placement. One IDN student said that

It takes the focus away from other things that perhaps is more important (IDN 1)

Some students reported not understanding the purpose of the plan at first, but after a while, they thought the plan was useful. One of the RN students prompted

Then you have something to work with, an agenda you should have learned throughout your placement. In addition to all, I believe it worked (RN 4)

Another advantage was that the plan committed and ensured quality at the placement ward. Several students had experienced that the supervisors' colleagues at the placement ward helped to look for learning situations according to the plan. Often, the situation was more important than following their supervisor, and the plan then made this possible.

5.3. Relevance for Practice

The students wanted more relevant clinical placement arenas and also more clinical practice. After training in the simulation center, several of them had not had an opportunity to train clinical skills on real patients. Moreover, the IDN students experienced that the periods between clinical periods were too long and that this resulted in insecurity for the students' own achievements regarding their learned practical skills. In addition, all of the students reported that they were not given the opportunity to try out things they had learned at the university college in clinical placement, even though they found it relevant, such as the IDN students' experience of behavioral therapy. One of the IDN students expressed that

It is a basic thing, but is not a priority. I feel that I work in places where it could have been relevant, but it doesn't happen… Then they got people from the outside to do it (IDN 1)

All of the students had met procedures and practical skills in clinical placement that they had not learned in the university college. For example, one of the IDN students was given the responsibility to perform exercises with a patient with cerebral paresis and talked about this experience:

I was supposed to do exercises with this patient. But how do I do that? It means to train someone who is completely stiff, and then a nurse came and tried to show me how to do it…We have never learned about that … (IDN 3)

Another issue was that students experienced that techniques that were highlighted at the university college were not relevant in clinical placement, e.g., one of the RN students said that

Because, if you're supposed to wash someone the way we learned in the simulation center, we would not have been finished in eight hours … It is not the way it is done. That is not how it is being practiced, so that in itself is interesting”. … (RN 3)

6. Discussion

The aim of this study was to explore IDN and RN students' perspectives on practical nursing skills and how they can best learn these skills. Our findings show that students associated practical skills with the establishment of human-to-human relations, organizational competence, and technical mastering of practical procedures. To learn practical skills, students talked about building competence. Here, they emphasized the need to be supervised, the importance of planning the learning situations, and the importance of being able to train on skills in clinical placement and learning relevant practical skills in the university college.

Competence in building human-to-human relations was described by both RN and IDN students as an essential skill. In 1971, Joyce Travelbee developed the “Human-to-Human Relationship Model.” [ 34 ] She believed nursing is accomplished through human-to-human relationships that begin with the original encounter and then progress through stages of emerging identities, developing feelings of empathy, and later feelings of sympathy [ 35 ]. Travelbee's model provides nurses with a foundation necessary to connect therapeutically with other human beings [ 36 ]. Globally, there are a relatively small number of studies dealing with this issue.

The importance of achieving a mutual understanding in creating interpersonal relationships, communication skills of nurses, and overcoming of nurse-patient stereotypes has been emphasized to be able to provide safe and quality healthcare services [ 37 ]. Additionally, in recent years, there has been an increasing focus on patient-centredness in healthcare. Ekman et al. distinguished between patient‐centred care and person-centred care by which person-centred care refrains from reducing the person to just their symptoms and/or disease [ 38 ]. Conceptually, person-centred care is a model in which healthcare providers are encouraged to partner with patients to codesign and deliver personalized care. This provides people with high‐quality care they need and also improves healthcare system efficiency and effectiveness [ 39 ]. Hence, this study shows that human-to-human relation building, or person-centred care, is an overarching concept also for students and is defined as a practical skill that needs to be learned.

Nurses need to perform different tasks during the course of day and to cope with time limitations and pressure. Good time management leads to greater productivity, less stress, improved efficiency, and more opportunities for professional advancement [ 40 ]. Students in our study emphasized the need for such organizational skills, which have also been emphasized as important in several studies [ 41 – 44 ].

Students in our study emphasized the need of both theory and simulation training and training on actual patients as important when learning to perform different practical skills. Ravik et al. requested more studies on technical aspects of nursing skills' learning [ 11 , 23 , 24 ]. Moreover, Ravik et al. distinguished between students “knowing that” and “knowing how” as a framework to guide development and competence in the practical skill vein cannulation. The researchers found that practicing the skill on a mannequin and on actual patients gave different learning opportunities. They concluded that low-fidelity simulation provides familiarity with equipment used in the clinical setting but that it is inadequate due to lacking opportunity to discern differences in clinical settings [ 11 ]. In 2000, Howanitz et al. [ 45 ] outlined four levels of competence: (1) what an individual ‘‘knows” measured by his or her general knowledge, (2) if an individual ‘‘knows how” to act, measured by his or her competence level, (3) if an individual ‘‘shows how” to act, as measured by his or her performance, and (4) what an individual “does,” as measured by his or her action. Referred to our findings, students often “know” and “know how,” but seldom get to “show how” or “do.”

Both RN and IDN students emphasized the need for supervision, both in clinical placement and when training in the simulation center. This is in line with findings in a study, where students report that they seek, lack, and crave more instructions concerning what and how to learn clinical skill procedures [ 46 ]. A review of the literature from 2016 also showed that supervisory relationships, peer relationships, and clinical education structure had an impact on nursing students' learning of practical skills [ 47 ]. Researchers claim that nursing education must reexamine current methods to practical skill learning, to enhance supervisory relationships and the pedagogical atmosphere, and seek methods to better prepare future nurses [ 48 – 50 ]. Our findings indicate a need to review the education curriculum to increase the relevance in clinical practice. This is supported by studies indicating that nursing students report that the exercises in the university are a good way to prepare for clinical placement but that this does not resemble how it is conducted in clinical practice [ 51 – 53 ]. In addition, a lack of relevance makes students feel unprepared, and the responsibility is overwhelming when facing “reality.” [ 51 – 53 ]

The importance of planning the clinical placement period, with using a plan, is supported by, e.g., Helgesen et al., who showed that students use the extra time filling out the plan reflecting on the procedures they had been observing. Through this reflection, students were able to focus less on technical aspects and more on the patient [ 54 ]. Planning also leaves more of the responsibility on learning on the students themselves and is not totally dependant on the supervisor-educator-student relationships.

Even though the undergraduate programs are different, both RNs and IDNs are authorized healthcare personnel meeting healthcare services' expectations of competence in practical nursing skills. Provision of learning opportunities, staff support and supervision, and better coherence in how skills are taught in the educational institutions as well as the clinical setting have been shown to promote learning of practical skills [ 52 , 55 ]. This is in line with findings in the current study. RN students have more clinical practice than IDN students. Nevertheless, they also wanted more practice and more supervision and focus on more relevant practical nursing skills. This supports earlier research, indicating that practical skills should be learned in a clinical setting [ 18 , 19 ]. Moreover, it supports the importance of clinical placement in addition to simulation and skills' training in simulation centres.

6.1. Limitations

One limitation of this study is the inclusion of few participants, and the inclusion of more participants might have provided additional data. In addition, one interview had only two participants. Even though there were a limited number of participants in this interview, rich data were provided. Furthermore, the students in all focus groups provided detailed accounts and also challenged each other's opinion. This indicates a sense of openness among the participants and demonstrates the generation of good-quality data. Of course, we could have chosen to include students from other semesters or another assembling strategy to include participants in the focus groups.

In this study, we included IDN and RN students. Both IDNs and RNs are authorized healthcare personnel with medical competence. Both groups include practical nursing skills as part of their responsibility in both primary and tertiary healthcare services. Hence, findings are transferable across educational programs, focusing on competence building in practical nursing skills.

The strength is that our findings are in line with recent studies on learning of practical skills and clinical placement in nursing students. Presentation of the analysis and results is transparent, and the researchers used a method of reflexivity to ensure awareness on own preconceptions and how these may have affected the process, which also increases the validity of the findings.

7. Conclusions

This study fills a knowledge gap regarding aspects that influence IDN and RN students' learning of practical skills and how they can best learn these. For students, practical skills included human-to-human relations, organizational competence, and technical mastering. When building practical competence, students emphasized the need for supervision and planning of relevant learning situations. Our findings indicate a need to review the educational curriculum comprising practical skills. Moreover, findings indicate a need to improve the collaboration between educational institutions and the clinical field to enhance the quality of practical learning situations for students.

Acknowledgments

Ina Kristin Blågestad and Anne Herwander Kvarsnes are acknowledged for participating in the focus group interviews. Richard Olsen, Lars Gunheim-Hatland, Mona Martinsen, Inger Hjelmeland, and Wenche Hansen are acknowledged for participating in the planning of the study, as well as in the development of the interview guide. This study was funded by collaboration funding from Ostfold University College.

Data Availability

Conflicts of interest.

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this paper.

Supplementary Materials

The interview guide is provided as the supplementary file.

• Open access
• Published: 05 June 2024

Assessing nurses’ professional competency: a cross-sectional study in Palestine

• Rasha Abu Zaitoun 1 , 2  

BMC Nursing volume  23 , Article number:  379 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

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Evaluating nurses’ professional competence is critical for ensuring high-quality patient care. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the nurses’ professional competence level and to identify differences based on demographics in three West Bank hospitals.

A cross-sectional design was used, and a convenient sample of 206 nurses participated in the study. The Nurse Professional Competence (NPC) Scale was used to assess the competency level. The investigator distributed the questionnaire and explained the aim of the research. Consent forms were signed before the data collection.

The average competency level was 79% (SD = 11.5), with 90% being professionally competent nurses. The average “nursing care” competency was 79% (SD = 12.98), and the competency level in providing value-based care was 80% (SD = 13.35). The average competency level in technical and medical care was 78% (SD = 13.45), whereas 79% (SD = 12.85) was the average competence level in “Care Pedagogics” and “Documentation and Administration “. The average competence level in the development and leadership subscale was 78% (SD = 12.22). Nurses who attended three to five workshops had a higher level of Nursing Care Competency, (H = 11.98, p  = 0.003), and were more competent in value-based care (H = 9.29, p  = 0.01); in pedagogical care and patient education (H = 15.16, P  = 0.001); and in providing medical and technical care (H = 12.37, p  = 0.002). Nurses attending more than five workshops were more competent in documentation and administration (H = 12.55, p  = 0.002), and in development and leadership subscale ( H = 7.96, p  = 0.20).

The study revealed that participants lacked development and leadership skills. Engagement in workshops positively impacted the level of competencies among nurses. Notably, those attending more than five workshops exhibited greater competence in documentation, administration, development, and leadership in nursing care.

Implications

This study emphasized the role of continuing education in improving nurses’ competencies and highlighted the need to conduct the study at a wider aspect to involve more hospitals with various affiliations to help structure more sensitive professional development and adopt the competencies as an integral part of staff development.

Peer Review reports

In the contemporary world, scholars prioritize the significance and function of human resources in the progress of nations; furthermore, they assert that an organization’s most critical asset is its human capital [ 1 ]. Nurses play a critical role as the primary and most valuable human resource in healthcare organizations [ 2 ]. With significant advancements in science and technology, cost control measures, and limited time for building therapeutic patient relationships, nurses are increasingly concerned about patient safety and quality of care and are committed to improving and maintaining their competencies [ 3 ].

Contemporary perspectives on professionalism underscore that enhancing the quality of healthcare is a moral and professional obligation of all medical practitioners, especially nurses. Thus, they must exhibit dedication to professional competence, transparency with patients, and improvement of care quality [ 4 ]. Professional competency is crucial in providing nursing care, and it involves adhering to professional standards [ 5 ]. The literature extensively addresses nursing competency in terms of patient safety and the quality of care provided [ 6 ].

The Novice to Expert Theory by Patricia Benner emphasizes the importance of nursing competency. Benner’s theory supports the formation of competent and trained nurses who can address the various problems of modern healthcare by offering a developmental framework, encouraging experiential learning, promoting mentorship, and improving patient safety.

skilled and knowledgeable nurses who provide high-quality care, advance patient safety, and influence good outcomes in healthcare delivery. This study is supported by Benner’s theory that emphasizes the effect of nurses’ competency on patient outcomes [ 7 ] Identifying the level of professional competency could help categorize nurses based on their level of practice and determine the proper approach to move nurses from novice to expert.

Professional competency in nurses is defined as a combination of skills, knowledge, attitudes, values, and abilities that facilitate effective performance in occupational and professional roles [ 8 ]. It involves using knowledge, technical skills, clinical reasoning, communication, emotions, and values and rethinking daily activities to provide services to individuals and society, reflecting sound judgment and habits [ 9 ].

Globally, the professional empowerment and competency of nurses are a focus of human resource management in healthcare systems, and the World Health Organization mandates that member countries report and implement plans to strengthen nurses’ competencies [ 10 ]. Nursing competency leads to improving the quality of care, increasing patient satisfaction, enhancing nursing education, and promoting nursing as a profession [ 11 ]. Patients expect competent behavior from nurses, and following the high prevalence of medical incidents, the public and media have become concerned about clinicians’ competency [ 12 ]. Thus, professionals must demonstrate their clinical competence to perform specific roles [ 13 ]. Neglecting nursing competency can cause problems for organizations, resulting in frustration, job dissatisfaction, and attrition [ 14 ].

Professional skills and competency have an impact on job attitudes, including organizational commitment and professional affiliations [ 15 ]. To achieve the goals of the healthcare system, manpower requires not only expertise, empowerment, and competency but also high levels of organizational attachment and commitment, as well as a willingness to participate in activities beyond their predetermined duties; hence, the levels of attachment and commitment of nurses to their affiliated organizations can affect the promotion of their clinical competency [ 1 ].

Nursing competency is a fundamental skill that is essential for meeting nursing obligations; hence, it is crucial to have a clear understanding of the nursing competency level to establish the basis for nursing education programs, and professional development planning and it is vital to recognize the process of nursing competency development to ensure ongoing professional growth following the acquisition of a nursing license [ 5 ]. The fundamental concept of professional competency in nursing has a direct correlation with enhancing patient care quality and safety [ 1 ].

Currently, in Palestine, there exist various levels of nurses who have graduated from a variety of nursing schools within and outside the country. Consequently, there is a diversity in their practices both at an individual and institutional level, posing a challenge to both evaluating the quality of care delivered and standardizing nursing practices nationwide. One proposed strategy to address these obstacles involves conducting an initial assessment of nurses’ competencies to establish a foundation, followed by devising a standardized professional development scheme informed by the gathered data. Unfortunately, there is a notable absence of studies that have investigated the professional competencies of nurses across different nursing specialties, leading to the absence of a comprehensive national framework for appraising nursing competencies and a lack of a standardized approach for assessing competencies.

Given that nurses are frontline healthcare providers delivering population-based health services and gatekeepers for maintaining patient safety their competency level is critical to ensure their ability to perform their daily duties effectively and efficiently to maintain high-quality care also it is an important objective method to help the nursing administrative to assess their employees level of practices and set suitable improvement plans Therefore, it is essential to measure nurses’ competency and, once measured, to establish a standard against which practice domain and performance can be evaluated. This approach provides a framework for ensuring nurses possess the necessary knowledge and skills to carry out their responsibilities effectively.

The Joint Commission Accreditation requires measuring different types of competencies based on the main patient safety goals such as infection control practices and recommends health institutions align with an organization’s strategies, business objectives, and culture for success [ 16 ]. Most commonly measured competencies verify specific nursing skills and practices and tho, but, there are limited efforts to assess the overall nursing professional competence level.

To the best of our knowledge, this study represents the first attempt to assess the level of professional competence among nurses. The choice was made to carry out this investigation within a tertiary hospital that holds accreditation from JCI. This decision was based on the premise that nurses in such settings have been immersed in a system of competency-based evaluation, potentially yielding more insightful responses compared to their counterparts in non-JCI-accredited hospitals. Furthermore, JCI-accredited hospitals typically offer ongoing professional development initiatives. The advancement of these programs requires a thorough understanding of the overall professional competence level, which is essential for structuring purposeful developmental activities.

Therefore, this study aimed to assess the level of professional competence among nurses in a tertiary hospital in the West Bank using the Nurse Professional Competence (NPC) Scale, which evaluates self-reported professional competence.

Study design and settings

A cross-sectional descriptive-analytic design was used to recruit the targeted participants from academic, private, and Ministry of Health hospitals. The data were collected from April to July 2023.

Research procedure and sample

The sample was convenient to reach nurses in their place of work easily during their working time. The sample size was calculated using a Raosoft calculator ( http://www.raosoft.com/samplesize.html ) with a confidence level of 95%, a marginal error of 5%, and a response distribution of 50%. The estimated sample size was 286, with an attrition rate of 5%. The sample included registered nurses who provided direct patient care and had at least one year of experience in their current workplace. Head nurses, nurses who worked in the administrative field, nurses on maternal, annual, and unpaid leave, and aid nurses were excluded. Questionnaires that were completed by less than 60% of the participants were excluded from the study according to the recommendation of the original author of the tool [ 17 ]. A total of 206 nurses responded and were actively engaged in the study.

Data were gathered over a single month through the use of a self-reported, paper-based questionnaire. The questionnaire was administered in the English language because the intended participants consisted of nurses who predominantly used English for documentation and communication purposes. The questionnaires were directly distributed to the participants, allowing them to peruse the consent form, research objectives, and ethical considerations while simultaneously being encouraged to submit any inquiries they may have had. The initial page of the instrument included a description of the research aim, a consent form, and the contact information of the author.

Research instrument

The data collection questionnaire consisted of two parts: the first part included demographic and workplace information, and the second part included the short version of the Nurse Professional Competence Scale (NPC), which was utilized to assess self-reported professional competence among nurses [ 18 ]. The Nurse Professional Competence Scale was developed by Jan Nilsson and colleagues [ 17 ] in Sweden based on Swedish national guidelines and the World Health Organization’s European Strategy for Nursing and Midwifery [ 19 ]. The original NPC scale comprises eight competency domains and a total of 88 items grouped into eight competence areas, namely, nursing care, value-based nursing care, medical and technical care, teaching/learning and support, documentation and information technology, legislation in nursing and safety planning, leadership in and development of nursing care, and education. For this study, the short version of the NPC was used [ 17 ]. The reliability and validity of the NPC Scale have been confirmed in previous studies, and the Cronbach’s alpha values of all the domains were > 0.70 [ 18 ]. .

The Nurse Professional Competence Scale has been validated and shown to have good reliability and validity in various studies conducted in the Swedish language version [ 20 ]. Responses are given on a seven-point scale ranging from a very low degree (1) to a very high degree (7), with “either high or low degree” coded as (4) [ 21 ]. The competency levels were classified into four categories based on the average score of the scale and subscales: low level (0–25), rather good level (> 25–50), good level (> 50–75), and very good level (> 75–100) [ 22 ].

For this study, Permission was obtained from the authors to use the instrument and they gave instructions to analyze the scale the instrument was piloted on 10 nurses who were excluded from the study. Some modifications were made based on the results to enhance the readability and readability of the study. The needed completion time was from 10 to 15 min.

The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21 was used to analyze the data. Descriptive statistics in terms of percentage, mean and standard deviation were used to describe the demographic and work environment factors. The competency subscale scores were calculated following the formulas recommended by the author of the short version of the NPC. The nursing care competence level was calculated by summing item numbers one through 5 divided by 25 and multiplied by 100. The value-based nursing care competence level was obtained by summing the items ranging from six to ten divided by 35 and multiplied by 100. The medical and technical care competence level was estimated by summing the results of items 11 to 16 divided by 42 and multiplied by 100. The competence level in the care pedagogic was the result of summing the items ranging from 17 to 21 divided by 35 and multiplied by 100. The documentation and administrative competence level was calculated by summing the items ranging from 22 to 29 dividing by 56 and multiplying by 100; finally, the leadership and organization subscale was assessed by summing the items from 30 to 35 dividing by 42, and multiplying by 100 [ 17 ]. Moreover, the data were not normally distributed; thus, the Mann‒Whitney test and the Kruskal‒Wallis test were used to analyze the associations between demographic information and professional competency subscale scores. A p -value < 0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance.

Ethical considerations

The institutional review board of the Arab American University (AAUP) IRB NO. 2023/A/59. All nurses were given both verbal and written information about the aim and objectives of the study, and informed consent was obtained from all participants. Participants were assured that their confidentiality and anonymity would be preserved, that their participation was voluntary, and that they could withdraw at any time without any penalties.

Demographics and work environment factors

A total of 206 nurses, with a response rate of 72%, participated in this study to assess their professional competence level. The mean age of the participants was 29.5 years, with a minimum of 21 years and a maximum of 45 years. Male nurses represented 52.4% of the participants ( n  = 108). The majority held a bachelor’s degree in nursing ( n  = 168), and 22 (10.7%) nurses held postgraduate certificates. 57% of the nurses earned a monthly income of 500–1000 JD ( n  = 57.8). 94% of the respondents received up to five courses per year. Nearly half ( n  = 94) of the participants worked as instructors for nursing students. Among those with less than six years of experience, 97 (47.1%) and 11.7% ( n  = 24) had 12 or more years of experience, respectively (Table  1 ).

The professional competence level and subscales

Table  2 showed that the average professional competence level was 79% (SD = 11.5), with a median of 80, a minimum of 45% and a maximum of 100%. A total of 90% of the nurses were professionally competent, while 15 nurses had a competence level of less than 60%. The average “nursing care” competency was 79% (SD = 12.98), with a minimum of 34% and a maximum of 100%. The competency level of providing value-based care was 80% (SD = 13.35), with a minimum of 20% and a maximum of 100%. An average of 78% (SD = 13.45) of the participants were competent at providing technical and medical care, for a minimum of 21%. The nurses also showed an average competence level of 79% (SD = 12.85) in “Care Pedagogics”, with a minimum score of 34% and a maximum of 100%. Similarly, 79% (SD = 12.15) of the participants had an average competence level in “documentation and administration of nursing care”, for a minimum of 39%. Finally, the average competence level of the “Development, leadership and organization of Nursing Care” factor was 78% (SD = 12.22), with a minimum score of 48% and a maximum of 100% (see Table  2 ).

The difference in competency subscale scores among nurses

A significant relationship was found between the number of workshops attended by nurses and their level of competence in all competency areas. In Nursing Care, nurses who attended between three and five in-service education workshops had a higher level of Nursing Care Competency, with a mean rank of 122.39 (H = 11.98, p  = 0.003) (see Table  3 ). Table  4 indicated that nurses who attended three to five workshops had a higher level of competency in applying value-based care, with a mean rank = 119.65 (H = 9.29, p  = 0.01); in pedagogical care and patient education, with a mean rank of 123.1 (H = 15.16, P  = 0.001) (see Table  5 ); and in providing medical and technical care, with a mean rank of 121.88 (H = 12.37, p  = 0.002) (see Table  6 ).

Table  7 revealed that nurses who attended more than five workshops were more competent in documenting and administering nursing care, with a mean rank of 130.0 (H = 12.55, p  = 0.002), and in developing and leading nursing care (mean rank = 121.7, H = 7.96, p  = 0.20) (see Table  8 ). Similarly, Table nine shows that attending three to five workshops was associated with a higher total professional competence level, with a mean rank of 121.05 (H = 12.11, p  = 0.002). However, there were no significant differences in the total professional competency level or other professional competency subscale scores among other demographic and work environment factors (see Table  9 ). The reliability of the short version of the questionnaire in this study was excellent, with a Cronbach’s alpha of 97%.

This study aimed to assess the level of professional nursing competency of nurses who work at a tertiary hospital. Using the NPC Scale, the study’s findings shed light on the degree of self-reported professional competence among nurses working in a tertiary hospital in the West Bank. The results could be applied to raise the standard of patient care and healthcare services by pointing out areas that need improvement in the nursing clinical field, education, and training programs. This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge on the level of professional competence among nurses on the West Bank.

A total of 206 nurses participated in the study. Most of the respondents were male. The study showed no significant differences between males and females in terms of their level of professional competence; this was also noted in a study in which gender was not significantly related to professional competence [ 23 ]. In contrast, a study conducted on nurses’ competency in the Saudi Arabian healthcare context showed that male participants demonstrated superior self-reported competency assessment compared to female participants [ 24 ].

On the other hand, this study showed that years of experience do not affect the competency level, in contrast to a Japanese study in which the nursing competence levels are affected by the clinical experience. high competency level among newly hired nurses and junior nurses [ 25 ]. Also, a systematic review in Iran indicated that clinical experience of more than nine years affects the competency level [ 26 ].

The educational level of nurses in this study revealed no discernible relationship with their competence, and this is supported by the study of S-O Kim and Y-J Choi [ 27 ] contradicting the study of Z Nabizadeh-Gharghozar, NM Alavi and NM Ajorpaz [ 28 ] that correlates the educational level with competence level This discrepancy in results underscores the necessity for further exploration to understand the nuanced relationship between education levels and nursing competencies [ 29 ]. While a notable correlation emerged in this study between the number of workshops attended by nurses and their competence levels across all competency domains, a recent study in Japan showed that attending a two-day international outreach seminar provided participants with valuable and current knowledge regarding the competency of nurse educators. They developed a heightened awareness of the shifts in their self-efficacy as educators [ 30 ]. Additionally, Egyptian studies concluded that workshops had a beneficial impact on enhancing the knowledge, collaboration skills, and overall performance of both head and staff nurses [ 31 ].

According to our study, nurses exhibited a very good level of the total professional competency level. This result was supported by a study conducted in Iran which reported that nurses had a very good competency level [ 32 ]. Delving into the assessment of competency sub scores our study excelled in evaluating the competency of providing nursing care and helping patients was very good and the same with the result of a Turkish study that assessed the caring and helping competency level of 243 nurses in a university hospital [ 33 ],. Similarly, participants showed a very good competency level in handling technology and advanced medical machines, which affirms the growing integration of technology in nursing practice [ 34 ]. The “Care Pedagogics” competency underscores the crucial role of nurses in educating and supporting patients and their families, which is consistent with the findings of other related research [ 32 , 35 ] These results emphasize the ongoing need to prioritize clinical proficiency in nursing education and practice [ 17 ].

Moving into the sphere of “Documentation and Administration of Nursing Care”, nurses in our study had a very good competency level in developing a collaborative care plan and documentation skills echoing the significance of nursing documentation and administration for ensuring high-quality patient care [ 36 ], Additionally, the participant’s had very good competency in “Development, Leadership, and Organization of Nursing Care” which underscored the nursing abilities to lead and supervise teamwork and prioritize care aligning with the findings of various studies supporting this notion [ 37 , 38 , 39 ].

According to the study’s findings, nurses generally do well in areas including nursing care, value-based nursing care, technical and medical treatment, and administration and documentation. In contrast, a study highlighting possible areas for focused improvement in nursing practice and education found that nurses tended to report lower competence scores in the areas of development, leadership, organization of nursing care, and care pedagogy [ 40 ].

Furthermore, it’s critical to stress how important it is for nurses to maintain quality of life. To guarantee that high-quality care is provided, initiatives to enhance the quality of life for nurses must be initiated. When creating projects and programs to improve nurses’ competence, nurse managers should take the results into account [ 41 ] and use reflective learning, which can help both new and novice nurses because it will help them develop a good self-perception of their competence [ 42 ].

Theoretical implication

The results of this study contributed to the theoretical understanding of factors affecting the professional competencies of nurses. The notable correlation between the number of continuing education activities attended by nurses and the level of nurses’ performance implies that professional development programs have a pivotal role in enhancing and improving nurses’ competency in several domains. This result goes in alignment with the “ Novice to Expert” theory of Benner and empirically supports the crucial role of ongoing education in improving and supporting nurses to advance their professional competencies and growth. On the other hand, the multidimensional aspects of the applied professional competency in this study such as the documentation, value-based, and technical aspects all act as factors that shape the wholistic approach to nursing care and the nature of the nurse’s practices which require more wholistic evaluation method for nurses competencies.

Managerial implications

The majority of nurses in this study were professionally competent which indicates that available ongoing educational activities were valuable and effective opportunities to promote nurses’ competencies. However, having 15 nurses with a 60% competency level highlights the importance of structuring more need-sensitive ongoing education programs and interventions. On the other side, the strong relationship between attending continuing education activities and a higher level of nurses competencies across various domains underscores the pivotal role of offering equal and efficient opportunities for attending and joining the available activities, also health care institutions may need to invest more effectively in promoting and supporting goal-based, and need-sensitive professional development programs in their setting to get more competent and qualified nurses and subsequently high-quality patient care.

Additionally, the study findings highlight that subdomains and sub-dimensions of nurses’ practices such as care and value-based aspects and documentation and administration have essential roles in formulating the overall professional competency level of nurses. This guides the nurse managers and leaders to establish a more uniform performance appraisal process to evaluate nurses’ practices. This would enable nurse leaders to effectively identify any practice gaps and areas for improvement and this helps them to efficiently utilize resources to provide the required learning activities and offer equal chances for improving nurses’ performance. Determining a nurse’s areas of competence can serve as a reference to guide the hiring process of new staff.

The outcome of this study can steer the adoption of robust ongoing education such as mentorship and preceptorship programs, cross-training programs, in-service clinical training, and other professional development opportunities to facilitate the rapid transition of newly hired nurses from beginner level to more competent and proficient nurses.

A trustworthy tool that recognizes a nurse’s level of professional competency can assist policymakers, managers, and nurse educators in defining the skills, knowledge, and attitude necessary for nurses to perform their jobs. The findings of this research can also be used to create more customized and goal-oriented professional development programs, pinpointing areas of best practices that require improvement and investigating the necessary methods and resources to improve nurses’ competencies while emphasizing evidence-based practices. Additional research examining the relationships between nursing competence and patient outcomes may be beneficial in enhancing best practices for nurses.

Limitations

The sample was convenient with 206 nurses participating in the study, which potentially limits the generalizability of the findings to a broader nursing population. Additionally, the overrepresentation of male respondents might skew the results and not accurately reflect the gender balance in nursing.

The data primarily relied on self-reported measures, which might introduce response bias and subjectivity. Objective assessments or external evaluations of competence could enhance the validity of the findings.

The study utilized a cross-sectional design, providing a snapshot of competence at a specific time. Longitudinal studies tracking nurses’ competence over time could offer a more comprehensive understanding of competence development.

The study did not comprehensively explore other potential influencing factors, such as workload, staffing ratios, or specific training programs attended by participants. These factors can significantly impact nursing competence and have not been thoroughly investigated.

Conclusions

In this study, we meticulously evaluated the professional competence levels of 206 nurses employed in a tertiary hospital setting. The findings revealed that the professional competence level was moderately high among the participants. However, it is noteworthy that while a significant portion of nurses demonstrated high levels of competency, a considerable number still exhibited competence levels below the desired threshold, with 15 nurses scoring below 60%.

Our comprehensive assessment encompassed various competency areas, shedding light on specific domains where nurses warrant focused attention. Notably, the domain of “Development, Leadership, and Organization of Nursing Care” exhibited a slightly lower average competency level (78%). Therefore, it is important to promote nurse’s knowledge and skills in the domain of leadership and management principles.

Attending workshops plays a significant role in improving nurses’ competencies, especially the competency in documentation, management, and leadership skills. So, investments in providing a well-designed workshop with a clear outcome are essential to affect the level of competence among nurses. Moreover, the findings underscored the importance of continuing education and training programs to foster nurses’ competency, and subsequently, improve the quality of patient care.

In conclusion, this study provides valuable insights into the nuanced landscape of nursing competence, highlighting both areas of strength and opportunities for improvement. Moving forward, healthcare institutions and educational bodies must prioritize ongoing education and targeted interventions aimed at fortifying nursing competencies for the betterment of patient care.

Recommendations

Healthcare institutions should invest in continuous training programs, and make sure they are goal-directed and have outcomes related to improving the staff knowledge as well as the skills and contributing to improving the competency level.

More emphasis needs to be placed on the development of leadership and management abilities. The ongoing educational initiatives should arrange more organized and impactful workshops and training programs to enhance this particular aspect, which in turn will have a direct impact on the competencies of nurses.

Encourage collaboration between academia and healthcare institutions to conduct research focused on nursing competence to disseminate competency development to regional policymakers and initiate training programs and the potential implementation of a “clinical ladder” system for nurses.

Future studies should involve larger and more diverse samples across various healthcare settings to capture a more representative picture of nursing competence. Ensuring a balanced gender representation among participants would yield more comprehensive insights.

Complementing self-reported measures with objective assessments or observations of nursing practices could enhance the robustness and validity of the findings. Qualitative interviews or focus groups might provide richer insights into the factors affecting nursing competence.

Conducting longitudinal studies to track nurses’ competence development over time would offer a deeper understanding of competency growth and fluctuations throughout a nurse’s career trajectory.

Future research should further explore the various factors influencing nursing competence, including workload, staffing, continuing education programs, and the impact of specific training initiatives on competence levels.

Implementing targeted interventions or training programs and evaluating their impact on nursing competence could provide valuable insights into effective strategies for enhancing nursing competency.

Collaborating with multiple healthcare facilities or employing a multicenter approach would provide a more extensive dataset and facilitate comparisons between institutions, enriching the understanding of nursing competence on a broader scale.

Data availability

Primary research article or the corresponding author are the sources of all data. Data that supports the results of the manuscript is provided within the manuscript.

Abbreviations

Arab American University

Institutional Review Board

An-Najah-National University Hospital

Nurse Professional Competence Scale

Statistical Package for the Social Sciences

World Health Organization

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Acknowledgements

I would like to express my gratitude and acknowledgment to the Research Centre especially Prof. Saed Zyoud and Prof. Ramzi Shawahneh for their support in providing resources and facilitating the research process.

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‘Sport has the power to unite people in a way that is almost unique’

STEVE FORD, EDITOR

• You are here: Social care

New role to boost research and education in social care nursing  

28 May, 2024 By Steve Ford

A nurse has become the first to be appointed to a new academic role created to support the development of nursing in social care settings, which those behind the move have called a “milestone” for the sector.

The University of Salford and the RCN Foundation have jointly announced that Dr Claire Pryor will become the inaugural RCN Foundation chair in adult social care nursing.

“There is an absolute need to ensure our nurses working in social care settings are recognised, supported, and developed” Claire Pryor

The university said the new role had been created to take a “strategic lead in shaping research and education in adult social care nursing at a local, national and international level”.

Dr Pryor will “translate research into professional practice” to improve nursing care and develop the evidence-base to support the “current and next generation of nurses” in adult social care, it added.

She will be based at Salford’s nursing and midwifery directorate in the School of Health and Society, which is the largest specialist provider of nursing and midwifery education in the North West region.

The university noted that it was a UK focused role and Dr Pryor would work closely with England’s chief nurse for adult social care, Professor Deborah Sturdy.

Dr Pryor’s appointment represents the latest in a series of developments in recent weeks that aim to support social care nursing and raise its profile in the profession.

Earlier this month, Northumbria University launched the UK’s first new specialist practice qualification in community adult social care nursing.

In addition, guidelines were launched to encourage and support the development nationally of placements for student nurses and nursing associates in social care settings.

The government arms’-length body Skills for Care published the guidance in collaboration with Professor Sturdy and the Department of Health and Social Care.

Meanwhile, a nurse from a Bristol-based charity carried the ceremonial lamp at the annual Florence Nightingale Commemorative Service, the first to do so from the adult social care sector.

Emily Pimm, who qualified as a nurse in 2006, works as a social care deputy manager at John Wills House Care Home in Westbury-on-Trym, which is run by the St Monica Trust .

“This appointment marks a significant milestone for the nursing profession and the wider social care sector” Deepa Korea

The appointment also follows the government earlier this year embarking on a campaign to boost the domestic pipeline into adult social care nursing.

The DHSC unveiled a package of measures, backed by £75m funding, to recruit new talent to the sector , including investment in adult social care nursing apprenticeships.

Separately, higher education institutions were encouraged to expand placement opportunities in social care to encourage more nurses into such settings.

Dr Pryor will start her new role on 31 July. She is currently assistant professor of adult nursing at Northumbria, where she specialises in frailty, social care nursing and non-medical prescribing.

She began her career as a nursing assistant in care homes prior to becoming a staff nurse in medical assessment and critical care, and then a nurse practitioner for older people in mental health settings.

Commenting on her appointment, Dr Pryor said: “I am excited and passionate about the new role, and the significant impact the focus on adult social care will bring.

“There is an absolute need to ensure our nurses working in social care settings are recognised, supported, and developed throughout their careers,” she said.

“We need to work toward recognition of social care nurses as a highly skilled, autonomous clinicians, and empower them to use specialist and advanced skills, leading and shaping high quality care across the sector.”

Professor Margaret Rowe, dean of the school of health at Salford, said: “The chair role will drive changes to adult social care across the UK in terms of education, professional practice and research.

“We look forward to the benefits her role will no doubt bring to our students as we continue to develop and educate the next generation of nurses in adult social care,” she said.

The RCN Foundation said it chose the University of Salford to host the role following a competitive process.

Dr Claire Pryor

Deepa Korea, RCN Foundation director, said “We are delighted that the inaugural RCN Foundation chair in adult social care nursing has been appointed at the University of Salford.

“This appointment marks a significant milestone for the nursing profession and the wider social care sector,” she said.

“Having a dedicated chair will not only further advance the academic and practical knowledge in adult social care nursing that it so vitally needed, but also ensure that the important work of this part of the nursing workforce is highlighted.

“The role will also develop further the clinical expertise and leadership needed across the sector to meet the complex needs of those accessing social care,” she added.

The RCN Foundation, chaired by former chief nursing officer for England Professor Jane Cummings, is an independent charity whose purpose is to support and strengthen nursing and midwifery.

It does this by providing grants to nurses and midwives facing hardship or who want to enhance their skills and develop their practice, and by funding nursing and midwifery-led projects.

More stories on social care

• Social care nurse carries the Nightingale lamp at Westminster Abbey
• First specialist social care nursing qualification launched
• Next government needs to elevate social care, nurses urge
• Senior Filipino nurse championing social care nursing
• Government unveils plans to boost domestic social care workforce
• Universities urged to expand nurse placements in social care
• New guidance promotes student nurse placements in social care
• Study reveals benefits of multidisciplinary social care placements
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Understanding and prioritizing nurses’ mental health and well-being

Healthcare organizations continue to feel the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, including prolonged workforce shortages, rising labor costs, and increased staff burnout. 1 The World Health Organization defines burnout as “a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed,” with symptoms including “feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job; and reduced professional efficacy.” For more, see “Burn-out an ‘occupational phenomenon’: International Classification of Diseases,” World Health Organization, May 28, 2019; and “Doctors not the only ones feeling burned out,” Harvard Gazette , March 31, 2023. Although nurses routinely experience job-related stress and symptoms of burnout, the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the challenges of this high-intensity role.

About the research collaboration between the American Nurses Foundation and McKinsey

The American Nurses Foundation is a national research, educational, and philanthropic affiliate of the American Nurses Association committed to advancing the nursing profession by serving as a thought leader, catalyst for action, convener, and funding conduit. The American Nurses Foundation and McKinsey are partnering to assess and report on trends related to the nursing profession. A foundational part of this effort is jointly publishing novel insights related to supporting nurses throughout their careers.

In April and May 2023, the American Nurses Foundation and McKinsey surveyed 7,419 nurses in the United States to better understand their experiences, needs, preferences, and career intentions. All survey questions were based on the experiences of the individual professional. All questions were also optional for survey respondents; therefore, the number of responses may vary by question. Additionally, publicly shared examples, tools, and healthcare systems referenced in this article are representative of actions that stakeholders are taking to address workforce challenges.

As part of an ongoing, collaborative research effort, the American Nurses Foundation (the Foundation) and McKinsey surveyed more than 7,000 nurses in April and May 2023 to better understand mental health and well-being in the nursing workforce (see sidebar “About the research collaboration between the American Nurses Foundation and McKinsey”). The survey results revealed that symptoms of burnout and mental-health challenges among nurses remain high; the potential long-term workforce and health implications of these persistent pressures are not yet fully understood.

In this report, we share the highlights of our most recent survey and trends over the past few years. As healthcare organizations and other stakeholders continue to evolve their approaches to these important issues, this research provides additional insight into the challenges nurses face today and highlights opportunities to ensure adequate support to sustain the profession and ensure access to care for patients.

Current state of the nursing workforce

Although many organizations have taken steps to address the challenges facing the nursing workforce, findings from the joint American Nurses Foundation and McKinsey survey from May 2023 indicate that continued action is required. Nursing turnover is beginning to decline from its 2021 high but remains above prepandemic levels. 2 2023 NSI national health care retention & RN staffing report , NSI Nursing Solutions, 2023. Intent to leave also remains high: about 20 percent of surveyed nurses indicated they had changed positions in the past six months, and about 39 percent indicated they were likely to leave their current position in the next six months. 3 Based on data from Pulse on the Nation’s Nurses Survey Series: Mental Health and Wellness Survey 4. Intent to leave was roughly 41 percent among nurses who provide direct care to patients, compared with 30 percent for nurses not in direct-patient-care roles. 4 Based on data from Pulse on the Nation’s Nurses Survey Series: Mental Health and Wellness Survey 4.

Surveyed nurses who indicated they were likely to leave cited not feeling valued by their organizations, insufficient staffing, and inadequate compensation as the top three factors influencing their decisions. 5 Based on data from Pulse on the Nation’s Nurses Survey Series: Mental Health and Wellness Survey 4. Insufficient staffing was especially important to respondents with less than ten years of experience 6 Based on data from Pulse on the Nation’s Nurses Survey Series: Mental Health and Wellness Survey 4. —a population that will be critical to retain to ensure future workforce stability.

Key survey insights on mental health and well-being

Our joint research highlighted the magnitude of the health and well-being challenges, both physical and mental, facing the nursing workforce. More than 57 percent of surveyed nurses indicated they had been diagnosed with COVID-19, and 11 percent of those indicated they had been diagnosed with post-COVID-19 conditions (PCC or “long COVID”). Additional research may be needed to fully understand the impact of PCC on nurses, but in the meantime, employers could consider augmenting their PCC services for clinicians.

Research conducted by both the Foundation and McKinsey over the past three years has identified sustained feelings of burnout among surveyed nurses—a trend that continued this year. 7 For more, see the following articles: “Mental health and wellness survey 1,” American Nurses Foundation, August 2020; “Mental health and wellness survey 2,” American Nurses Foundation, December 2020; “Mental health and wellness survey 3,” American Nurses Foundation, September 2021; Gretchen Berlin, Meredith Lapointe, Mhoire Murphy, and Molly Viscardi, “ Nursing in 2021: Retaining the healthcare workforce when we need it most ,” McKinsey, May 11, 2021; Gretchen Berlin, Meredith Lapointe, Mhoire Murphy, and Joanna Wexler, “ Assessing the lingering impact of COVID-19 on the nursing workforce ,” McKinsey, May 11, 2022; “ Nursing in 2023: How hospitals are confronting shortages ,” McKinsey, May 5, 2023. Reported contributors to burnout include insufficient staffing, high patient loads, poor and difficult leadership, and too much time spent on administrative tasks. In our joint survey, 56 percent of nurses reported experiencing symptoms of burnout, such as emotional exhaustion (Exhibit 1). Well more than half (64 percent) indicated they feel “a great deal of stress” because of their jobs. Additionally, although there have been slight improvements year over year in respondents’ reports of stress, anxiety, and feeling overwhelmed, reports of positive emotions such as feeling empowered, grateful, and confident have declined. 8 “Pulse on the Nation’s Nurses Survey Series results,” American Nurses Foundation, accessed October 20, 2023.

Our results indicate that mental health and well-being vary by nurse experience levels (Exhibit 2). Less-tenured nurse respondents were more likely to report less satisfaction with their role, had a higher likelihood of leaving their role, and were more likely to be experiencing burnout.

Despite these sustained and high levels of burnout, approximately two-thirds of surveyed nurses indicated they were not currently receiving mental-health support (a figure that remained relatively consistent in Foundation surveys over the past two years), and 56 percent of surveyed nurses believe there is stigma attached to mental-health challenges. 9 Based on data from Pulse on the Nation’s Nurses Survey Series: Mental Health and Wellness Survey 4; “Pulse on the Nation’s Nurses,” accessed October 20, 2023.

Reasons cited by nurse respondents for not seeking professional mental-health support have remained consistent over the past two years, 10 “Mental health and wellness survey 3,” September 2021. with 29 percent indicating a lack of time, 23 percent indicating they feel they should be able to handle their own mental health, and 10 percent citing cost or a lack of financial resources (Exhibit 3). For nurses with ten or fewer years of experience, lack of time ranked as the top reason for not seeking professional mental help.

Despite slight improvements to the most severe symptoms over the past six to 12 months, reported levels of sustained burnout and well-being challenges have remained consistently high since we began assessing this population in 2021. Moreover, research indicates that burnout has several adverse, long-term health effects; for example, it is a predictor of a wide range of illnesses. 11 Denise Albieri Jodas Salvagioni et al., “Physical, psychological and occupational consequences of job burnout: A systematic review of prospective studies,” PLoS One , October 2017, Volume 12, Number 10; D. Smith Bailey, “Burnout harms workers’ physical health through many pathways,” Monitor on Psychology , June 2006, Volume 37, Number 7. These health conditions incur not only personal costs but also societal and organizational costs because they influence productivity, employee retention, presence at work, and career longevity. 12 Prioritise people: Unlock the value of a thriving workforce , Business in the Community and the McKinsey Health Institute, April 2023.

Actions stakeholders can take to address mental health and well-being

To address these sustained levels of burnout, stakeholders will need to take steps to support nurses’ mental health and well-being. They will also need to address the underlying structural issues—for example, workload and administrative burden—that affect the nursing profession and that have been consistently acknowledged as root causes of burnout. Simultaneously reducing workload demands and increasing resources available to meet those demands will be critical.

A variety of interventions could address the drivers and effects of adverse nursing mental health and well-being, bolstering support for individuals, organizations, and the healthcare system at large. Various stakeholders are deploying a number of initiatives.

Applying process and operating-model interventions

Addressing the underlying drivers of burnout could help to prevent it in the first place. Research from the McKinsey Health Institute shows that the day-to-day work environment has a substantial impact on the mental health and well-being of employees. 13 “ Addressing employee burnout: Are you solving the right problem? ,” McKinsey Health Institute, May 27, 2022. Process and operating-model shifts—in the context of ongoing broader shifts in care models—could enable organizations and care teams to evolve working practices to better support job satisfaction and sustainability.

In our most recent collaborative research, almost a quarter of surveyed nurses believed their teams were not working efficiently; more than 40 percent reported that they had poor control over their workloads and that their day-to-day work was hectic and intense. 14 Based on data from Pulse on the Nation’s Nurses Survey Series: Mental Health and Wellness Survey 4. Evaluating and addressing structural aspects of the job that contribute to workload—for example, by identifying opportunities to delegate activities and enable nurses to use technology—could help support these themes. 15 Gretchen Berlin, Ani Bilazarian, Joyce Chang, and Stephanie Hammer, “ Reimagining the nursing workload: Finding time to close the workforce gap ,” McKinsey, May 26, 2023. However, providing these resources without also addressing the underlying structural drivers contributing to mental-health and well-being challenges is insufficient and can unintentionally appear to place the burden for solving problems on employees themselves. Both individual-level supports and collaborative efforts to drive structural change are required.

In addition to addressing workload challenges, employers could provide flexible work options—for example, in shift length, start time, shift commitments, and virtual activities 16 Erica Carbajal, “‘Resilience isn’t a pillar by itself’: CommonSpirit’s plan to support 44,000 nurses in 2023,” Becker’s Clinical Leadership, December 9, 2022. —to better enable employees to recharge from high levels of demands and to reduce conflicts with demands outside of work.

Finally, employers could take steps to reduce the administrative burden on nurses. More than a third of nursing respondents in our joint survey felt they spent excessive time working on electronic health records on breaks or after shifts, and 45 percent reported this activity adds frustration to their day. 17 Based on data from Pulse on the Nation’s Nurses Survey Series: Mental Health and Wellness Survey 4. Employers can look for opportunities to delegate some documentation to nursing scribes, reduce documentation requirements, or use AI to aid with documentation to help reduce this burden.

Increasing availability, awareness, and accessibility of evidence-based resources

When nurses experience symptoms of burnout or other mental-health and well-being challenges, evidence-based resources need to be available. In addition, employees need to know these resources are available, and they need to feel comfortable accessing them within the organization’s cultural context.

Investments in resources for mental health and well-being span the continuum—from mental healthcare for those experiencing clinical symptoms to well-being support tools and programs to promote healthy behaviors and mitigate sources of stress. On the higher-acuity end of the continuum, providing employees with free or subsidized access to professionally provided therapy or counseling services could help reduce the barriers employees face in getting the care they need. On the lower-acuity end, providing access to resources and training on mental-health literacy, self-monitoring, and adaptability skills could help nurses identify and mitigate sources of stress.

Investments in awareness and accessibility are important to ensure available resources are used. Roughly 19 percent of surveyed nurses who indicated they had not sought mental-health support in the past 12 months cited lack of knowledge, lack of resources, fear of losing their job, or concern about colleagues finding out as reasons for not seeking support. 18 Based on data from Pulse on the Nation’s Nurses Survey Series: Mental Health and Wellness Survey 4. To reinforce their support, employers can take steps such as establishing support networks for communities and allies, providing forums to share stories of mental health, and introducing avenues for peer-to-peer support. Additionally, resources such as a behavioral-health concierge can help all employees (including nurses) navigate, find, and access care and support.

Resources available through the Foundation

The American Nurses Foundation (the Foundation) and the American Nurses Association (ANA) provide numerous free support resources, including the following:

Well-Being Initiative. The Foundation launched the Well-Being Initiative to offer resources that focus on caring for nurses as they tirelessly care for others. 1 “Well-Being Initiative,” American Nurses Foundation, accessed October 20, 2023. These free, multimodal resources are accessible to all US nurses at any time and are completely anonymous.

Stress and Burnout Prevention Pilot Program. The Foundation launched the Stress and Burnout Prevention Pilot Program with support from the United Health Foundation to address nurse burnout and manage stress, among other goals. 2 “Stress & Burnout Prevention Program,” American Nurses Foundation, accessed October 20, 2023. The program uses the “Stress First Aid” model to facilitate discussions about stress and burnout and reduce stigma for nurses in need of support. The program goes beyond identification of burnout to intervention by helping nurses speak about stress and burnout using a common language, normalizing talking about and understanding support resources for them and their peers.

Healthy Nurse, Healthy Nation (HNHN). This ANA Enterprise program is designed to improve the nation’s health, “one nurse at a time.” 3 “Healthy Nurse, Healthy Nation,” American Nurses Foundation, accessed October 20, 2023. HNHN supports nurses in six areas: physical activity, rest, nutrition, quality of life, safety, and mental health. An online platform offers nurses inspiration, friendly competition, content and resources, and connections with other nurses, employers, and organizations.

Nurse suicide prevention. Nurses are at higher risk of suicide than the general population. 4 Christopher R. Friese and Kathryn A. Lee, “Deaths by suicide among nurses: A rapid response call,” Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services , August 2021, Volume 59, Number 8. The multiple stressors they face in their profession may lead to emotional turmoil, moral distress or injury, and cognitive overload. ANA offers resources to educate nurses about suicide prevention and strategies to help them support themselves and one another. 5 “Nurse suicide prevention/resilience,” American Nurses Association, accessed October 20, 2023; “Suicide among nurses: What we don’t know might hurt us,” American Nurses Association, accessed October 20, 2023.

Accessibility of resources within the organization’s cultural context is also important, given that stigmatization of beliefs, behaviors, and policies can prevent people from feeling able to seek help when they need it. Because mental-illness stigma includes self-stigma, public stigma, and structural stigma, companies can take a holistic approach to root it out, 19 Erica Coe, Jenny Cordina, Kana Enomoto, and Nikhil Seshan, “ Overcoming stigma: Three strategies toward better mental health in the workplace ,” McKinsey Quarterly , July 23, 2021. including with education, leadership role modeling, and policies addressing discriminatory behaviors. 20 Allison Nordberg and Marla J. Weston, “Stigma: A barrier in supporting nurse well-being during the pandemic,” Nurse Leader , April 2022, Volume 20, Number 2. They can also provide information about free support resources, such as those provided by the American Nurses Foundation and the American Nurses Association (see sidebar “Resources available through the Foundation”).

Bolstering skills and capabilities

Efforts to address structural issues can be advanced by investing in training opportunities to help individuals and teams proactively support their own mental health and that of their colleagues. Training areas could include workplace mental-health intervention; critical skills for leaders and managers, such as conflict resolution and bystander intervention; and resilience and adaptability training to inculcate mindsets and behaviors across the organization that ultimately support employee mental health and well-being.

Toward a healthier future for nurses

Tackling these sustained challenges for mental health and well-being will be critical for addressing near-term workforce shortages and ensuring the health and well-being of the nursing profession in the long term. In our joint survey, many surveyed nurses indicated they chose the profession because they wanted to make a difference—by helping improve patients’ lives and care for patients in their most vulnerable moments. They value their colleagues and the care and trust of their teams. However, with less than half of surveyed nurses feeling satisfied with their jobs, they clearly need more in return to sustain them in the profession. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to tackling some of the sustained well-being challenges that face nurses, but now is the time to bring additional energy and commitment to tackle the multifaceted drivers of symptoms of burnout and to support the profession in improving sustainability and fulfillment for years to come.

Gretchen Berlin, RN , is a senior partner in McKinsey’s Washington, DC, office, where Faith Burns is an associate partner; Brad Herbig is an associate partner in the Philadelphia office; and Mhoire Murphy is a partner in the Boston office. Amy Hanley is a program manager at the American Nurses Foundation, and Kate Judge is the executive director of the American Nurses Foundation.

The authors wish to thank the nurses, physicians, and staff on the front lines who are caring for patients and communities. They also wish to thank Nitzy Bustamante, Stephanie Hammer, and Brooke Tobin for their contributions to this article.

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