Research Nurse Jobs
Summary
A research nurse is a professional who has a deep understanding of the design and implementation of clinical research trials, and is a scientist at heart. The specific duties of a research nurse will usually depend on the place of employment and the role. Some research nurses may be responsible for studying diseases, while others may help create and improve new medications and other treatments. Research nurses work in a variety of settings, such as pharmaceutical companies, laboratories, universities, private companies, government organizations, and teaching hospitals. They often write grants, develop protocols, recruit patients, collect data (including blood samples), perform and track experiments to increase patient outcomes and do much more.
Experience
To become a research nurse, you can start with Bachelors of Science in Nursing. Many employers prefer that their research nurses have master’s degrees or even doctoral degrees in their chosen specialty. Good research nurses must be very dedicated to their work and ready to take on a hefty amount of responsibilities. You will become very familiar with the policies of the Institutional Review Board. You may be called in the wee hours of the morning to recruit a patient for your study. Expect to undergo years of training to accumulate years of experience.
Salary
Scrubs magazine ranked the nurse researcher second in their December 2010 article, “Top 10 Highest Paying Nurse Specialties,” with an average salary of $95,000.According to the 2010 SoCRA Salary Survey, the median salary among nurse researchers who worked in clinical research for less than five years was $48,732; the median for those that performed research for between 5 and 9 years was $57,434; and the median among those with 10 or more years of experience was $69,439. Research nurses with advanced degrees sometimes choose to supplement their income by writing books, teaching, consulting and speaking professionally.
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