Clinical Research Nurse
In the healthcare profession, a large part of the field is based on research. Only the best doctors and healthcare staff may participate in the research field since the advances they make can either save or kill patients. The clinical research nurse has a demanding job where they are assisting the doctor while managing patient care to the recipients of the research protocol. The clinical research nurse must have extensive experience as well as education before they can even be considered for one of these top careers. Clinical research nurses are generally employed by independent research facilities as well as some of the top research hospitals, such as St. Jude where they are researching childhood cancers every day.
Required Education
The education required to become a clinical research nurse is much more than simply earning your Registered Nurse designation. First, you must earn at the minimum a Bachelors of Science in Nursing (BSN) preferably from one of the top online universities. When you attend one of the best online colleges, you are on the right track for a degree from a school with a reputation for excellence, giving you future opportunities for further education as well as future employment. The next step is to gain some working experience as a Registered Nurse, and then go back to college for an additional two years to earn your online Masters degree. After you have earned your Masters degree, you should continue to build up your professional experience until you are qualified for the clinical nurse job of your choice.
Clinical Research Nurse
The job of the clinical nurse can be a very demanding, but rewarding job. Here, you will be in charge of assisting the doctors and scientists in their research, locating potential patients in need of the clinical trials and then administering the trials to the patient. After the trials have been administered, you will be given the task to monitor the patient and watch for any complications that may require the trial to stop. This job will allow you to work with patients of all ages with all types of conditions, from minor skin irritations to cancer and AIDS. Before a drug can be verified by the FDA, these clinical trials must be performed to help cure diseases that were either lived with before, or were terminal before the research began. While most Registered Nurses can enjoy one of the top salaries of any profession at around $60,000 per year, the clinical research nurse can expect a median salary of $85,000 per year. The higher salary is mainly due to the higher education required as well as the longer hours required from the research nurse. The hours you can expect to work in this specialty can range depending on the type of research performed and the venue in which you work. If you work for an independent research firm where patients are seen on an out-patient basis, you can expect to work normal hours, generally with nights, weekends and holiday off. On the other hand, if you work for a large research hospital, you will possibly work long hours, sometimes double shifts as well as nights, weekends and holidays to be able to watch over the patients you are assigned to.
If you want to become a clinical research nurse, you will need to enroll in an online college. Find the best one for you.
