Clinical Research Nurses

A typical day for a clinical research nurse is fast-paced and intellectually stimulating because no two trials are the same. Some clinical trials offer regular hours while, for others, a CRC may need to arrive early or stay late to accommodate a trial participant who cannot come into the facility during regular hours. This career can be emotionally demanding. A CRC may develop a friendly relationship with a patient during a new cancer treatment trial but learn that the treatment does not work or find out that the patient has died despite the treatment. On the other hand, it can be very rewarding when the Food & Drug Administration approves a clinical trial that a CRN has worked on.

Clinical research nurses may be exposed to airborne communicable diseases, bloodborne pathogens and bodily fluids, and other biohazards, but medical facilities enforce stringent safety protocols to reduce (and ideally eliminate) the risk of disease transmission.