Research is a valuable healthcare tool that has proven benefits for all patients but many studies and research centres report difficulties in recruiting clinical research nurses/ midwives. As the Irish Research Nurses Network (IRNN) has been given this fantastic opportunity to write a blog for #WhyWeDoResearch we wanted to breakdown some of the feedback that we receive from nurses / midwives on why they don’t apply for or leave their research position. We hope that research studies and centres will find what we have written useful in recruiting and retaining their research nurses/midwives.
How the job titled is worded: Nurses that are looking for a research role look for job titles that contain the words ‘research’ and ‘nurse’. We are seeing more roles which require the applicant to have nursing qualifications and experience, being advertised as ‘Research Assistant’. Reflect the role of nurse in the job title to ensure that the post is seen by the people who you want to be applying for the role.
How the job titled is worded: Nurses that are looking for a research role look for job titles that contain the words ‘research’ and ‘nurse’. We are seeing more roles which require the applicant to have nursing qualifications and experience, being advertised as ‘Research Assistant’. Reflect the role of nurse in the job title to ensure that the post is seen by the people who you want to be applying for the role.
Job security: The very nature of funding means that many studies can only offer research positions for the duration of the study and this definitely has an effect on retaining research nurses. How to overcome this is something that needs more discussion beyond this blog but please get in touch (hello@irnn.ie) if you would like to add any comments or suggestions to this area.
Salary and career progression: Recognised career progression and standard grading of appointments are established within clinical organisations (i.e. the UK’s NHS and Ireland’s HSE) and the same needs to be applied in research settings. Pay-scales for research nurses should reflect both the clinical care that they will be expected to provide and the administrative tasks associated with research studies.
In order to help advance and support career progression and standard grading of appointments the IRNN have developed an orientation (to standardise the training and education of research nurses) and a competency pack (to indicate the expected career progression for research nurses) which are freely available to download here
Our reasons for #WhyWeDoResearch are individual, and important, to us all. For us at IRNN (irnn.ie) our role is very much to support all research nurses and midwives to allow them to fulfil their reasons for #WhyWeDoResearch.
Our reasons for #WhyWeDoResearch are individual, and important, to us all. For us at IRNN (irnn.ie) our role is very much to support all research nurses and midwives to allow them to fulfil their reasons for #WhyWeDoResearch.
Salary and career progression: Recognised career progression and standard grading of appointments are established within clinical organisations (i.e. the UK’s NHS and Ireland’s HSE) and the same needs to be applied in research settings. Pay-scales for research nurses should reflect both the clinical care that they will be expected to provide and the administrative tasks associated with research studies.
In order to help advance and support career progression and standard grading of appointments the IRNN have developed an orientation (to standardise the training and education of research nurses) and a competency pack (to indicate the expected career progression for research nurses) which are freely available to download here
Our reasons for #WhyWeDoResearch are individual, and important, to us all. For us at IRNN (irnn.ie) our role is very much to support all research nurses and midwives to allow them to fulfil their reasons for #WhyWeDoResearch.
Our reasons for #WhyWeDoResearch are individual, and important, to us all. For us at IRNN (irnn.ie) our role is very much to support all research nurses and midwives to allow them to fulfil their reasons for #WhyWeDoResearch.
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