"Embrace opportunities when they come and be driven to create them."

I was working as a critical care nurse when I saw how research findings can directly benefit patients. But my interest in research really awoke when I passed my Master's qualification in critical care medicine. I really enjoyed a research module of the qualification and it reinforced the importance of high-quality research in guiding evidence-based care.

After my Masters, I had the opportunity to split my job role into two halves. I spent 50% of my time with patients in critical care and the other 50% as a critical care research nurse. This strengthened my interest in research while also giving me the hands-on experience of developing, setting up and participating in healthcare-related research studies. 

I had to return to my post as a full-time critical care nurse role at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic but once the peak had passed, I was keen to get back into research full-time and my current role at the Clinical Research Network (CRN) was perfect.

I support the delivery of research studies in areas such as public health, hospital and community care. These could be at various stages of the research process. It may involve co-ordinating and maintaining communication with our sponsors, study teams and healthcare professionals at local sites. I also support the recruitment of participants. This could involve suitability assessments and obtaining samples eg blood tests. 

The goal of team I manage is to ensure that the results of research projects are available to patients and the public locally by offering support to hospitals, GPs and care homes to share this information. I also deliver training sessions with healthcare professionals and outreach initiatives to raise the awareness and understanding of clinical research among the public.

The best thing about my role is supporting studies that are providing the evidence needed for better care io our healthcare system. I also enjoy working with people interested in taking part in research studies and supporting other healthcare professionals to deliver research locally.

Working with multiple teams on several projects can be challenging as there are different pressures. Sometimes it feels like juggling lots of different things at the same time, especially when we are asked to support a study that's not working efficiently or where additional support is needed.

One of the great things about being a research nurse is the range of career options and opportunities!

I'm currently focused on continuing my development as a research delivery leader, but I'm also considering becoming a principal investigator. Another career option could be becoming an advanced practitioner to further support the delivery of clinical research.

Nursing offers many different career opportunities. Research, clinical and even teaching to name a few. My advice is that that you need to passionate about caring for and working with people. The job has its challenges but it's really rewarding.

You also need to enthusiastic and motivated to learn. You'll need to be patient in the development of your skills and knowledge. Once you have these skills, there are many opportunities to progress into other fields, whether clinically, or other areas you might not have previously considered such as research.

Finally, embrace opportunities when they come and be driven to create them.