title: Advancing the educational and career pathway for clinical trials nurses.
abstract: Clinical trials nurses play a pivotal role in the conduct of clinical research, but the educational and career pathway for these nurses remains unclear. This article reports findings from a survey of nurses working in cancer clinical trials research in Australia. Most participants held postgraduate qualifications (42 of 61); however, clinical trials education was primarily attained through short professional development courses. Interest in pursuing trial-specific postgraduate education was high, but barriers were identified, including cost, time, and unclear benefit for career advancement. Job titles varied substantially, which is indicative of an unclear employment pathway. These findings suggest that initiatives to improve the educational and career pathway for clinical trials nurses are needed and should include the following: formal educational preparation, greater consistency in employment status, and clearer career progression. These strategies should be underpinned by broad professional recognition of the clinical trials nurse as a specialized nursing role.
authors.affiliation: Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland. scottk2@tcd.ie
authors.forename: Kathleen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.forename: Kathryn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: White
authors.forename: Jessica K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Roydhouse
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia; D002322:Career Mobility; D015400:Clinical Nursing Research / Q000193:education*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000451:nursing; D012108:Research Personnel / Q000193:education* / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D000078329:Workforce