The nurse clinical trial coordinator: benefits and drawbacks of the role

It has become common for nurses to be recruited into and/or seek careers outside of the traditional domain of hospital-based work. This article draws on interview data to consider a position nurses are occupying within biomedicine, that of the nurse clinical trial coordinator. It examines and analyzes the value attributed to such positions by nurse trial coordinators. The analysis reveals that nurses identify three aspects of the position-social relations, the acquisition of skills and knowledge, and work and control-as having both advantages and disadvantages over other work roles within nursing. It concludes with suggestions for further research on the role and involvement of nurses in clinical research.