The Australian Clinical Research Nurse (CRN) Standards working group have written the first draft of Professional Standards of Practice for Clinical Research Nurses (June 2022). This document has now been endorsed by the Australian College of Nurses, and a survey was recently run to seek feedback on this draft. This survey is now closed.
This is an important first step toward forging stronger recognition and support for clinical research nurses, and the Standards of Practice are designed to specifically delineate and highlight the unique skill sets and expertise that distinguish clinical research nurses as a specialty within the nursing profession. These Standards aim to help ensure future recognition of such roles within the award system, help build stronger career pathways, as well as help shape a supportive future national network of clinical research nursing professionals.
The final version of the Standards will be formally announced in August at the ACN #NationalNursingForum.
These standards are aimed at ‘clinical research nurses’, as opposed to ‘nurse researchers’, but it is recognised that some nurses may perform both roles.