New Program Trains Nurses as Clinical Trial Managers

Managing clinical research trials is extremely complicated. It includes health assessment, compliance with federal guidelines and ethical considerations, dealing with the finances of grants and, of course, working with trial participants, many of whom are very ill patients, and their families.

The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and the School of Nursing at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston joined forces and signed an agreement Sept. 17 to offer nurses an opportunity to qualify for advanced practice certification in clinical research management. Ten slots are available to graduate-level nurses as this first offering of its kind in the Texas Medical Center - and possibly in the state - comes to fruition.

"This curriculum will combine all aspects of the training that is needed for nurses working in this important field," said Dr. Patricia L. Starck, the John P. McGovern Distinguished Professor and dean of the nursing school. "Clinical research is the engine that drives advances in patient care."

The new opportunity will include faculty from both institutions. Through classroom education, practical experience and mentoring, faculty members will teach nurses how to manage research for others and write grants for their own nursing research projects."Quality research nurses are crucial to M.D. Anderson fulfilling its mission to eradicate cancer, and it is also our mission to share our knowledge, including the expertise that we have in overseeing more than 600 clinical trials annually," said Dr. John Mendelsohn, president of M.D. Anderson. "Because of this program, in the coming years, the medical community will have increased numbers of research nurses rich in technical skill, experience and compassion."

Collaboration is vital among health care providers and institutions, said Dr. James T. Willerson, president of the UT-Houston Health Science Center.

"Working with M.D. Anderson will give our nursing students outstanding exposure to this clinical trial specialization," he said.

Dr. John N. Crossley, vice president of operations and nursing practice at the cancer center, agrees that the collaboration between the School of Nursing and M.D. Anderson is ideal for both institutions.

"We need top-flight research nurses to keep trials safe, effective and in compliance with regulations, but we also need research nurses who are nurses at heart - people who can help patients through a very anxious time of being on a clinical trial," Dr. Crossley said. "In turn, because we have such a large research program and so many outstanding research nurses who will serve as mentors, we can offer students unparalleled experience and expertise in this field."

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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