Clinical Research Nurse - Transplant Center

Overview

At Houston Methodist, the Clinical Research Nurse (CRN) is a licensed clinician who works independently to support, facilitate, and coordinate daily clinical trial activities. The CRN operates at the Competent level of Benner’s model, provides direct patient care to research patients under the supervision of the Clinical Trials Manager and Principal Investigator, implements care according to the research protocol, collaborates with the Performance Improvement department, sponsors, and institution on GCP compliance, and serves as a liaison between physicians, patients, staff, and sponsors.

The CRN delivers exceptional patient care while adhering to regulatory agencies and Houston Methodist standards to ensure optimal patient safety and customer service.

• Bachelor’s degree in Nursing or higher from an accredited school of nursing

• One year acute care or clinical research experience

• RN – Registered Nurse – Texas State Licensure – Texas Board of _V Compact Licensure – Must obtain permanent Texas license within 60 days (if establishing Texas residency)
• BLS – Basic Life Support or Instructor (AHA) – American Heart Association

• Demonstrates the skills and competencies necessary to safely perform the assigned job, determined through ongoing skills, competency assessments, and performance evaluations
• Proficient in speaking, reading, and writing English necessary to perform essential job functions, especially with regard to activities impacting patient or employee safety or security
• Effectively communicates with patients, physicians, family members, and co‑workers in a customer‑service‑focused manner with positive language principles
• Demonstrates clinical problem‑solving and critical thinking using an analytical approach
• Adapts to multiple ongoing priorities with minimal supervision, including organizing workflow and actively participating in problem solving
• Exhibits strong interpersonal and team‑player skills with all levels of the healthcare team and ensures excellent customer service for patients, visitors, physicians, and co‑workers
• Possesses basic computer knowledge; operates multiple computer systems including Hospital Information Systems and Office software to maintain patient and exam documents

• Uses therapeutic communication, including active listening and teaching, to provide research interventions and care to clinical research patients and coordinates with the interprofessional team as written in the research protocol; contributes to teamwork by consistently responding positively to requests for assistance.
• Provides patient education regarding disease process, involves patient and family in decision‑making, consistently evaluates patient comprehension, and adapts teaching methods accordingly; advocates on patient/family’s behalf to identify and resolve clinical and ethical concerns using appropriate resources.
• Facilitates onboarding and orientation for new staff in conjunction with the Clinical Trials Manager; precepts new clinical research staff in the clinical setting; uses peer‑to‑peer accountability to improve department turnover, retention, and employee engagement scores.

• Manages multiple projects at different stages of the clinical research process (Phase 1–Phase 4).
• Coordinates pre‑site and site initiation visits; trains hospital and clinic nurses/physicians on scientific aspects and protocol requirements of research studies; attends off‑site investigator meetings.
• Provides comprehensive nursing assessments to develop, coordinate, implement, and evaluate activities associated with all phases of clinical research projects; monitors safety of all research subjects and reports adverse events.
• Helps drive improvement of department patient‑satisfaction scores through peer‑to‑peer accountability to service standards.

• Follows the clinical research protocol and nursing process, modifying care based on continuous evaluation of the research patient’s condition; performs nursing functions independently and collaborates…