Clinical research is a key element in Martin Memorial’s commitment to improve the health and lives of Treasure Coast residents and beyond. Martin Memorial’s research program is affiliated with Moffitt Cancer Center and since the program began in 2001, more than 70 oncology clinical trials have been opened and conducted through the Robert and Carol Weissman Cancer Center.

 

Martin Memorial has also begun collaborating with life sciences organizations in the area, including Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies and the Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute (VGTI Florida), with a focus on supporting life sciences throughout the region.

 

Through those partnerships, Martin Memorial has begun to expand its operations to other disciplines, including infectious disease, neurology and cardiology.

 

Nurses have a fundamental role in research at Martin Memorial. The mission and vision of the research nurse is to advance clinical research from bench to bedside. We want to conduct quality clinical trials for our community and are dedicated to patient care, advancing research, and education.

 

Martin Memorial’s clinical culture has always focused on customer service and satisfaction of our patients and their families. This is a philosophy carried on in the research arena, where professionalism, safety, respect, good clinical practice and integrity are our foundations for success.

 

Martin Memorial has high caliber nurses in research, with most holding national certifications such as Oncology Certified Nurse (OCN), Certified Clinical Research Coordinator (CCRC) and Clinical Certified Research Professional (CCRP). And we are constantly seeking to learn more about research while staying abreast of new developments through professional development, CEU options and continuing education.

 

Clinical research holds great opportunities for nurses as an emerging and unique field that is a rewarding career opportunity. Nurses’ involvement in research helps ensure the quality and integrity of a trial is maintained because of enhanced communication with not only the patient, but the staff and physicians involved. They are at the bedside, chair side, and in the clinical care areas.

 

Our research staff includes nurses who have various protocols they oversee such as oncology, immune system, cardiology, HIV, arthritis, as well as tumor acquisition. The basic tenets of nursing exist within the team, including clinical judgment, problem solving, advocating for safety needs and quality of care for their patients on trials.

 

With the Treasure Coast region growing as a research hub, we are constantly planning and performing needs assessments to be at the forefront of the field. We have now begun to educate others when we are asked, “What do research nurses do?” And we are proud to share that this is an exciting, new and challenging path for nurses.

 

As Martin Memorial prepares to open a new hospital in west Port St. Lucie in 2014, research nurses are in a position to build on our accomplishments, and continue to expand and enhance research capabilities on the Treasure Coast.

 

Because as technology and science become increasingly sophisticated, research will play a growing role in health care. And while much of the research is being performed at life sciences organizations and research hospitals, community hospitals such as Martin Memorial will continue to enjoy a substantive, vital role.

 

It is an exciting time for nurses in the research field. We are able to combine the fundamental qualities of nursing – compassionate, skilled patient care – with exciting discoveries that can benefit people both now and in the future.