Purpose:

The Clinical Research Services (CRS) team is made up of nearly 200 staff members who facilitate development, implementation, coordination, internal data monitoring, and completion of oncology-focused trials at Hillman. These trials include institutional (investigator-initiated), multi-center cooperative group/National Clinical Trial Network (NCTN), consortium, and industry-sponsored trials. Using a disease-specific centers model for conducting clinical trials, CRS provides study development and implementation assistance, submissions to the FDA, IRB processing, patient recruitment, study coordination, study-specific training, data collection, and specimen collection and processing.

UPMC Hillman Cancer Center is currently hiring a regular full-time Clinical Research Nurse Coordinator (RN) to help support the Community Oncology Clinical Research Services (CRS) teams at our Palmer Medical Oncology network offices located in Norwin, PA & Mt. Pleasant, PA.  This position offers a $6,000 sign-on bonus and will work a regular Monday through Friday daylight schedule with the Norwin & Mt. Pleasant Medical Oncology network locations but may go to other sites in the area as needed.

This unique role allows for the clinical research nursing professional to work in the community and screen/enroll patients in all cancer disease centers with UPMC Hillman Cancer Center working as a Trials Coordinator. The clinical research coordinator will work with physicians, nurses, other allied health professionals, and research staff to coordinate clinical research efforts provided at UPMC. 

Interested in learning more about the Clinical Research Nursing field from those who already love working there; please check out our Research Nursing Blog!

Responsibilities:

Utilizes multiple communication methods to facilitate the effective conduct of research. Uses a variety of resources and strategies to manage the care of patients participating in research, ensuring compliance with protocol procedures, assessments, and reporting requirements as well as management of symptoms. Identifies opportunity for quality improvement to colleagues and management. Provides detailed and appropriate teaching to patients and families to effectively guide them through the research study. Utilizes a variety of strategies to enhance recruitment while being mindful of the needs of diverse patient populations. Demonstrates leadership in ensuring patient comprehension and safety during initial and ongoing informed consent discussions. Facilitates compliance with the requirements of the research protocol and good clinical research practice while remaining cognizant of the needs of the diverse patient population. Demonstrates leadership in ensuring adherence to ethical practices during the conduct of research in order to protect the rights and well-being of patients and the collection of quality data. Takes personal responsibility in improving patient satisfaction with the quality of care and service provided. Provides leadership to the research team in ensuring collection of source data and completion of documentation that validated the integrity of the research Takes responsibilities for identifying his or her ongoing professional development needs and seeks resources and opportunities to meet those needs, such as through membership in nursing or research organizations. Actively participates in the department’s quality improvement efforts.