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Your route  /  Nurses and midwives

How to become a research nurse or research midwife in the UK

Research teams need your clinical skills every single day. Here is how nurses and midwives move into research roles.

Your biggest advantageObservations, bloods, medicines, patient education and clinical judgement
Where most people startResearch Nurse or Research Midwife (band 5 to 6)
Read closelyChoosing your specialty and the skills research nursing adds

Where to start

Research Nurse and Research Midwife roles keep you clinical, and your registration is usually essential for them. Your main decision is the specialty.

Pick an area you already know, such as oncology, mental health, cardiology or maternity. Teams value that clinical knowledge, and it makes your application far easier to evidence.

What to focus on

Lead with the skills studies run on

Observations, bloods, ECGs, medicines management, patient education and accurate documentation are a real advantage in research.

Put registration and GCP side by side

Place your NMC registration and current GCP certificate together near the top of your CV.

Pick training for your specialty

Drug trials, paediatrics, dementia and mental health each have their own extra NIHR courses worth adding after GCP.

Prepare for research specific questions

Expect questions on safety reporting, medicines and how research nursing differs from ward nursing.

Your full route is in the free guide

  • The exact NIHR courses to take for your specialty
  • How the Associate PI Scheme works for nurses and midwives
  • How to turn ward examples into supporting statement evidence
  • Interview questions research nurses are asked
  • All ten steps, plus three bonus steps from the inside
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Bands are a rough guide. Every advert is different, so always check the person specification.

Other routes

Doctors and IMGsAHPs, pharmacists and dentistsHCAs and support workersGraduatesCareer changers
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