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A week in the life of…

Passion for patients

Taking the trial to the patient

A short series of a week in the life of some of our key roles. Highlighting some of the different roles here at Illingworth, we have a range of unique and interesting roles for clinical professionals. We appreciate that our people are at the heart of all we do and continuing to innovate clinical trial delivery. We run an active recruitment program and are proud to offer comprehensive packages, training and opportunities for future development focused on attracting the best talent in the industry.

Research Nursing Project Manager

What is an RNPM?

One unique role in clinical trial project management that you may not have heard of is that of the Research Nursing Project Manager; or a “RNPM”.

At Illingworth Research Group such a unique role is being utilised to deliver our projects through the coordination of patient centric “off-site” study visits. The RNPMs all have a nursing or a life sciences background, most are registered nurses and have significant experience in the operational delivery of both clinical trials and clinical care.

The work isn’t always 9 to 5 as the RNPMs manage global projects and ensure that support is available for nurses who see patients around the clock! This flexible service ensures that patient’s can continue with their normal routines, that visits are conducted to the protocol defined windows and it increases the recruitment and retention rates of clinical trials.

Research Nursing Project Coordinator

What is an RNPC?

As Research Nurse Project Coordinators (RNPCs) we assist the Research Nurse Project Managers in the day to day running of their research projects. The job is really in the title, ‘Project Coordinator’. We coordinate the smooth running of the project, from arranging “off-site” project visits with the Research Nurse (RN), to ensuring that the RN has all the equipment needed for that visit. It is a very diverse, busy role that comes with challenges, but we always have the patients’ best interest and safety at the forefront of our minds.

Our RNPCs typically are biomedical science graduates or have experience in the coordination of clinical research within the NHS.

Here is an example of a typical working week, showcasing a request to perform an offsite visit.

Research Nurse

An Illingworth Mobile Research Nurse's week

Illingworth's Research Nurses offer a service which helps to take the clinical trial to the patient, aiming to make the overall clinical trial experience much easier for patients. Illingworth's Nurses operate on a near global scale to ensure we can offer patient centric trials to even some of the most isolated patient populations. All Research Nurses are highly trained, qualified and experienced in pharmaceutical, healthcare, biotechnology and medical device industries, across a range of different therapeutic areas. In the example of a week below we feature one of Illingworth’s full-time Research Nurses who covers London and the South East area.

Patient Concierge Coordinator

An Illingworth Patient Concierge Coordinator week

The role of Patient Concierge Services Coordinator is a busy and varied one, which can provide interesting and unique challenges.  The main purpose of the role is to lessen the impact of clinical trial participation on patients and their families, be that through arranging reimbursement of expenses, managing door-to-door travel requirements, or both.  The level of support provided is flexible and patient led, and is available globally.

At the core of PatientGO® is a focus on providing a positive patient experience which, alongside insights I have gained into the lives of clinical trial patients and their families, motivates and drives me.  The smallest gestures or actions can make a big difference to someone participating in a clinical trial, who usually have to cope with many challenges and difficulties for a variety of reasons.  Being the person that can make a positive difference to someone’s day is, for me, one of the things that makes this role worthwhile.