Nurse researchers are scientists who study various aspects of health, illness, and health care. By designing and implementing scientific studies, they look for ways to improve health, healthcare services, and healthcare outcomes. They're known for posing questions, analysing data, conducting studies and more importantly, discovering new ways to navigate healthcare and illnesses.
They work in a variety of settings including hospitals and research laboratories, however many researchers teach in academic or clinical settings, and often write articles and research reports for nursing, medical, and other professional journals and publications. Often, you will begin your research career in positions such as research assistant, clinical data coordinator, and clinical research monitor.
While nurse researchers do not provide direct nursing care to patients, they perform important healthcare functions, focusing on topics that impact the field of nursing and save peoples' lives.