#Red4Research Blog: Diana Cherian, Senior Clinical Research Nurse

#Red4Research brings together everyone participating, supporting and undertaking research. On #Red4Research Day, Diana Cherian, Senior Clinical Research Nurse in the Vaccine Team at Manchester Royal Infirmary (MRI), shares her long held passion for research and why her new role means so much to her.

I am now six months into my role as a Senior Clinical Research Nurse in the Vaccine Team; gaining exposure to trial protocols, setting up studies, recruiting participants and supporting them throughout their treatment journey as part of the trial. I understand that there is an extensive amount of work that goes into each step, and I am delighted to finally be part of a research delivery team. I hope to be part of some ground-breaking research, one day.

My nursing journey

I first came across research in an introductory sense, during the first year of my degree in 2003. The terminology of ‘evidence-based practice’ slowly got into everything that was taught during my nursing training in India, which is a four-year course. It was not until the third and fourth years of nursing that the real purpose of research started to sink in, and the essence of research-based nursing started making sense. The desire to be a research nurse stemmed from the basic fact that nursing and health care needs to be evidence based.

My first area of nursing was in a coronary care unit in India, which is where I fell in love with critical care medicine. Every day was a challenge and the urge to keep myself updated with the recent developments in that specialty, encouraged me to access the world of journals. I found reading through study findings and getting to the study results incredibly interesting. I remember thinking I wanted to follow a path into research, but there were no dedicated research career opportunities at the time.  I continued working in critical care in India and still thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of it.

Joining MFT as an international nurse

In 2016, I came to the UK as an international nurse and I was excited to join Manchester Royal Infirmary, part of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT), as a critical care nurse in the cardiothoracic unit. I was amazed at the number of varied nurse-led roles that were available. I was fully supported by a strong team of nurses and doctors, and I am so proud to have been part of the team that was so enthusiastic and promoted career growth. During my time in this team, I also began to learn more about the research taking place at MFT and the interesting work of the critical care (EMERGING) research team.

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was rigorous research studies that helped manage the risks, reduce complications, and look at effective treatment methods for the virus. These inspired me to finally follow my ambition of pursuing a career in research. Working in the intensive therapy unit during the pandemic, I had heard a lot about the RECOVERY trial that eventually brought forth successful treatments for COVID-19 which was inspiring to see.

My first steps in research

I am now six months into my role as a Senior Clinical Research Nurse in the Vaccine Team; gaining exposure to trial protocols, setting up studies, recruiting participants and supporting them throughout their treatment journey as part of the trial. I understand that there is an extensive amount of work that goes into each step, and I am delighted to finally be part of a research delivery team. I hope to be part of some ground-breaking research, one day.

Since joining the team, I have been involved with a new COVID-19 study, SUPERNOVA, which evaluates the next generation of COVID-19 protection. It is great to see how research brings everyone involved together for a common goal. It is also inspiring working with our participants and encouraging to hear them share how they want to ‘contribute to making a difference, by participating in the research trials’. In research, I find that there are many opportunities to learn different things as well as witnessing how research is improving lives.

On #Red4Research Day, I would like to recognise and thank all our amazing research participants, without whom treatments and care would not progress. I would also like to celebrate my colleagues and encourage anyone thinking of pursuing a career in research, to make that jump, just like I did.

I have been in nursing for almost 20 years, but in a sense, I feel as though my career is just beginning again. It is fantastic to be part of a team where alongside everyone involved in research, I can continue to make a difference.