Copyright © eContent Management Pty Ltd. Contemporary Nurse (2010) 35(2): 171–181. Volume 35, Issue 2, June 2010 171 C N C N Doing clinical research: The challenges and benefits ISABEL HIGGINS Professor of Nursing – Older Person Care, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Centre for Practice, Opportunity and Development (CPOD), Hunter New England Area Health Service, University of Newcastle & Nursing and Midwifery, Newcastle, NSW, Australia VICKI PARKER CNC Research & Practice Development and GNS CPOD, Hunter New England Area Health Service, Conjoint Associate Professor – School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, Australia and Adjunct Senior Lecturer, School of Health, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia DIANA KEATINGE Professor of Paediatric, Youth and Family Health Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Hunter New England Area Health Service, University of Newcastle & Centre for Education and Nursing Research in Child Health (CENRiCH), Newcastle, NSW, Australia MICHELLE GILES CNC Research, PD and Knowledge Management Nursing & Midwifery, CPOD Hunter New England Area Health Service and Conjoint Senior Lecturer – School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, Australia RHONDA WINSKILL CNC Paediatric Rural Outreach & HNE Health, Southern Sector/Northern Child Health Network, Hunter New England Area Health Service, Conjoint Lecturer – School of Nursing & Midwifery, University of Newcastle, Newcastle NSW, Australia EILEEN GUEST Project Officer – Child and Family Health Nursing, Northern Child Health Network Hunter New England Health Service and Conjoint Lecturer – School of Nursing & Midwifery, University of Newcastle, Newcastle NSW, Australia ELIZABETH KEPREOTES Clinical Improvement Coordinator Kaleidoscope, GNS Hunter New England Area Health Service and Clinical Facilitator – School of Nursing & Midwifery, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, Australia CAROLINE PHELAN CNC Hunter Integrated Pain Service, John Hunter Hospital/Hunter New England Area Health Service, Newcastle, NSW, Australia ABSTRACT The need for research in practice is well documented within nursing and other health care disci- plines. This acceptance is predicated on the belief that clinically applied research will inform and improve practice and health service delivery resulting in better outcomes for consumers and their families. Nurses, however, find doing clinical research challenging. This paper describes nurses’ experiences of doing clinical research. The main challenges of doing clinical research arise from a culture that prioritises practice where nursing work is core business and there is the need to address immediate and short term goals. There are also problems associated with the use of research language amongst clinical nurses and ambiguity in relation to research role expectations. Lack of support and resources for doing research along with keeping up the momentum for a research project also pose sig- nificant challenges. The benefits of doing clinical nursing research include experiential learning that has the potential to lead to practice change and improved patient outcomes that are evidence based. Keywords: nursing; clinical research; challenges; benefits