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Why become ACRP certified? This is my story...
I was a nurse at the University of Illinois in Labor and Delivery for 9 years, when I had the opportunity to participate in cutting edge research in 1992, with the NIH/AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG). Our site was chosen to conduct the ACTG 076 pivotal clinical trial which proved to be efficacious in reducing maternal HIV transmission to the unborn fetus. That trial changed the face of perinatal acquired HIV infection. I still remember the day when the NIH Protocol PI called me on my cell phone in 1994 (those big clunky phones) to tell me that the DSMB had convened and we were stopping the administration of study drug and now providing open label AZT. I had to pull over on the expressway shoulder to write it all down, I was trembling to hear such fantastic news!
I was hooked! It was difficult, sad beyond words, and incredibly demanding work. I have seen many men, women and children die over the years. Yet, we all knew how important the work was. The pregnant women who enrolled in ACTG 076 were so brave to try an unknown drug in pregnancy, but yet they did because they were so scared they would transmit HIV to their baby. And I was there every step of the way. In clinic conducting the study visits every 1-2 weeks, dispensing double- blinded study drug…in L&D infusing double-blinded IV infusion to the mother, then to the newborn, and then po study drug for 6 weeks to the infant.
Subsequently, I conducted other perinatal and pediatric ACTG HIV clinical trials. I was asked to speak in Washington, DC in 1995, to other clinical research coordinators (CRC) across the country who convened at our national ACTG meeting. The highlight was when I compared the role of a CRC to a circus juggler, a person who obviously wears many hats, and attempted to juggle balls at the same time… poorly I might add. But it was a big hit, because we DO wear many hats as a CRC.
Finally, I decided in 1998 I was ready to take the CCRC exam. I passed and never looked back. There is prestige and pride in knowing you are certified in your field of expertise. It is what you do to in order to be recognized and valued as a professional. The CCRC certification has served me well. More importantly, research participants have benefitted since they have another expert on their team!
Doris Carroll BSN, RN-BC, CCRC
University of Illinois / Outpatient Care Center
Family Center for Infectious Diseases and Immune Deficiencies (FCID)
Primary Care for Adults and Children (PCAC)
1801 W. Taylor St Suite 3
Chicago, IL 60612
PH 312.996.5835
FX 312.413.1421
C 312.203.1240
I was a nurse at the University of Illinois in Labor and Delivery for 9 years, when I had the opportunity to participate in cutting edge research in 1992, with the NIH/AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG). Our site was chosen to conduct the ACTG 076 pivotal clinical trial which proved to be efficacious in reducing maternal HIV transmission to the unborn fetus. That trial changed the face of perinatal acquired HIV infection. I still remember the day when the NIH Protocol PI called me on my cell phone in 1994 (those big clunky phones) to tell me that the DSMB had convened and we were stopping the administration of study drug and now providing open label AZT. I had to pull over on the expressway shoulder to write it all down, I was trembling to hear such fantastic news!
I was hooked! It was difficult, sad beyond words, and incredibly demanding work. I have seen many men, women and children die over the years. Yet, we all knew how important the work was. The pregnant women who enrolled in ACTG 076 were so brave to try an unknown drug in pregnancy, but yet they did because they were so scared they would transmit HIV to their baby. And I was there every step of the way. In clinic conducting the study visits every 1-2 weeks, dispensing double- blinded study drug…in L&D infusing double-blinded IV infusion to the mother, then to the newborn, and then po study drug for 6 weeks to the infant.
Subsequently, I conducted other perinatal and pediatric ACTG HIV clinical trials. I was asked to speak in Washington, DC in 1995, to other clinical research coordinators (CRC) across the country who convened at our national ACTG meeting. The highlight was when I compared the role of a CRC to a circus juggler, a person who obviously wears many hats, and attempted to juggle balls at the same time… poorly I might add. But it was a big hit, because we DO wear many hats as a CRC.
Finally, I decided in 1998 I was ready to take the CCRC exam. I passed and never looked back. There is prestige and pride in knowing you are certified in your field of expertise. It is what you do to in order to be recognized and valued as a professional. The CCRC certification has served me well. More importantly, research participants have benefitted since they have another expert on their team!
Doris Carroll BSN, RN-BC, CCRC
University of Illinois / Outpatient Care Center
Family Center for Infectious Diseases and Immune Deficiencies (FCID)
Primary Care for Adults and Children (PCAC)
1801 W. Taylor St Suite 3
Chicago, IL 60612
PH 312.996.5835
FX 312.413.1421
C 312.203.1240
