How Oncology Nurses Can Overcome Common Barriers to Research

Oncology nurses who want to pursue research or evidence-based practice often face limited protected time, unexpected workloads, and slow approvals. For Leslie Smith, DNP, MSN, RN, APRN-CNS, BMTCN, AOCNS, the way forward starts with asking for help.

“I just think reaching out is the first step,” Smith said on part 2 of an Onc Nurse On Call episode with Stephanie Desrosiers, DNP, MSN, RN, AOCNS, TCTCN, co-editor-in-chief of Oncology Nursing News and senior director of community-based ambulatory oncology nursing at UCLA Health.

Smith is a clinical nurse specialist (CNS) in oncology and stem cell transplant at a research hospital in Bethesda, Maryland. In part 1, she discussed how CNSs keep trial patients safe.¹

What Barriers Keep Nurses From Pursuing Research?

Desrosiers noted that without protected time, projects often fall outside clinical hours. Smith pointed to the workload itself. Nurses may want a question answered “not realizing, well, you got to do a literature search. You’ve got to do this. You’ve got to do that. And it’s like, well, this is more than I bargained for.”

Slow approvals add frustration. “Everything takes so long. It has to go through numerous levels, different people approved,” Smith said. Her advice: “Just stick with it. It will be rewarding when it comes to fruition. It’ll be rewarding for your patients.”

Where Should Nurses at Smaller or Rural Hospitals Start?

Smith recommended starting with the chief nursing officer or nurse manager. “Maybe they won’t be able to support research, but maybe [they] can support evidence-based practice or quality improvement,” she said.

She also encouraged partnering with physicians, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and respiratory therapists.

Nurses can also offer to help with established projects. Experienced researchers “may not have time to help you with your project, but they may want help with their research or evidence,” Smith said. “It’ll give the nurse great experience on how this is done, the research algorithm, if you will.”

How Can Schools of Nursing Help?

Desrosiers pointed to affiliated schools of nursing, where PhD-prepared faculty are often “very willing and eager to have people learn.” At Ohio State, Smith said, the College of Nursing was “more than ecstatic” when the hospital reached out.

“That’s the bridge of the PhD to DNP, right?” Desrosiers said. “It’s taking that original research and translating it into clinical practice.” Previous Oncology Nursing News coverage has also described research nurses as central to protocol planning and patient safety.²

How Has Research Changed Outcomes in Leukemia?

Smith, who moved to oncology in 1991, recalled newly admitted patients with leukemia whom staff did not expect to survive the year. “But now, jump ahead all these years later, oh, they’re gonna be here in a year, they’re probably gonna be here in 5 years, maybe 10,” she said.

“It’s research that brought us there,” Desrosiers said.

What Are the Key Takeaways for Oncology Nurses?

• Limited protected time, project workload, and slow approvals are common barriers.
• Nursing leadership may support evidence-based practice or quality improvement even when research is not feasible.
• Interdisciplinary colleagues and established researchers offer entry points.
• Affiliated schools of nursing can partner with bedside nurses.

References

1. ONN Staff. Patient safety first: how a CNS bridges oncology research and the bedside. Oncology Nursing News. October 21, 2026. Accessed October 23, 2026. https://www.oncnursingnews.com/view/patient-safety-first-how-a-cns-bridges-oncology-research-and-the-bedside
2. ONN Staff. The frontier of care: how oncology research nurses drive clinical excellence. Oncology Nursing News. June 23, 2026. Accessed October 23, 2026. https://www.oncnursingnews.com/view/the-frontier-of-care-how-oncology-research-nurses-drive-clinical-excellence