AIHCP’S online Clinical Research Specialist Certification offers flexible scheduling, faculty mentoring support, and in-depth courses. The required clinical research continuing education courses can easily help qualified professionals become prepared for research in the Health Care Field.
Clinical Research Specialist Continuing Education Eligibility
Prerequisite for all Applicants for the Clinical Research Health Care Specialist Certification. Candidates for certification must meet one of the following prerequisites to enter the program:
- A registered nurse currently licensed to practice nursing
- A licensed practical nurse
- A licensed vocational nurse
- A licensed social worker
- A licensed counselor
- A licensed physician
- A licensed psychologist
- A licensed pharmacist
- A licensed physical therapist
- A licensed respiratory therapist
- A licensed speech therapist
- A licensed occupational therapist
- Other licensed health care professionals maybe accepted on a case by case basis.
Conversely, you can also fill out our qualification review form to see if your current experience, license, or degrees provide the necessary bona fides to participate in our program.
Clinical Research Specialist Continuing Education Board Approvals
The continuing education courses offered below are offered by the American Institute of Health Care Professionals (AIHCP), which is an approved provider of continuing education by the states listed below.
- The American Institute of Health Care Professionals Inc: is an Approved Provider for Continuing Education by the South Carolina Professional Counselors, Marriage & Family Therapists and Psycho-Educational Specialists licensing board, Provider # 4637.
- The American Institute of Health Care Professionals Inc. is an Approved Provider of Continuing Education by the Florida State Board of Nursing. CE Provider # 50-11975.
- The American Institute of Health Care Professionals, Inc. is a licensed Continuing Education Provider in the State of California, Board of Registered Nursing, Provider # CEP 15595.
In addition, AIHCP also has Nursing Board Rule Provider Approvals for continuing education from the following states:
- The American Institute of Health Care Professionals Inc: is a Rule Approved Provider of Continuing Education by the Arkansas Board of Nursing. CE Provider # 50-11975.
- The American Institute of Health Care Professionals Inc: is a Rule Approved Provider of Continuing Education by the Georgia Board of Nursing. CE Provider # 50-11975.
- The American Institute of Health Care Professionals Inc: is a Rule Approved Provider of Continuing Education by the South Carolina Board of Nursing. CE Provider # 50-11975.
- The American Institute of Health Care Professionals Inc: is a Rule Approved Provider of Continuing Education by the West Virginia Board of Examiners for Professional Registered Nurses. CE Provider # 50-11975.
- The American Institute of Health Care Professionals Inc: is a Rule Approved Provider of Continuing Education by the New Mexico Board of Nursing. CE Provider # 50-11975.
For more information on current state and board approvals, please visit our healthcare continuing education approvals page.
Certified Clinical Research Specialist Continuing Education Courses
The Clinical Research Specialist Certification program from AIHCP consists of three courses totaling $600. You may enroll and pay for one course at a time if you wish or pay for the entire program at once. These courses are online and independent study with mentorship as needed. Students will receive a unique student ID number and password to access each course. The courses feature a comprehensive syllabus and course information which explains and instructs the student about the process of the course. Students have access to the online classrooms at all times. All examinations are taken online. Many courses also have supplementary videos. The cost of the courses does not include the cost of required textbooks.
The following CE Courses are required to complete the Clinical Research Health Care Specialist Curriculum to qualify for Certification with American Institute of Health Care Professionals.
RM 500 – Research Methods for Health Care Professionals I
Every day, healthcare professionals make important clinical decisions based on published research. The ability to distinguish high-quality evidence from poorly designed studies is an essential skill for delivering safe, effective, evidence-based patient care. Whether participating in clinical research, leading quality improvement initiatives, pursuing graduate education, or seeking to become a more informed consumer of the scientific literature, understanding the principles of health research is increasingly valuable across all healthcare professions.
Designed for nurses, physicians, advanced care providers, clinical research coordinators, clinical research associates, research assistants, research technicians, research trainees, quality improvement professionals and other healthcare professionals working in hospitals, academic medical centers, research institutes, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, contract research organizations, and public health settings, this course provides a comprehensive introduction to the principles and practices that form the foundation of high-quality health research.
Beginning with the recognition of an important clinical observation, this course guides students through the complete process of designing a scientifically rigorous and ethically sound health research study. Learners develop practical skills for formulating meaningful and clinically relevant research questions, conducting reviews of the scientific literature, identifying important gaps in current knowledge, developing focused research aims, selecting appropriate research designs, and designing comprehensive research protocols capable of producing valid, reproducible, and clinically meaningful evidence.
The course also examines the roles and responsibilities of research team members, mentorship, authorship, and interdisciplinary collaboration while emphasizing professionalism, scientific integrity, and responsible conduct throughout every stage of the research process.
Students compare observational, experimental, qualitative, and mixed-methods research designs while evaluating the strengths, limitations, and appropriate applications of each approach for answering real-world clinical questions. The ethical principles governing human subjects research, including respect for persons, beneficence, and justice and the ways that these principles are implemented through informed consent, Institutional Review Board (IRB) oversight, and regulatory compliance are examined in depth.
Throughout the course, learners strengthen the critical appraisal skills needed to distinguish trustworthy evidence from studies limited by bias, methodological weaknesses, or ethical shortcomings. While the course provides the foundation needed to design and conduct health research, it is equally valuable for healthcare professionals whose primary goal is to become more informed consumers of scientific evidence and more effective practitioners of evidence-based healthcare.
Upon completion, students will possess the knowledge and practical framework needed to evaluate published scientific evidence, confidently contribute to health research and quality improvement initiatives, and apply scientific evidence more effectively to improve patient care.
Course Code: RM 500. Contact hours of continuing education: 50. Cost: $200.
RM 510 – Research Methods for Health Care Professionals II
Building on the research design principles introduced in the previous course, RM 500 – Research Methods for Health Care Professionals I, this advanced CE course focuses on the practical implementation, management, analysis, interpretation, and communication of health research. Designed for nurses, physicians, advanced care providers, clinical research coordinators, clinical research associates, research assistants, research technicians, research trainees, quality improvement professionals and other healthcare professionals working in clinical and research settings, this course provides a deeper exploration of the processes required to conduct scientifically rigorous studies while maintaining research integrity, data quality, and regulatory compliance throughout every stage of the research process.
A central theme in the course is translating research findings into practices that improve patient care, inform clinical decision making, support quality improvement initiatives, guides healthcare policy, and advance scientific discovery. Students learn how careful study implementation, rigorous data analysis, and accurate interpretation produce reliable evidence that can be confidently applied in clinical practice.
Course content addresses participant recruitment, sampling strategies, sample size determination, statistical power, data collection procedures, quantitative and qualitative measurement, and the appropriate use of primary and secondary data sources. Students learn practical approaches to data management, quality assurance, and reproducibility that promote transparency, research integrity, and confidence in scientific findings.
Foundational concepts in biostatistics are presented in a practical, clinically relevant context. Students learn how to summarize, analyze, interpret, and critically evaluate health research data while selecting statistical methods appropriate for the specific research questions and study designs. Emphasis is placed on interpreting findings within the context of bias, precision, statistical significance, clinical relevance, and study limitations so that students can confidently assess published scientific evidence and avoid common errors in interpretation.
The course concludes by examining the effective strategies for communicating research findings through scientific manuscripts, abstracts, posters, and professional presentations. Students also explore the publication process, including journal selection, manuscript preparation, peer review, publication ethics, and best practices for communicating scientific discoveries to diverse audiences.
Throughout the course, students strengthen their ability to evaluate published research, translate scientific findings into evidence-based clinical decision-making, and communicate research clearly and effectively. These skills are increasingly valuable for healthcare professionals seeking leadership roles, participation in health research, graduate education, quality improvement initiatives, specialty certification, or expanded responsibilities within their organizations.
Together, RM 500 – Research Methods for Health Care Professionals I and RM 510 – Research Methods for Health Care Professionals II provide a comprehensive roadmap to the entire research process––from recognizing important clinical questions and designing scientifically rigorous studies, to analyzing data, interpreting results, and communicating discoveries that advance healthcare decision-making.
Course Code: RM 510. Contact hours of continuing education: 50. Cost: $200.
RM 520 – Research Literacy & Clinical Applications for Health Care Professionals
Should a new study change the way you care for patients? How can you tell whether a headline accurately reflects the underlying research? When clinical studies reach different conclusions, how do you determine which findings deserve your confidence? What should you say when a patient asks whether a health claim they encountered on social media, in a podcast, or on the evening news is supported by the scientific evidence?
Healthcare professionals must navigate a growing volume of research findings, clinical guidelines, and health claims that vary widely in quality and reliability. In an era of rapidly evolving scientific knowledge, conflicting health information, and widespread medical misinformation, the ability to distinguish trustworthy evidence from misleading, biased, or methodologically weak research has become an essential professional competency. Developing research literacy—the ability to locate, understand, and critically appraise scientific evidence—and translating that knowledge into appropriate clinical applications are therefore fundamental to evidence-based healthcare and informed clinical decision-making.
Designed for nurses, physicians, advanced practice providers, pharmacists, therapists, dietitians, clinical research professionals, healthcare educators, public health professionals, healthcare administrators, and other allied health professionals, this course provides a practical foundation for interpreting and applying medical research in clinical and professional practice. Participants strengthen the skills needed to access relevant scientific literature, recognize common research designs, evaluate sources of bias and confounding, interpret statistical findings, and determine whether published conclusions are supported by the evidence.
Students examine observational studies, clinical trials, systematic reviews, and other major forms of healthcare research while learning to appraise study quality, validity, reliability, and clinical applicability. The course also explores how scientific evidence is generated, synthesized, communicated, and translated into evidence-based practice, enabling learners to discern well-supported conclusions from overstated or misleading claims.
Upon completion, participants will possess the practical research literacy skills needed to confidently evaluate medical literature, interpret research findings, and incorporate high-quality scientific evidence into patient care, quality improvement initiatives, and professional decision-making.
Course Code: RM 520. Contact hours of continuing education: 60. Cost: $200.
The Benefits of Continuing Education for clinical research in health care.
Some of the key benefits of receiving a Certification as an Clinical Research Specialist includes increasing your marketability in the work place, enhancing your knowledge and skills base in this specialty practice, increasing your earnings potential, commitment to ongoing professional development and continuing education, achieving recognition for accomplishments attained, networking with peers in the same practice specialty, and much more. You can review more about the Role of a Clinical Research Specialist.
Students have two years from the date of their initial enrollment to complete the three courses. After passing each course exam with at least a 70% score, a candidate is eligible for AIHCP’s Clinical Research Specialist Certification, which grants the student a “CRHCS-C” which stands for “Clinical Research Health Care Specialist, Certified” credential. AIHCP also offers recertification courses for those wanting to continue using the credential in their professional titles after the initial four-year period.
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