It may have been fate. It may have been just a coincidence. However it happened, the stars aligned and Tina Messina, RN, CCRC, a Senior Clinical Research Nurse providing services for Omega Clinical Research, LLC and NOLA Care, LLC in Metairie, La., didn’t have to go far to celebrate her remarkable 30 years as an ACRP certificant among others being recognized for milestones in their certification journeys when ACRP 2025 was held last month practically in her backyard.
Reflecting on a healthcare career that has seen her active in the New Orleans area since the 1980s, Messina shares some of her experiences and insights in the following Q&A.
ACRP: Can you tell us a little about where you are from, your educational background, early career goals, and how you first became involved in clinical research?
Messina: I am from New Orleans. Born, raised, and married—all in New Orleans. I have three girls, one of whom is also an RN. I graduated from Charity Hospital School of Nursing in 1988 and worked at Charity and then at Tulane University as an RN in the Medical Intensive Care and Coronary Care Units. In 1989, I saw a nurse who was collecting research information and I thought that seemed interesting, but also kind of boring, in a funny way. Soon I was approached by one of our cardiologists to assist him with his heart failure research as his research nurse. I went to work with him in an outpatient setting and the rest is history. I became a certified clinical research coordinator (CCRC®) through ACRP in 1994, opened my own company in 2003, and contract now with two MDs within the same office.
ACRP: Would you say your career has gone pretty much as planned, or has it taken some unexpected detours along the way?
Messina: I’ve been an RN for 37 years and in clinical research for 32 years, straight through. My career choices have offered me professional flexibility and credibility. I would not have changed a thing. Even when Hurricane Katrina affected New Orleans tremendously in 2005, our research lived in my garage as long as needed while we tracked down our scattered patients. In spite of it all, we had 100% retention in our studies.
ACRP: How did you first learn about and join ACRP? What prompted you to seek certification in the first place, and then to maintain your certification for 30 years and counting?
Messina: I first learned about the ACRP exam from a monitor I worked with. When I decided to become certified, I planned to take the exam in July of 1994, and the closest exam site was at the University of Houston. I planned my plane trip, stayed with friends, and took the exam. Since then, taking the exam has become a much easier process—testing centers are everywhere. I continued to keep up my certification for the credibility it provided to my business and myself. I wanted to show pharmaceutical companies that I value my work and they could, too.
ACRP: Do you have one or two particularly memorable experiences in terms of interactions with trial participants that you would like to share?
Messina: As CRCs, we go above and beyond—not just as researchers do for their studies, but as nurses also do for their patients. I remember a few things. One was meeting a patient the day before he was going into the ICU for a heart failure trial. He needed to start his Holter monitor 24 hours before the admit, but he lived two hours away. I met him at a gas station to put his Holter on. Another time, I remember doing a heart failure trial and one of the patients could not walk from the elevator to our office. I had to scoop her into a wheelchair. Once she was able to get the study medicine, her life changed. Her symptoms improved dramatically. She was able to walk to our office from her car. It is so rewarding to see the effects on patients and their families when medications that I did studies on become approved.
ACRP: Can you share a few examples of “lessons I learned on how to be a great CRC” with your fellow clinical research professionals?
Messina: I would recommend that you stay current and stay true to yourself as a certified research professional. Always be open to learning and improving your skills. This field has taken me a long way. I’ve been able to travel both locally and internationally because of my certification. Don’t take your commitment to excellence lightly, and you will do great things.
Edited by Gary Cramer
