Mad Minute with Erin Bisco

“This is from last December in Scotland riding out in the fields around the village of Cupar in Fife which is about 45 mins from Edinburgh. Barney was my steed for the day and belonged to my friend that lives in Scotland. Horses have brought me to so many people in my life, including this job,” said Erin.

What first drew you to working in MCIRCC’s Clinical Research Unit?
Two things.

First, it was the first invitation to interview at U-M that I’d received after being self-employed for a number of years. I have a Bachelors of Arts in Biology with a focus on Pre-Health Science, and working in research is a good way to use that degree.

Second, one of my friends, Janene Centurione, used to work for MCIRCC. She told me that it was a good place to work, and wrote a lovely letter of recommendation for me. The job was offered, it seemed like a grand new adventure, and here we are nearly two years later. It has definitely been an adventure!

How is this position different from past positions you’ve held?
Well, I’ve worked in a variety of other fields, from retail and food service to office management, aviation, and manual therapy. This is my first job in human subjects research, although not my first in healthcare. Every job has been a stepping stone to the next in one manner or another.

I think what is different about this job is the diversity of it. Variety is a really good thing for my brain. I recruit patients in all areas of the hospital except the Cancer Center for any number of health concerns so this job is about exploration and learning.

Where a previous healthcare job in Physical Medicine and Rehab focused on patients (adults and children) with pain, this job is something different in every aspect because of all the avenues different studies take me down. I learn something new every day about the diseases and injuries, treatments, and patient populations that I’m working with. I learn something new about the process of pulling studies together weekly. I learn something new about problem solving or communication or any number of avenues that help me to be better at my job and as a person all the time. I have opportunities to go to lectures and other educational functions focusing on so many different areas. It all just makes my brain cells happy.

Please describe a typical day in MCIRCC’s Clinical Research Unit.
For me, it starts with checking email, and screening for patients. Depending on the day, I currently screen and recruit for 2-4 studies between the Mott Children’s Hospital, the Adult Emergency Department in UH, and the ICUs in UH. Previous studies have taken me to the CVC, Dialysis, and regular in-patient floors. I touch base with physicians if there is a candidate for a study they would need to participate in data collection for, make certain I have supplies on hand, and go try to recruit patients. 

One thing I’ve learned is that cultivating a good working relationship with nurses, techs, clerks, PAs and doctors using study information, a smile, and sometimes coffee is invaluable. Learning names of staff, a bit about them, and chatting here and there opens doors to insight with patients and families. Going to the ICUS, clinics, and EDs, and having that kind of working relationship with staff makes my day much easier. When I’ve got a patient identified as a study candidate, the first stop when I’m on the floor is with the assigned nurse to make certain it’s appropriate to approach the patient. The progress note is a snippet in time, the latest may be from yesterday, so the nurse has the latest information. Family and the patient may have gotten devastating news and this is a really bad time to talk with them, no matter how much we’d love their data. Their nurse is the key to that information.

Once a patient is recruited, my continued roll depends on the study. There is always paperwork, the world runs on paperwork. However, sometimes I am giving the patient study ID and location to the research team to collect data, and other times I am a part of the data collection. After that, it’s rinse and repeat on patient recruitment.

Time in between recruitment is for learning more about the IRB, assisting studies with data mining, and preparing for the next patient, next day, and next study.

What is it like working with patients or their loved one(s) regarding collecting data? Are they generally receptive to the idea?
This job has taught me more about how to walk into a tough situation and talk to people than any other job I’ve ever had. While physician, nurse, and social work notes are very helpful in going to talk to patients and family, there is still a level of uncertainty as to how a family or a patient are going to react to being approached for research. What we are doing, this data collection, is not going to help that patient today. Research is for the future. “No” is very much a part of my job, I can’t take it personally. Accepting “no” with the same compassion, grace, and kindness I walk in the door with, hoping that they say “yes,” that is so very important.

Recruiting can be fun and really engaging. Every patient is an opportunity to make a new connection. I love working with people and in being a part of trying to build future tools for the patient care toolbox. And I think that being successful in recruiting patients, in collecting data, is by bringing that attitude into the room with me.

It can be heartbreaking. Reading patient charts when I’m screening can be tough, some patients have no family, some are struggling with a terminal illness, some are trying to heal with a tough family dynamic, and so much more. Going back through when I’m data-mining and seeing that a patient that I’d recruited has passed away is sad. I talk to a lot of people and I remember many of them. A short conversation to talk to family and something is said about the patient, or the way the patient interacts, those things stick with me.

Part of what we learn in working in this job is while research takes us places and gives new avenues and hope, there are many instances of research behaving badly in the past. Certain populations have been taken advantage of in the past by research, and there is a pervasive mistrust of research. I always hope that when I’m approaching a patient or family that I’m able to put the best foot forward for our studies and research, to help build trust in these vital explorations, and to let them know that their information is so valued.

On a daily basis, I am humbled and awed by the generosity of the patients and families I have the privilege to work with. They say, “yes” when they are miserable, exhausted, fed up with waiting, struggling to process news from their physicians, clinging to hope, and having a really tough time. Their “yes” helps us build the future. I hope that when they hear about our work as we move forward, they know they had an invaluable role in helping us create that future.

What are your interests outside of work?
I am an avid reader, I enjoy finding new authors to explore, and I write on occasion when the words in my brain poke at me long enough to put them to page. I ride horses, raise custom freezer lamb, have an excellent track record of buying and killing flowers, and I love to cook. On the weekends, I have a business as a manual therapist for people, horses, and dogs. I travel as much as I can, and my destination-bucket list gets longer every year.