Looking to start a career that can earn you well into the six figures? Don’t know what to do with your Biomed or science degree? Maybe you are burnt out from bedside nursing or traditional healthcare roles…
In clinical research not only are you helping patients but you are doing this at a larger scale. You are helping to advance health care and pharmacology for those who need it the most!
If you dream of a job where you can help people but are unsure if becoming a bedside nurse, or a physician is for you, you might want to consider clinical research.
I know plenty of people who planned on becoming a nurse or a doctor (myself included) only to realize that research was better in alignment with my career goals.
I have also met many people who have worked as nurses and are burned out due to the long hours and ever increasing demands of the job. This isn’t only true for nurses but also EMT’s, paramedics, physicians and anyone else who is dedicated to caring for others. They are great professions but this might not be for you or make for a long term career.
Clinical research is a field that everyone seems to accidentally fall into. No one grows up dreaming of being a clinical research associate or coordinator. Even though I wish I had since that would’ve allowed me to enter the field way sooner.
So no matter if you are still in college weighing out which degree to obtain or if you are a seasoned professional looking for a change, this article will shed some light into just a few of the highest paying careers in clinical research.
Clinical Research Manager/Clinical Research Coordinator
Clinical research managers aka Clinical research coordinators, are in charge of ensuring that the clinical trials are conducted smoothly at the site. A site is usually a private clinic that specializes in clinical trials or it can be part of a hospital or university.
At the clinic, the clinical research coordinator is responsible for making sure that the subjects are enrolling into the trials and completing all of the visits and procedures as required in the study protocol. The protocol is like the instruction manual for the trial, which guides the study staff into what needs to happen and at what intervals.
The clinical research manager can then coordinate with other staff members in order to carry out the trials. These trials can be in any indication imaginable such as cardiology, psychiatry, endocrinology etc.
Everyday is different and since you will be at the forefront of healthcare innovations, you will always have challenges to address.
Clinical research coordinators/ clinical research managers can expect to earn a salary in the range from $50,000 to $75,000.
This, of course, depends on your cost of living and the company you will be working for. Plus many other factors will depend on your experience, level of education and how well you market yourself!
Clinical Research Project Manager
As a clinical research project manager you will be wearing many hats and the roles vary depending on your employer.
Project managers are in charge of overseeing multiple studies which are usually carried out at multiple sites. This means you will be checking in with coordinators across the country or even globally to ensure that they are meeting their goals.
You will be helping your sites run the studies aka projects smoothly. Project managers are usually the middle man between the clinic conducting the study and the sponsor who is paying for the study. They can help the sites with any questions as well as challenges as they come up.
From study start up they help to make sure the sites are prepared and have the supplies and training. During the study they can help to guide the study coordinators and prevent issues from arising or help to put out fires.
From personal experience the salary for this position ranges from $75,000 – $100,000.
Clinical Research Nurse
If you have experience as a registered nurse or a licensed practical nurse, you can use your skills and training to start in clinical research.
Even if you don’t have experience in clinical research, as a nurse your skills are very valuable. You can go into clinical research, use your skills and learn about clinical research as you go. You will learn more about the drug development world as well as all of the lingo and processes.
Even though the clinical research aspect of the job will be new, you can use your nursing skills to work at a research clinic. Nurses usually help with phlebotomy, administering medication, and other medical procedures that you already have experience with.
From there you will have many more opportunities if you decide that you want to climb the ladder within clinical research. You can become a site manager, a clinical research coordinator or clinical research associate.
As a nurse (RN) in clinical research, you can expect to earn $60,000 to $80,000
Clinical Research Site Manager
Clinical research sites, just like any other clinic or healthcare organization, need strong management. A clinical research site manager is responsible for overseeing and supervising the day to day activities that are carried out.
Their background is usually in healthcare and they have progressed up the career ladder into a leadership position. It is helpful if you have an advanced degree such as being a nurse, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant. However, it is not a requirement as you can work your way up within the clinic to achieve this goal. If you have strong leadership skills, or transferable skills from a different field that will definitely be helpful.
As a clinical research site manager you will be overseeing coordinators, primary investigators, nurses and other staff members. Your primary role will be to ensure that the clinic is running smoothly, that everything your team needs is readily available, and that subjects are being seen as efficiently as possible.
You might also be involved in the hiring process, as well as other human resource duties. And you will be included in sponsor/client meetings in order to have an understanding of budgets, contracts etc.
If you have strong leadership skills, or transferable skills from a different field you might find that being a clinical research site manager is an enjoyable career option!
As a clinical research site manager you can earn well into the six figures depending on experience and education. With salaries ranging from $90,000 – $120,000 per year.
Clinical Research Associate
As you progress through your clinical research career, you can branch off into many more career opportunities. You can become a clinical research associate (CRA) aka site monitor or even a remote site monitor. This position oversees multiple clinical research sites and is usually employed directly by pharmaceutical companies. They visit the clinical sites that are carrying out their research studies to ensure compliance and quality.
Clinical research associates usually have to travel to visit the clinical sites assigned to them. This can include local, national or even international travel. More recently however, after the COVID 19 pandemic more monitor positions have become remote. Companies are realizing that monitoring visits can be performed remotely saving them money on flights and hotels. What this means for you is that you can either apply to a remote or a travel CRA job depending on your lifestyle and preference.
Research is all about data, as a coordinator you are recording this information such as vital signs, subject demographics, medical history etc. As a monitor you are ensuring that this information is recorded as accurately and as standardized as possible. During monitor visits the clinical research associate or monitor will review all of the subject’s charts and ask the coordinator for clarifications or corrections to any mistakes and discrepancies.
Being a clinical research associate usually requires a few years of experience in clinical research. They are basically overseeing clinical research coordinators and with this comes more responsibility. Clinical research associates report back to their team within the pharmaceutical companies. They make sure that as a team they are assisting the clinical research site and the clinical research coordinator in managing the trial.
Even though clinical research associates are always traveling and putting out fires, they are compensated well. You can expect to earn anywhere from $75,000 to well over $100,000 a year!
Even though all of these numbers are estimates and mostly from personal experience, I hope that it has motivated you to start a career in clinical research!