If you have been thinking about getting your start in clinical research, the job of clinical research assistant or clinical research technician may be the right job for you!
Even though this is a great entry level job, this can also be a long term career. Clinical research technicians, also called clinical trial technicians carry out an array of functions that are critical to helping a study site run smoothly.
In clinical research, there are many integral players that carry out all of the day to day tasks of running a clinical research study site. A study site can be a clinic or sometimes a hospital or university. If you have ever been to or worked at a hospital or clinic, a clinical site is very similar. A technician might do some of the same tasks that a nursing assistant or medical assistant carries out.
Depending on the types of studies that are being conducted at the site, the roles of a clinical research assistant or technician can vary.
I personally started out at a phase 1 clinic, meaning that this was the first time these medications were being used in humans. The investigational products (experimental medication) had passed animal trials and were finally being tried in healthy humans. These trials are generally more risky and the subjects usually spend days at the clinic.
These subjects would get their blood drawn throughout the day to assess the levels of medication and how their bodies were processing it. As well as other examinations and procedures such as electrocardiograms to ensure their safety. The subjects were fed a standardized diet and they were allowed to shower.
With all of that being said, the clinical research technician was in charge of mosts of those tasks. I would have subjects assigned, and a list of tasks off of the protocol that I was in charge of completing at the appropriate time. If anything was off, it was a protocol deviation, which is a big no no. Everything was to be completed on time and in a standardized way for every subject in order for the data to be accurate.
Once I transitioned into a different company as a clinical project manager, the clinical research assistants had different roles. This specific clinical research site had clinical research assistants that would assist with handling and storing the investigational product (experimental medication), they would administer certain vaccines for trials, and help with filing in addition to the tasks we previously covered. They would still perform vital signs, electrocardiograms and help in the lab when they were short on phlebotomists or if they were backed up.
At this clinic the clinical research technicians had more contact with the sponsor’s clinical research associates (CRA’s). Providing them with IP logs that would show the sites accountability of the investigational product. As well as other administrative tasks that were required of them from the CRA. This gives you the opportunity as a clinical research tech, not only to work alongside clinical research coordinators and project managers at your site but to get an idea of the jobs available at the sponsor level. We will cover more of this a little later.
What skills and education should you have?
As we covered above, the skills that would be helpful as you start in a clinical research site as a clinical research assistant include the following:
- Obtaining vital signs
- Performing electrocardiograms (EKG’s)
- Phlebotomy and collecting lab specimens
- Assisting with administrative tasks
- General cleanliness of the research site
- Proving subjects their meals
These tasks can be picked up on the job if the clinical research site is patient and willing to train you. This is not unheard of and many sites prefer to train someone rather than having someone who might have picked up “bad habits” at a previous job.
Without experience however, this can be intimidating since you have to prove that you can handle a completely new role and all of the skills associated with it. You might be squeamish about drawing blood or you might be stressed out about obtaining an EKG. Or you might be stressing out at having to apply and not knowing how to convey that you are willing to learn and that you will be good at the job.
Even though you might not need experience, having experience in healthcare is definitely helpful. You will have more confidence in your skills, more practice and managers are more likely to hire you if they want someone who can come in and get to work. From my experience a large company is willing to train and hire because they have the resources. And smaller clinical research sites prefer to have people who can come in and be ready to work on day one. They have less staff and less resources to train you.
Some of the best careers that will prepare you for clinical research include:
Emergency Medical Technician/ Paramedic
I was an EMT at a hospital for over six years and this was extremely helpful in giving me the confidence I needed in order to perform the different tasks that came with the job. This doesn’t mean that you need to work at a hospital for six years, but you could look into EMT training.
The certification is not very long and you will gain valuable insights and skills that can translate into clinical research. If you are a paramedic there is usually higher pay than if you are an EMT since you have additional skills that you can use in clinical research such as starting IV’s.
I always tell my EMT and medic buddies to transition into clinical research. The job is definitely less stressful than saving lives and the money is better. Even though it can be exciting to work as an EMT at a hospital or on an ambulance, it takes a toll on your body and mind. If you are a medic or EMT who is burned out from working in healthcare, clinical research would be the perfect way to transition into something different.
EMT’s have experience performing ekg’s, checking vital signs, drawing blood (if you work at a hospital), assessing for adverse events, charting and much more.
Nursing Assistant
As a nursing assistant you probably have experience with the same skills and technical duties such as vital signs, ekg’s etc. However the difference between a CNA (certified nursing assistant) and an EMT or paramedic are the certifications and skills acquired in training. Even though I would recommend EMT or paramedic training for clinical research, CNA’s are still trained at obtaining vital signs and other procedures depending on where they are employed.
EMT’s have a bit more background into different pathologies and what to do if something goes wrong. CNA’s however, usually have shorter training and this can get you into the clinical research field sooner.
Medical Assistant
Medical assistants do great in clinical research since they might have additional training in administering vaccines, as well as drawing blood. MA’s are usually trained in phlebotomy as well as giving injections. They can also do all of the other stuff you would need in clinical research such as vitals, ekg’s etc. If you are an MA and are bored of the day to day activities of a doctor’s office, or burned out from a rapid care clinic, clinical research would be a good option for you.
What you can learn from being a clinical research technician?
Many people use the role of clinical research technician in order to get their foot in the door and potentially grow in clinical research. If your goal is to one day become a clinical research associate, clinical research project manager or a clinical research coordinator then starting off as a tech is the way to go.
Since you are going to be involved in many aspects of clinical research, it makes sense that your employer or a different company will want to help you advance. They will have an opening for a clinical research coordinator and if they decide to hire from within you will have a good chance at climbing the ladder. After six months to a year you will know the process of starting a study all the way to completion. You would’ve worked in a variety of trials and know how work is delegated to the correct department.
After working at a phase 1 clinic for six months as a tech, I was offered a promotion into the role of associate clinical research manager. I had experience in the clinic and my peers and superiors knew that I wanted to advance. I took every chance I got to offer my help, shadow and ask lots of questions.
If you end up enjoying the career of clinical research technician, it is perfectly fine to stay in it long term. However, if after some time you feel the desire to grow these are some of the things I would pay attention to and learn:
What is an informed consent?
- What are the different sections in an informed consent?
- Where are the subjects expected to sign?
- Do you understand informed consent well enough yourself?
- What is a protocol?
- What do all of the abbreviations mean?
- What are the inclusion and exclusion criteria?
- What is the schedule of events/activities?
- What is a protocol deviation?
- When are adverse events recorded in the trial?
- How long is the trial?
- Are there optional parts to it?
- What is the investigational product?
Who is delegated on the study?
- Who is the main coordinator?
- Who is the backup?
- Who is delegated for technician duties?
- Who is delegated for data entry (EDC)?
What are the specific systems and tech used?
- Does everyone who needs it have access to EDC and RTSM?
- Is there an electronic or paper diary?
- Do you know how to set up electronic diaries?
- Have you received all of the equipment needed?
- Have you trained the staff on your trial?
- Has everyone completed the online training required by the sponsor?
By no way is this an exhaustive list of what goes on behind the scenes of a clinical research trial. There are many moving parts and different variations to the process depending on the trial and its indication. The list above is also in no specific order but it can hopefully serve as a guide for some of the things you can keep an eye out for as you perform your clinical research technician roles. It doesn’t hurt to ask questions and stay up to date with any changes to the trials you are working on. Usually clinical research coordinators will be more than happy to take you under their wing and explain to you how the process works.
The clinical research coordinators and your site managers will start to notice that you are serious about your long term career goals in clinical research. They will foster your growth and allow you to take on additional tasks. This will help you to learn and increase the value you can provide the company with. Whether you decide to stay within the same clinical research site or transition into a different company, this first job will set you up for success.
How do you get the job of Clinical Research Technician or Clinical Research Assistant?
At this point you might be thinking this all sounds great, but how do I get a job as a clinical research technician or as a clinical research assistant? Maybe you have applied to many of these roles and have been rejected?
Here is some advice I would recommend to anyone who is applying or thinking of applying to their first clinical research job:
Have confidence
You might be putting yourself down without even trying. Or not trying “hard enough” because you think you won’t get the job. Remind yourself that you can learn any role once you are already in it and the hardest part is starting. All you have to do is get in front of as many recruiters as you can. Your only job at this point is to keep trying, tidy up your resume and keep going!
Know yours skills
Maybe you are thinking that you have no transferable skills. You might be coming into the clinical research field from a completely different field. If this is the case, realize that many of the things you were doing and are probably good at can be transferred into clinical research. Take inventory of the skills that you used at previous careers or at school if you haven’t had a job yet. There are skills you probably already have such as project managing, prioritizing tasks, time management, delegating etc. All of these are used in clinical research and can be good talking points and a great addition to your resume.
Know your strengths and weaknesses
This is just talking about the question we all dread in a job interview. You have to know what your strengths are so you can highlight them in your resume and in your interviews. But just as important, you should take inventory of your weaknesses so you can improve on them. Are you bad at time management? This isn’t something that you need to be in the field for in order to learn. You can start planning out your day better, prioritizing and managing your time more efficiently in your day to day life, even if you don’t have a job! Do this for any skill you wish to improve on and this will increase your hireability.
Offer more than just your skills
You might be competing with people who have more experience or more skills but that is not the only thing they are looking for. Many hiring managers would choose personality over experience. Who would you rather spend 40+ hours with? Someone who is grumpy and dried out but has over 90 years of experience or a friendly newbie who keeps a positive attitude and is always willing to help? Skills and processes can be taught but you are the only one with your personality. Realize that clinical research is about people and think about your customer service skills, your attention to detail and about times that you went above and beyond to keep customers happy!
This is something that will come across during interviews and can help you stand out in the way you market yourself!
Get some experience and/or additional training
If you feel like you have applied to every job under the sun and nothing is working out, it might be time to reevaluate. Don’t take rejections personally. It doesn’t mean that they are rejecting you, it means they are rejecting your resume or interview skills as they are now. You can change that!
If your resume is lacking education, experience or training, these are all easy fixes. You don’t have to go back and get a four year degree. You can enroll into technical courses that will help you gain the training you will need in order to perform technician duties. These courses are usually less expensive than college courses and the schedule is usually more flexible. You can become a CNA, an EMT or an MA all within a year.
Even better, if you don’t have a desire to go to a technical college, or the funds and time for it, there are trainings you can do on your own. You can train yourself to take vitals through youtube, or read books on the topic. You can explain this in your resume and interviews. Even though you don’t have a certification for these procedures, you have been investing your time to learn it!
Other skills that will stand out to a recruiter or hiring manager are computer skills. You can teach yourself how to use excel, powerpoint and other software you might currently find confusing. All of these come in handy as you progress in your career. You will use these skills as a clinical research coordinator and beyond. So you can rest assured that learning is never a waste of time.
Keep applying
The most important tip of all is that you don’t give up! Rejections can be hard, especially if it is coming from your dream job. Or if you put so much into the application process and you gave it your all during your interviews! However you will learn so much from applying and even more from interviewing. Be grateful for every interview or even a chance to talk to a recruiter. Ask for feedback and let them know you will be applying in the future!
Good luck in securing the job, and good luck with advancing your career once you get your foot in the door!