Becoming a Clinical Research Administrator

Clinical Research Administrators play a key role in planning, development and conduct of scientific research projects for various health care settings. Their responsibilities include determining a project’s goals, supervising the work performance, providing technical assistance, managing budgets, evaluating staff, maintaining administrative and production policies for various clinical trials. Since they are directly involved with testing and quality control, these professionals may also determine protocols and work procedure in collaboration with department heads on research and development, and other critical aspects of a research project.

Clinical Research Administrator work in variety of environments such as public or private hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, medical research institutes, scientific research and development laboratories, government agencies etc. They work full time.

Educational Requirements

To become a Clinical Research Administrator, the aspiring candidates need to earn a 4-year bachelors degree in clinical research or any discipline in science. However, many employers often prefer the job aspirants with a two-year master’s degree in clinical research or related field in science.

The common syllabus includes epidemiology, human anatomy, biology, medicinal chemistry, molecular pharmacology, bio-statistical methods, medical computer information systems etc.

Certification and Licensure

Since the practice of a Clinical Research Administrator requires to be licensed in many states of USA, the candidates have to pass the required Licensure Exam. The candidates can also obtain exam-based certification from the Society of Clinical Research Associates (CRA).

Skill Set

Clinical Research Administrators possess a great deal of knowledge of GCP, ICH guidelines and regulatory requirements for clinical trial management. Besides, they possess various traits such as high level of attention to detail, excellent organizational skills, problem solving and decision making abilities, strong leadership quality, competent in computer operations, effective verbal and written communication skills ability to align with business initiatives etc.

Job Outlook and Salary

The job outlook for a Clinical Research Administrator remains excellent across the USA. According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the growth rate for job opportunities in this profession may rise 6% during 2012-2022. The average annual salary of a Clinical Research Administrator was $58,580 in 2014.

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