Where to Start and How to Grow
Are you looking to start your career in clinical research? With the field constantly growing and evolving, there are many exciting opportunities available to gain valuable experience and start your journey towards becoming a Clinical Research Associate (CRA). In this article, we’ll explore some entry-level roles in clinical research and how they can help you build a successful career in this industry.
Which Educational Background Would Be a Good Fit for These Roles?
While a degree in life sciences or healthcare can be helpful, it’s not always a requirement for jobs in clinical research. Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to work well in a team are essential qualities for success in these roles. Any degree program that has provided you with these skills can be a good fit, including business, psychology, or even engineering. Check the various roles for specifics.
Why It Can Be Exciting to Work in Clinical Research for Graduates
Working in clinical research can be an exciting and rewarding career path. You’ll be involved in important research that can improve patient outcomes and change the course of medicine. Additionally, you’ll work with a team of professionals with diverse backgrounds and experiences, providing ample opportunities for learning and growth.
How Work Experience in These Roles Can Be Supportive to Grow Your Career
Starting in an entry-level role can provide you with a solid foundation in the clinical research process and allow you to gain experience in different aspects of the field. This can be invaluable when pursuing higher-level positions such as a CRA. By understanding how clinical trials work and the responsibilities of each role on the team, you’ll be better equipped to handle the demands of a CRA position and continue to grow in your career.
Salaries for entry-level roles in clinical research can vary depending on the company, location, and specific responsibilities. However, according to Glassdoor, the average salary for a Clinical Research Coordinator is around $50,000 per year, while a Clinical Trial Assistant can expect to earn around $45,000 per year. With experience and additional training, these salaries can increase significantly.
starting roles in clinical research you might consider
Here are some of the most common starter jobs
Clinical Trial Assistant (CTA): A CTA provides administrative support to clinical research teams, such as organizing study documents and tracking study progress. more
Clinical Research Coordinator (CRC): A CRC is responsible for managing the day-to-day activities of clinical trials, such as recruiting participants, ensuring compliance with study protocols, and collecting data. more
Clinical Project Specialist: Project assistants provide administrative support to clinical research teams, including scheduling meetings, preparing reports, and managing project timelines. more
Clinical Data Coordinator: Clinical data coordinators are responsible for collecting and managing data from clinical trials. They work with clinical research teams to ensure that data is accurate and complete. more
Clinical Operations Specialist: support the planning and execution of clinical trials. They may be responsible for activities such as site selection, study start-up, and site management. more
Study Start Up Specialist: responsible for ensuring that clinical trials are set up and initiated in a timely and efficient manner. more
Remote Site Monitor: This role is responsible for monitoring and managing clinical trial activities at remote trial sites. They collaborate with the site staff and ensure compliance with the study protocol and regulatory requirements. more
Trial Master File (TMF) Specialist: responsible for managing the Trial Master File, which is the collection of all essential documents related to a clinical trial. more
Virtual Clinical Trial Assistant: This role is responsible for supporting the operational activities of remote clinical trials. They collaborate with study teams and provide administrative support for trial start-up, study conduct, and close-out activities. more
Are you ready to take the first step in your clinical research career? Sign up for VIARES certification courses today and gain the skills and knowledge you need to succeed in this exciting field. Visit our training courses for more information and to get started. Over 1.500 VIARES graduates found new jobs in the past.
Hear from our Graduates
VIARES already supported 7000+ talents from 120+ countries on all continents. Here is a Snapshot of Graduate Experience and how they benefited from our Clinical Research Training Courses and Job Support.
Izabela
I wanted to progress in my career, as I already was working in the field of clinical research. For me the course was a great experience, I learned a lot. I was able to broaden my knowledge about clinical trials and now
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I feel prepared for the interviews and career steps to come! The teachers were extremely good trained and it was a pleasure to learn from them.
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Vassil
Proud to announce that I have passed the Final Exam on the VIARES Clinical Research Talent Program. I strongly recommend it to all people interested in the field of clinical trials. Of course many thanks to Dietmar Eglhofer for creating this program
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and all the great tutors: Eric Klaver, Gavin Chait and Gabriele Disselhoff.
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Shilpa
The VIARES Clinical Research Talent Program provided me a great opportunity to refresh and rebuild my clinical research skills and competencies. The program was well structured and covered the key aspects related to clinical research, drug
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development, ICH guidelines, and clinical research regulations. The self-learning modules, followed by live webinars led by subject matter experts, provided the participants a platform to understand the key concepts and engage in great dialogue and discussions. I thank VIARES for giving me this opportunity and highly recommend this program to professionals looking to start a career in clinical research.
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Iwona
VIARES Academy supported me at every step in my course and answered my questions instantly. Moreover the platform is very organized and I could find my way around very fast.
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The course content provided by the courses at VIARES have helped me to improve my knowledge at my current job as a clinical trials assistant.
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