24 Jun Spotlight on the Clinical Research Associate Career Pathway and Resources

By Anthony Chew, ACRP

Standing on the outside of a profession and looking in is no easy thing. Without access to “insider’s knowledge” about how to pursue a career path in which you are interested, how do you even know in which direction to take the first step? For example, many people who are just beginning to explore different roles in clinical research find the duties of a clinical research associate (CRA) very attractive (on paper, at least). However, they may not realize immediately that very few applicants for a CRA position with a sponsor or contract research organization (CRO) will be hired straight into a monitoring role without first having worked as a clinical research coordinator (CRC) for a site or as a clinical trial assistant (CTA) for a sponsor. 

In a forthcoming peer-reviewed article for ACRP’s Clinical Researcher journal, Anthony Chew, a clinical trial operations professional and recent graduate of the MS program in Medical Product Development Management at San Jose State University, describes CRAs as serving as “the primary liaison between the sponsor and the site by monitoring and verifying data to ensure accuracy and adherence to protocols. They collaborate with investigators, conduct site visits [including for site feasibility/selection and validation/qualification purposes followed by study initiation and ongoing monitoring], and maintain strict documentation to guarantee the integrity of a trial.” Read more…