Q: What are the CRA career opportunities?
A:
Career structures for Clinical Research Associates (CRA) are
generally set at three levels, which may carry different names in different institutions:
- CRA-I: less then 2 years experience in clinical research field , tasks include setting up & organizing clinical
trials, visiting investigative centers, monitoring site activities, liaising with center staff, and some
administration activities; Median CRA-I salaries are around $ 53.000 (see www.salary.com)
- CRA-II:
with 2-4 years field
experience, they may be involved in some additional activities like Protocol development or design of Case Report Forms (CRFs), and writing
research reports; Salaries are in the $ 70-75.000 range
- CRA-III or SrCRA: with 4-5 years field experience or more, they manage projects, also on international scale. Salary level $85-90.000 per year.
- CRS (Clinical Research Specialist): with 6-7 years of experience, this would be the next step for an experienced CRA.
- Medical Adviser/Medical Director: These are already Senior management executive positions. Most of the companies prefer PhD holders for them.
Other career opportunities with this qualification are Data Manager, Project Manager, Protocol designer, Medical Writer, Scientific Liaison Officer, Medical Adviser etc.
Q: How long it takes to complete the on-line
course?
A: Depending on student's background, motivation and level of English, the course completion is expected to
take between 50 and 100-150 hours. However, in real life the expectations to study every single day are not realistic. Our experience shows that depending on previous experience and education it usually takes between 3 to 6 months to complete the theory. These are new professions and there is a lot to learn, the course is about 1000 pages. The internship is optional but it gives the 'hands-on' experience that companies want.
Q: What are the requirements for the level of English ?
A: There are no formal requirements for the level of proficiency in English
but to work successfully as a CRA or CRC, the applicant should have good
written and spoken command of English, or, as a start, at least a functional English
(capacity to understand emails and communicate by phone, write simple
messages, queries for data discrepancy clarification and visit reports
about the findings during monitoring. The course gives models and templates for them). The course content is made in simplified English, adapted for students, to whom the English is not the mother language. It is possible to have the content also in French and Russian but the exams are in English, as it is the official language of communication for international trials in the clinical research industry. Support is available in 10 languages.
FAQ 2
