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Have you always wondered which industry position you should be applying for to kickstart your clinical research industry career?
If you do not have prior experience or are new to the industry, you may not understanding the differences between the various positions. You are not alone.
To help you out, we outline below the most popular entry-level industry jobs with their pros and cons:
1. Clinical Research Associate
A Clinical Research Associate (also known as CRA or study/trial monitor) is a scientifically-trained health-care professional whose primary responsibility involves activities required for monitoring clinical trials in therapeutic or medical device intervention studies in accordance with International Conference on Harmonization Good Clinical Practice (ICH-GCP).
A CRA may work directly with the pharmaceutical, biotech companies (i.e., sponsors), as an independent freelancer or is employed by contract research organisations (CROs) or academic institutes conducting clinical trials.
Pro’s
- You travel A LOT (up to 80% of the time) and get to see different parts of your state and/or country … for FREE as your employer will pay for all your expenses including flights, hotels, food and taxis. This position is perfect for those who love travelling.
- You get to meet many different people. That’s why to excel as a CRA, you must have interpersonal skills or at least enjoy interacting with people (often someone you haven’t met yet).
- The role is flexible allowing you to be home-based and not be in the office (if the company permits).
- You could climb the corporate ladder / progress quickly in your clinical research industry career as the next step up is the Clinical Trial Manager.
- Attractive starting salary package. The entry-level package is around AUD $100,000, including base salary, car allowance and super.
- There are many job opportunities for you to enter this industry as a CRA.
- Job stability. CRAs are often offered a permanent role.
- You can become a freelancer (after a few years of experience). This is one of the very few positions where you can become your own boss in the clinical research industry. In saying that, you’ll be a “contractor” and not a “permanent staff”.
- Another hidden perk of being a CRA is you get to keep your frequent flyer points, which can accumulate very quickly with the amount of flying you’ll do. That means access to Airport Lounges, free rewards, reward flights and other rewards, not just for yourself, but also your family (if you desire).
Con’s
- You are out of the office/home almost every week and sometimes for multiple days in a row. If you have a family, you’ll see them less often than in an office job.
- You may have to wake up very early and come home late for those “business trips”. I’m talking about 3 or 4 am departure in the morning and 8-10 pm arrival at night depending on how close to the airport you live.
- Most companies will require you to have at least a Masters degree or even a PhD in some cases.
How do I become a CRA?
You may have come across industry job advertisements that require minimum 2 years of experience for entry-level CRA positions. But the dilemma of most academics trying to transition to the industry is “how do you get experience without getting the job first?”.
Through our Industry-Bridging Program, you can! Click here to learn how you can become a Clinical Research Associate (CRA) without prior industry experience.
2. Clinical Research Coordinator
The Clinical Research Coordinator (also known as a CRC, study coordinator or SC, research coordinator/nurse) is a health-care professional whose primary responsibility involves helping the investigator with coordinating and organizing all patient activities for clinical studies such as tracking patient enrolment, scheduling visits, maintaining case report forms and drug dispensation, and data entry according to the clinical study protocol and ICH-GCP.
Pro’s
- This is an office-based 9-5 position. You’ll get to enjoy time with your family.
- You’ll have direct interaction with clinical trial patients.
- You don’t need to have a Masters degree or a PhD to apply.
Con’s
- You don’t get to travel and see places.
- You must be in the office for this role and cannot be home-based.
- You work in a hospital or clinic and not directly with the Sponsor or Pharmaceutical company or CRO (contract research organisation).
- Typically, entry-level CRCs earn around AUD $55,000 to $60,000 per annum, with no car allowance or bonus.
- You are technically “not in the industry yet” until you work for a company, and a level below the CRA in terms of career rank. As such, your career progression maybe slower than for a CRA.
How do I become a CRC?
You’ll need a minimum tertiary STEM education to become a CRC. Experience in clinical trials may not always be required, however, some exposure is definitely an advantage.
Click here to learn how you can become a CRC without prior experience.
3. Clinical Trial Assistant
A Clinical Trial Assistant (or CTA) is an administrative staff, who assists CRAs (Clinical Research Associates) and other trial personnel with filing, trial master file (TMF) maintenance and other admin tasks related to the trial.
Pro’s
- This is the first-rank (lowest) position you can apply for in this industry. As such, the requirements to enter are less stringent, allowing you to kickstart your industry career as soon as you complete your BSc or tertiary education.
Con’s
- Unless you have an Honours, Masters degree or a PhD, you may not be able to progress far in your industry career.
- Your starting salary is around AUD $45,000.
- You do not travel.
- The job is purely administrative and can be very monotonous.
How do I become a CTA?
To become a CTA, you’ll only require a tertiary degree, preferably in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math).
If you need help with drafting your industry CV, cover letter and prepare for your industry interviews, check out our Career Accelerator Coaching Program.
4. Clinical Study Start-up Specialist
The role of a Study Start-Up (SSU) Specialists or sometimes referred to as Initiation Clinical Site Managers (iCSM) is to oversee and coordinate the various initial trial activities in collaboration with other industry personnel to ensure rapid and smooth trial approval prior to site activation. They are also in charge of patient recruitment strategies.
Pro’s
- This role is the equivalent of a Clinical Research Associate but specialises in only the beginning stages of a clinical trial before the site (hospital/clinical) is activated.
- You do not need to travel for this role.
- Starting salaries of SSU specialists are from AUD $60,000 in Australia.
Con’s
- The role is mostly administrative in nature so it could get monotonous.
- It’s an office role so you won’t get to meet many new people.
- SSU specialists are usually hired by large Pharmaceutical companies or large CROs and may not exist in smaller companies as SSU functions can be incorporated by CRAs. Moreover, companies may need only one SSU specialist for every 10 CRAs. Thus, there aren’t as many vacancies available so your chance of getting a job offer is significantly reduced.
How do I become an SSU?
Besides your formal STEM tertiary qualification, like most industry positions, most companies will require a minimum of 2 years experience for SSU specialists.
Click here to learn how you can become an SSU without prior industry experience.
5. Medical Writer
A Medical Writer works for Pharmaceutical companies or Regulatory agencies and is responsible for writing scientific documents of different types which include regulatory and research-related documents, disease or drug-related educational and promotional literature, publication articles like journal manuscripts and abstracts, content for healthcare websites, health-related magazines or news articles for patients or the general public, physicians or the regulators.
Pro’s
- You don’t have to travel so you can spend more time with your loved ones.
- It is often a 9-5 job.
- It is relatively stable.
- If you love writing, this is the perfect position for you to enter the industry with.
Con’s
- You need to be good at scientific writing.
- The job doesn’t require you to meet many people, so depending on your personality, this can be a positive or negative aspect.
- There are not as many job opportunities to enter the industry quickly.
- There isn’t as many opportunities for career progression.
How to become a Medical Writer?
The basic pre-requisite for becoming a medical writer is of course the ability to write scientifically and familiarity with medical concepts and terminology. You’ll also need an academic qualification such as a Masters degree or PhD in STEM.
If you need help with drafting your industry CV, cover letter and prepare for your industry interviews, check out our Career Accelerator Coaching Program.
Final words
Regardless of which industry position you choose to pursue, ensure you research as much as you can about the role to prepare yourself before the interview. Click here to learn how to answer the top 10 most difficult interview questions.
Still unsure about what to choose and how to get that dream job? Contact us via email at info@clueoclinical.com or call us at 1300 39 22 06 to discuss about the best industry career option for you.
Dr. Thu (Sue) Nguyen, PhD
Sue is the founder and CEO of Clueo Clinical Pty Ltd. She has over 15 years of combined experience in clinical and pre-clinical research and development, training and management. She is passionate about patient-centric science, clinical research, education, and helping others find their career passion and succeed in life.
She is an avid learner, an authentic networker and wants to empower the next generation to reach their fullest potential in Australia and around the world.
