A profession in clinical research is a wish for many individuals. Clinical research is a medical science function that consists of the screening of drugs, diagnostic equipment, and therapies and establishes their safety for human use. While there are several different paths an individual can take with this career, selecting the appropriate domain to suit ones abilities and aptitude is paramount.

If an individual is seeking a career in clinical research, there is a lot that an individual has to get ready for it. In order to grab a job in clinical research industry, an individual must choose what career direction he/she wishes to take, get the suitable training, then get expertise in that specific domain.

The initial step in obtaining a job in clinical research is to choose what kind of job he/she wishes to pursue. Some examples of roles that an individual may perform in the field of clinical research are: clinical research associate (CRA), clinical research coordinator (CRC), clinical trial analyst (CTA), clinical trial manager (CTM), Medical Monitor, clinical trial pharmacist, Quality Associate, Clinical Logistics Professional, Pharmacovigilance professional, medical writer, and clinical data professional etc. An individual requires to take into consideration what his/her abilities, skills and passions are prior to deciding what type of career is right for him/her.

Skills Required to Become Clinical Research Associate

• Good communication skills (written and oral) and the potential to develop efficient interactions with trial center employees and co-workers.
• Potential to inspire others.
• Numeracy and an eye for detail.
• Potential to multi-task and think on your feet.
• Great organisational, IT and management abilities – the job includes a lot of documentation and gathering of clinical trial information. Standard paper files are rapidly being substituted by electronic records, which need the use of different information systems.

Skills Required to Become Clinical Research Coordinator

• Understanding written phrases and paragraphs in work relevant documents.
• Giving full attention to what other individuals are saying, taking time to understand the things being made, requesting questions as acceptable, and not disturbing at inappropriate times.
• Communicating successfully in writing as suitable for the needs of the sponsors.
• Interacting with others to exchange ideas, opinions and facts successfully.
• Using logic and reasoning to recognize the benefits and drawbacks of alternative solutions.
• Assessing efficiency of your-self, other employees, or organizations to make changes or take corrective action.
• Inspiring, building, and guiding employees as they work, determining the best individuals for the job.
• Knowing the significances of new information for both present and future problem-solving and decision-making.

 Skills Require to Become a Clinical Research Analyst

• Proven experience in protocol evaluation, IRB submission, and clinical trials budgeting.
• Solid working understanding of the full range of pre-award functions relevant to clinical trials.
• Good understanding of medical terms.
• Good understanding of research regulatory specifications (including FDA, HSA, CDSCO, EMA etc), GCP/ICH guidelines, and special specifications for drug and medical device studies.
• Proven excellence in negotiating abilities, such as the skills to solve issue among various groups and individuals with different backgrounds and objectives concerning sensitive and essential issues.　 Proven skills to take part effectively in the planning and progression of multi-disciplinary, cross-departmental study programs.
• Capability to design and handle effective work processes, set and meet estimated turnaround time objectives on an ongoing basis and observe, evaluate, and enhance processes on an ongoing basis.
• Capability to be adaptable and flexible within an ever-changing, powerful, service-focused environment.
• Capability to operate successfully in a team environment.

Skills Require to Become Pharmacovigilance professional

• Fundamental competence with medical and therapeutic terms.
• Capability to work individually but guided by recorded procedures, with proper support.
• Capable to work successfully as part of a team.
• Comprehension of patient safety regulatory requirements.
• Must be familiar pharmacovigilance and regulatory guidelines.
• Must be comfortable with pharmacovigilance terms.
• Great attention to detail.
• Potential to provide within established timelines.
• Fluency in English and great understanding.

Skills Require to Become a Medical Writer

• Good standard of written English, and capability to communicate fluently and efficiently in English, both in writing and orally.
• Familiarity with the structural and material specifications of clinical protocols, study reports and related documents.
• Capability to incorporate, understand, and summarize information from a wide range of sources in a clear and concise way.
• Proficiency in finishing a good initial draft clinical study report in a routine therapeutic area inside an acceptable time-frame with limited assistance.
• Good comprehension of common statistical techniques used in clinical studies and interpretation of their outcomes.
• Capability to give a basic presentation to a project staff and/or client.
• Potential to work on various projects at a time, while balancing several and overlapping timelines.
• Capability to evaluate workload and recommend prioritization to senior staff.
• Demonstrated capabilities in collaboration with other people and independent thought.
• Shows confidence and maturity in most routine Medical Writing conditions.

Skills Require to Become a Clinical Data Analyst

• Good understanding of electronic data capture and trial management.
• Strong interpersonal abilities, proven ability of working on several projects at a time.
• Solid written and oral communication skills.
• Strong problem solving abilities.
• Proven project management abilities.
• Good understanding of clinical research stages, clinical data management systems and database development.
• Able to carry out well in a cross-functional team like as with clinical research associates, medical writing department, Pharmacovigilance and regulatory staff, project heads etc.
• Excellent time management abilities and potential to solve problems proactively is an advantage.

After choosing what kind of job in clinical research he/she desires to pursue, the next move is to get the proper training in relevant area. This can be based upon what the individual desires to do with his/her clinical research degree/diploma. An individual should look at various schools/institutions before determining where he/she wants to study at. This will enable individual to get the ideal educational experience possible. An individual should also try to get more knowledge about training programs because it will increase the chances of employment afterwards.

The last move in getting a job in clinical research is to get expertise. While training and education is highly essential in obtaining a job in this area, experience is what will take you to higher positions. Whenever an individual gets the opportunity, he/she should be looking for possibilities to get knowledge doing anything relevant to clinical research. Understanding what one wants to do in clinical research, obtaining the suitable training and education, and obtaining experience will allow an individual to plan a successful career in clinical research.

I believe that after reading this article you must have come near to deciding about your area of interest in clinical research and a good fitment to your aspirations. I must say there is a lot of scope and growth in the clinical research industry; you just need to follow the steps stated above and this will guide you to develop a successful career in this dynamic and exciting industry.