Research Associate Career Guide and Counseling

Question: Clinical research associate salary in asia? How much does an entry-level clinical research associate earn in asia (Singapore, Philippines, or Australia)? Most of the job ads just state salaries as 'negotiable'. Would the pay go up if you have a med degree?

Answer: I'm not sure about Singapore or the Philippines, but here's a link showing the median Clinical Research Associate salary in Australia: http://www.payscale.com/research/AU/Job=… Salaries will of course vary depending on experience, employment setting and other factors. To find more accurate salary data for your specific Clinical Research Associate position, you can take a free salary survey at PayScale.com. http://www.payscale.com/?src=yahooA Hope that helps, Assistant to Dr. Salary

Question: How to I get a job as a clinical research associate? I have a biology degree and I have worked in various labs doing research. I would like to move into the direction of clinical research monitoring sites and all that goes along with that job. The only problem is every open job posting wants you to have at least one years experience. How do I get experience?

Answer: In my opinion, there are a few ways to break into a CRA role. 1) Go through a temp agency, where the criteria may be lowered. The drawbacks are usually no vacation time and no insurance. 2) Take a job as a CDA (clinical data associate). A CDA basically cleans the data coming in on the CRF (clinical research form) and issues queries. This would give you the "pharma experience" to move either internally to a CRA position and then onto CRA'ing for a pharma company, or directly to a pharma company. These positions are usually more easily found at CRO's (clinical research organization) companies, which work for the pharma industry. These companies bid on trials and then manage the data management and the monitoring. They are generally as not as nice to work for as the pharmaceutical companies: more hours, less pay. But they do give you benefits (i.e. vacation, retirement, profit sharing, health insurance) Final Recomendations: Be aware that a CRA is a job in which you will have to travel a great deal until you are senior enough. It is the ultimate road warrior job. If they say 50-60% travel they mean 80-90% Once you are in the clinical trial world, look into becoming accredited through SOCRA or ACRP. If you have problems getting a job and are serious look at getting your RN license you then become very marketable in most regions and can either work for the site or the pharma company. A lot of the above is contigent on you living in an area where there are numerous CROs, and pharmaceutical companies. East Coast (i.e. research triangle), Chicago area, West Coast (San Diego, San Francisco). If you don't then it will be more difficult but if you are willing to be on the road 80% or more of the time, then moving shouldn't be a big problem. Google for pharmaceutical companies, clinical research organizations, device companies etc... in your area. The big CROs I know of are: Quintiles, Covance, and Kendle Good Luck!

Question: What do you do all day as a clinical research associate? I am looking into the career path of a CRA. What does a CRA do all day? What are the career options, say, in 5 years time? What are the standard qualifications for a CRA starting out and in the higher levels? What type of pay can be expected? How does one move upward into management/upper management after being a CRA for some years? Is the job rewarding or overly-stressful? Where are most CRAs employed in the USA? Is it more favorable to work directly for a pharma or biotech or at CRO?

Answer: I found some links for you. You can make $70,000/year at this one place mentioned. The Clinical Research Assistant will be supporting the clinical managers. Duties include - reviewing/tracking/coding invoices, expense reports, assisting with travel arrangements (national and international),budgeting, and interfacing with other departments.

Question: How much someone working as a post doctoral research associate be able to make in a year on an average? i know it varies with the kind of employer, but what should be the median?

Answer: The average in my field is also the same as Eri. If you get a post doc in some remote place where they really want good people like Los Alamos National Lab it can go up to around 70k. Post Docs in the industry and companies also pay more than average. But at the university level... around 35-40k

Question: How stable are the Clinical Research Associate jobs? I am interested in hearing the opinions from folks who are on the field or know someone who is in the field? Are the jobs usually short contract jobs that ends with the studies? Do you have to be on the job hunt constantly? If you have a BSc and a CRA training certificate do you need any further education in order to move up?

Answer: Most of the people I know may have had to switch job eariler on in their career but most either found a job where they could work for the same employer for as long as they wanted or changed careers. The few people I knew who had trouble with finding continued employment usually had trouble because they fail to meet their bosses work expectations. For some jobs to get promoted you might need a master’s degree, but applicant experience is a significant factor for filling senior jobs.

Question: How much salary a clinical research associate gets in Maryland with 1 year of relevant experience.Thx? It is a Pharmaceutical company with branches in 40 countries and 2,000 employees. In my current job I do everything a CRA does except traveling. So I make a very good CRA. Also could some one please let me know what kind of questions they might ask during the interview. Thank you

Answer: Go to http://www.salary.com Type in "Clinical Research Associate" and the zip code that the business is located in. That will give you a salary report. I did this for a CRA in a Baltimore Zipcode just now and got a median salary of $45k - $60 k.

Question: to become a clinical research associate how much qualification i need? i B Pharmacy graduate & completing 6 month certification course in clinical research to make entry as CRA IN indusrty what i need to do?

Answer: As per my knowledge, after ur graduation (BPharma or BSc) u need to do MSc in clinical research & after completion of ur MSc u can be a clinical research associate.

Question: Can anyone tell me what a CRA (Clinical Research Associate do)? I currently work in Clinical Data Management, however, I am interested in becoming a Clinical Research Associate. What does a CRA do? What goes on when a CRA is monitoring? Does a CRA do more than check CRFs?

Answer: Clinical Research Associate A clinical research associate is responsible for the design, planning, implementation, and overall direction of clinical research projects. He or she evaluates and analyzes clinical data and coordinates activities of associates to ensure compliance with protocol and overall clinical objectives. He or she may also travel to field sites to supervise and coordinate clinical studies. An entry-level clinical research associate position typically requires a bachelor of science, a registered nurse degree or equivalent, and a minimum of 0 to 2 years' clinical experience in medical research, nursing, or the pharmaceutical industry. Knowledge of FDA regulatory requirements is also preferred.

Question: How much would should a clinical research associate charge for consulting (as a consultant)? Mainly to do cannulations and PK studies

Answer: When working as a consultant, I always charge twice my usual rate.

Question: How do I become a CRA (Clinical Research Associate) to monitor clinical investigator sites?

Answer: I'm a CRA. I got a degree in biomedical science and then a few years after I graduated I worked for 18 months as a data manager at a clinical trials logistics company (which involved a LOT of data entry). Then I applied for a monitor role at another company and got it. HOWEVER - There is no such thing as a typical entry route. A lot of the job ads want a "nursing background" or "monitoring experience" but don't be disheartened by this. There is a real skills shortage in this area so my advice is to get some experience within clinical trials and then just start to apply for some CRA jobs. Get to know about ICH-GCP and find some examples in your working life where you have shown attention-to-detail, have dealt with difficult people, have shown initiative etc... so that you can bring these up in interviews. It certainly helps to have a life-science degree or a nursing background... but I do have a friend who got in with neither of these by just becoming an admin assistant at a clinical research organisation. She worked her way up with hard work and the right attitude. You don't say what background you're coming from (?) but if you can get a role within a pharmaceutical company or CRO then you are on the right track. If you are finding it hard to find positions in the big pharma companies, also look at universities and hospitals that are often looking for data managers or study co-ordinators to help run trials at a local level. Then you are at least getting some clinical research experience and can move into a monitoring role at a later date. Hope this helps.Good luck!