Thank you for your open and honest experience in the CRA and Clinical Research areas. It is always interesting to hear from people in the real world. Some people will need to do their homework and find out what works for them as far as salaries, experience, and GCP.
Hello, I have been following your videos since day 1, and being a master's student for clinical research with a prior background in dentistry I would like to thank you for such good resources you provide us. What is your say on job opportunities for a grad student? I would also request you make the updated salaries for CRA. Thank you.
Hi Sayali, thank you for supporting my channel. If you're looking for internships while in grad school, there are tons of opportunities. Most pharma companies hire people as clinical research interns. You can search around for that title. Post grad school, you'll be in good shape for CTA, CRC or in-house CRA if you're looking to then transition into the CRA role. There are also lots of other routes such as regulatory or QA that you may want to consider. Regarding salaries, they were higher this past year but they are starting to come back down in 2022. As such, I think my video is about accurate (probably within $5k) for what you can expect.
Hi, I am a registered pharmacist trying to get back into clinical research. I was a Pharmacy Advisor/Clinical Research Coordinator for about 5 months and was let go because of budget cuts. I was the last hired, first fired. It was devastating for me because I really liked Clinical Research much more than retail pharmacy. In my area, there aren't many opportunities to get a job in Clinical Research so I am willing to move to get a job. My question is, do I have a good chance, if any, to get hired by a CRO? I really want to move to Tampa and am hoping I can get a position there to start a new life in Clinical Research.
Sorry to hear about the layoff. I think your odds are great for a Clinical Trial Associate position at a CRO and that's what I'd aim for. Those positions tend to be remote so you can live wherever you want. Given your pharmacy background, you might also be able to get into a CRA bridge program. For a while, there was a lot of hiring but it has slowed down so not sure how easy those are to get now but worth a shot. Good luck!
Thank you for going through those critiques and concerns. I have been in the CT industry for over 5 years but still can't believe I'm not qualified for an entry level CRA role, which as you said here is not entry-level because it requires at least a year of experience. Very catch 22 but the tips you provided are helpful to consider how to get into the role or what other positions could be explored for those not wanting a field-based role.
