This past week I had an individual contact me through LinkedIn asking to be considered for some of our open Clinical Research Associate positions. His foundations were terrific but he met none of the qualifications of our industry CRA positions.
The rub...he didn't understand that he was extremely underqualified.
Are our Clinical Research Associate candidates confused?
His inquiry made me wonder - is there confusion when it comes to the role of a CRA? We often see sites and academic institutions call their patient-facing research coordinators Clinical Research Associates. In addition, we are seeing Sponsors and CROs move further away from using the CRA title, using terms like Clinical Site Managers, Site Relationship and Excellence Partners, and Clinical Site Ambassadors.
Maybe it is time to help better define roles within our industry - starting with that of an Industry CRA. Our team held a round table to discuss the topic as well as provide some valuable insight for those of you who are seeking a CRA role. We hope this is helpful and want to hear your thoughts!