Certification is the formal recognition of clinical research professionals who have met professional eligibility requirements and demonstrated a baseline level of job-related knowledge and skills. Demonstrating commitment to the quality of clinical research through certification benefits the public through ensuring the development and preservation of the highest quality and standards in clinical research. Growing feedback from pharmaceutical companies and clinical sites indicates that there are fewer errors, lower costs, more rapid turnaround and greater safety in trials when certified personnel are involved.
Academy and APPI certification is granted in recognition of documented and verified work experience and successful performance on a multiple-choice exam. The Academy offers three certification exams, one for Clinical Research Associates/CRAs (Monitor), one for Clinical Research Coordinators/CRCs (Site) and one for Non-Physician Investigators/CTIs. The exams are based on the industry's largest validated job analysis to ensure the exams reflect the frequency and importance of what CRAs, CRCs and CTIs do in the clinical research process. To date, The Academy and APPI have certified over 18,000 clinical research professionals. The Academy also recently announced the Core Knowledge Assessment test. The test serves to allow individuals who are new to clinical research to demonstrate their knowledge of the international guidelines for conducting clinical trials with volunteer human subjects and is offered online worldwide.
Since 1992, the Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP) has been the leading certifier of clinical research professionals with over 18,000 professionals holding a designation from our accrediting bodies to date. As the importance of certification increased throughout the profession, ACRP recognized the need for all certifications to be administered by an independent entity. In 2005/6, The Academy of Clinical Research Professionals (The Academy) was created to house all non-Physician certification programs (CRA, CRC and non-physician Investigator), and the Academy of Pharmaceutical Physicians and Investigators (APPI ) affiliated with ACRP and became the administrative entity for the Physician Investigator exam. Together, these two entities improve the organization in a way that enhances our integrity and representative efforts for members of the clinical research team.