Elevate Your Career (not your blood pressure)
Clinical researchers say they’re burned out since the COVID-19 pandemic. Career paths aren’t always clear. The future looks murky amid the emergence of new ways of conducting trials.
But don’t worry! Your work has never been more important or more in demand. Plus, you’ve got the ACRP community behind you to help you understand where clinical research is heading, how you can get ahead, and how you can keep yourself, and your teams, feeling happy, balanced, and ready to go!
Knowing the Landscape
“The portion of the workforce that is engaged, in the know, [and] part of organizations like ACRP probably has an idea what’s coming and is making a plan, but those who are more isolated or naïve may be blindsided by these changes to their profession.”
— Jamie Langley, Global Head, Parexel Academy
The Future is Now: Experts Look at Tomorrow’s Workforce, Today >
Charting Your Journey
“Stretch beyond your comfort zone… Don’t be afraid to leap into something new. Be open to something you hadn’t even thought of the day before.”
— Erika Stevens, MA, Principal Consultant, Recherche Transformation Rapide
Develop a Successful Career Path with Planning, Pragmatism >
“Getting as much experience as possible is important; and learning about different career paths is important (i.e., not everyone wants or needs to be a coordinator, not everyone goes to graduate school to get a PhD, etc.).”
Navigating a Career as a Clinical Research Professional: Where to Begin >
“You want people at your organization to see you and think ‘research.’ Get yourself out there.”
Savvy Clinical Trial Practitioners Craft Their Own Upward Career Paths >
“Clinical research is a great industry, and there’s lots of promoting from within, but industry must do a better job of attracting and helping new applicants, particularly in traditionally underserved areas, to join the ranks of the profession.”
Maintaining Balance and Avoiding Burnout
Watch this video to learn how others in your community are trying to avoid burnout and maintain a so-called “work/life balance.”
“Managers need to stop making assumptions and ask employees directly how they are doing and how they can help reduce stress.”
Managers Face Struggles Helping Employees Battle Burnout >
“More than half (55%) of members of clinical research teams involved in the development of new drugs reported feeling more professionally burned out since the COVID-19 pandemic forced most operations in a remote direction.”
Burnout Threatens to Undermine Clinical Trial Workforce Productivity >
“I love protecting human subjects in clinical trials using skills I’m good at… That’s my biggest piece of advice—find what you love doing.”
— Sergio Armani, Vice President, Business Development, North America, Advarra
Leading and Nurturing Your Teams
Watch this video to learn what leadership from sites, sponsors, and CROs say they learned while managing their teams through the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Take care of your employees as you would take care of your diamonds. Their primary value multiplies a hundred- or even a thousand-fold when they are regularly ‘polished.’ So, begin investing in soft skills training to prevent high turnover, low performance, low morale, and low engagement among your staff…”
Sending Out an SOS for Soft Skills >
“We’ve got to keep these good technology performers at research sites. So far, we haven’t done a good job developing them, and it’s not fair to them as professionals.”
Clinical Trial Technology Personnel Need Career Paths, Enhanced Training >
“There is no time like the present to train yourself how to set expectations, provide quality feedback, and have difficult (or shall we just call them honest?) conversations with your coworkers or your supervisor.”
— Christine Senn, PhD, CCRC, CPI, ACRP-CP, FACRP, CSM, Chief Integration Officer, Centricity Research
Thoughts on the Care and Feeding of Your Organization’s Future Leaders >
Want more? Check out these free educational programs for ACRP Members.
The New Work Life Balance in Clinical Research >
Career Paths in Clinical Research: Sharing the Journey and Providing Insight >
Practical Tips for Career Development >
Improving Technology Proficiency in Clinical Research >
Not an ACRP Member? Join Today >