Alternative Nursing Careers: CRA

Clinical nursing is not always the answer. Maybe it never was or maybe it was for a while and now it isn’t. Either way you found yourself digging through the Internet for answers and have found very little. Don’t let that fact for one-second lead you to believe your options are slim…they are just the opposite.
Your career in nursing has opened countless doors for you. You just have to open your eyes to all the possibilities and stop focusing on your perceived limitations…and I mean perceived.

Here’s a list of perceived limitations:

I don’t have my BSN
I’m too old
I just lost my license
I don’t have enough experience
I’m a new grad
I have a mortgage
I have children
I have too much debt
I don’t want to go back to school
I can’t afford to go back to school
I can’t afford to take a cut in pay
I don’t want to work 9-5
I’ve never done anything else
I don’t have a resume
I don’t know how to write a resume
I not really good at anything else
I’m not qualified for anything else

Need I go on…because I could. I’m not saying these perceived limitations don’t exist..just don’t use them as excuses not to get out of a situation that is making your life miserable. You know the old saying, “life is short.” Well, it is and it’s never too late nor is it ever wrong to be happy. Just think about how successful you are now in an environment that does not encourage you. Now imagine being in one that does…what would you be capable of then!

Now, here’s the dirt. I have been researching alternative nursing careers for over 10 years. So, I have a small idea of what’s out there and how to get it. Every month I will feature a career that a registered nurse is qualified to work in. Along with the featured career, I will provide recommended reading, courses, seminars, associations; companies that offer such jobs and other pertinent resources to help you explore that particular option. I hope you find my research helpful and I always welcome feedback!





CLINICAL RESEARCH

A CRA spends a lot of time visiting clinicians who are performing clinical trials to ensure that everything is being done correctly, that the patients are not being compromised, and that the data collected are accurate. A CRA can work either for a pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device companies, academic medical centers, government agencies or a Contract Research Organization (CRO). The latter is contracted by companies to run their clinical trials.
A clinical trial is a research study in humans of a drug, medical device, biologic (such as a vaccine) or treatment. Individuals who volunteer to participate in a clinical trial are called “subjects” or “participants”. We generally conduct clinical trials on these products to determine if they are safe and effective for use by the general population. For example, pharmaceutical products must be tested in clinical trials before they are approved to be prescribed by a doctor.
Skills needed to perform this job are problem solving, interpersonal skills, and the ability to work as part of a team while being independent. The most important skill is clinical skills. That’s why nurses are ideal candidates for CRA positions and why many apply for positions and get them without any formal training or education as a CRA. However, it is recommended that you do increase your chances of getting a job as a CRA by taking a few courses offered by the following associations, your local community/technical college or any other entity offering classes.
Training for CRA is offered worldwide. If you can’t find something close to home, contact any of the associations here and they will guide you in the right direction.

The Best Resource

CenterWatch Clinical Trials Listing Service. This site has everything: Reading, training, jobs, associations, online training programs. www.centerwatch.com/index.html

Associations

Association of Clinical Research Professionals www.acrpnet.org
The Society of Clinical Research Associates, Inc www.socra.org
The Institute of Clinical Research www.instituteofclinicalresearch.org

Reading

From Test Tube to Patient: Improving Health Through Human Drugs. Published by the US Food and Drug Administration Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. (1999). http://www.fda.gov/fdac/special/newdrug/ndd_toc.html
So You Want to Be a CRA: A guide to careers in clinical Research (5th ed). Published by Ingenix Pharmaceutical Services (1999).
Stonier, PD (ed), Discovering New Medicines- Careers in Pharmaceutical Research and Development. John Wiley and Sons (1994).
Zivin, JA. Understanding Clinical Trials. Scientific American, April 2000 (p 69-75)
Spilker B. (1997) Guide to Clinical Trials. Philadelphia: Lippincott-Raven Publishers.
Centerwatch http://www.centerwatch.com/patient/backgrnd.html (go here for more information about clinical trials including an online glossary of terms)
Lui, M. and Davis, K. Lessons from a Horse Named Jim (2001) Duke Clinical Research Institute.

Education (These are just a few of the many programs offered throughout the US)

Certificate Program in Clinical Trials University of Washington, Seattle www.outreach.washington.edu/ext/certificates/cli/cli_gen.asp

Certified Clinical Research Associate McMaster University Continuing Education Department Hamilton, Ontario www.mcmaster.ca/conted/ccra/

UNC Chapel Hill School of Nursing Continuing Education Department Clinical Research Associate/Clinical Research Coordinator Course Chapel Hill, NC http://nursing.ce.unc.edu/schedule.html

Clinical Trials Research Associate Program Durham Technical Community College Durham, NC www.durhamtech.edu/html/prospective/programsofstudy/clintrialsqa.htm

Delaware Valley College Certificate Program Delaware, MA www.delval.edu/continuing/certs_cra.htm

The Norton Training Institute for Clinical Research Excellence Lexington, SC www.nortonaudits.com

Rutgers College of Nursing Clinical Research Associate/Clinical Research Coordinator Course Newark, NJ http://nursing.rutgers.edu/

Northwestern Center for Clinical Research Chicago, IL www.medschool.northwestern.edu/nccr/index.html



Who’s Hiring (this list is the tip of the iceburg)

Any, every and all academic medical centers have research and/or clinical trial departments

Quintiles www.quintiles.com

Sarah Cannon Research Institute www.sarahcannonresearch.com

Johnson & Johnson www.jnj.com

Abbott Laboratories www.abbott.com

Clinforce (staffing agency) www.clinforce.com/clinforce/

Prometrika (contact research organization) www.prometrika.com

Actavis www.actavis.com

Covance www.covancecareers.com

Delta-Pharma (staffing agency) www.delta-pharma.com