How to forge a career in clinical research

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), in 2019 there were 56,848 clinical trials worldwide and in just 10 years that figure has increased by a factor of 20. This rising demand has caused a surge for clinical research professionals and has even presented new and exciting job opportunities that weren’t on the scene 10 years back.

With more companies investing in areas such as orphan drugs and infectious diseases, demand for these professionals is expected to continue rising, explaining why clinical research has become an attractive career. But with many diverse job roles available, knowing which career path is right for you has become harder to follow, so we’ve put together this information to help you understand how to forge a career in clinical research.

What qualifications will you need?

Being a highly scientific field, all jobs within clinical research require a strong academic background, typically a Bachelor’s Degree. However, due to the variety of jobs in clinical research, there are many different routes to take and accepted degrees include nursing, science, business, medicine and other related disciplines.

With a degree under your belt, you’re likely to have the right experience to join the workforce and start your clinical research career but some degrees will have had less exposure to clinical trials. In this case, it’s advantageous to gain a postgraduate qualification - such as a Masters of PhD - or to find some relevant work experience in academic research, laboratory work or medical sales.

There are alternative routes

There are other avenues to take which don’t include gaining a qualification. These include starting as a clinical data coordinator or clinical trials administrator and are a good way to show an employer that you’re interested in furthering your career in clinical research.

Which role is suited to you?

Here are some of the main roles within clinical research along with the experience and skillset you’ll need to kick-start your career:

Site Activation Lead

There’s a lot of work that goes on even before clinical research can begin and this is where a Site Activation Lead steps in. As a member of a Study Start Up Team, you’ll be involved in site initiation and site operations to ensure that physicians at research sites have everything they need to begin the clinical trial. In this role, you’ll need to be able to work with tight deadlines and have shown experience in a clinical research setting. A Bachelor’s Degree is preferred, however, relevant experience is an alternative option for forging a career as a Study Start Up Associate.