How to Become a Clinical Research Assistant

To become a CRA with no experience requires work experience. To become a clinical research associate (CRA) requires only a high school diploma and work experience.

To become a certified CRA with a high school diploma, you will need somewhere between 3,000 and 3,500 hours of work experience.

These candidates often start in support positions assisting a more experienced or certified CRA with mundane tasks. An entry-level worker can earn increased responsibilities through a demonstrated capacity to learn the regulations, protocols, and ethical considerations.

Requirements to become a certified CRA with no degree include:

• Complete two full-time years of CRA work within five years, or 3,500 hours of part-time work ACRP CCRA

• Complete 3,000 hours performing essential duties

• Submit a resume documenting and demonstrating job performance

Clinical research assistants make $39,492 a year, on average. That equates to $18.99 an hour. This pay is extremely low compared with other technical careers and careers requiring a college degree. That is because it is an entry-level role that provides essential training.

The average pay range for clinical research assistants is $29,000 to $53,000 annually. The pay varies based on location, industry, and other demographics.

Clinical research assistant pay varies based on location. Clinical research assistants average less than $40,000 annually in over half of the U.S. states, with Nebraska and Utah paying the lowest.

The highest-paying states for clinical research assistants are:

• Maine: 59,507

• Connecticut: 57,961

• Delaware: $53,042

Clinical research assistant pay varies based on industry, with those working in pharmaceuticals, health care, and education yielding the highest average annual salaries.

Clinical research pay also varies along demographic lines. More specifically, Asian clinical research assistants make roughly 10% more than other races. And doctoral-level clinical research assistants make roughly 10% more than those with bachelor's degrees.

The qualifications you need to be a research assistant are a bachelor's degree (or in the process of earning one) and a keen interest in the research process.

The duties of a research assistant can vary throughout the life of a research project. In the early stages, you may be required to look for grants or funding opportunities. Many research projects cannot be undertaken without funding from an overseeing body such as a government department, research council, or private company.

Research assistants can be asked to prepare supporting material and help develop a proposal to secure funding.

Research assistants may also be responsible for planning the research project, coordinating tasks, preparing surveys, scheduling interviews, and identifying statistical models and analysis techniques to use.

In the middle stages of the project, research assistants may collect, analyze and interpret data. To do this, they will use data analysis techniques and use graphs, tables, and charts to present key findings.

Finally, towards the end of the project, they may need to prepare a written discussion of the findings and help produce reports or articles. The research team may need to present the outcome of the research project at a conference to the funding agency or any other interested parties.

Research assistants commonly help prepare material such as presentation slides and posters for these conferences. Also, they help in carrying out the following;

• Carrying out experiments and research in alignment with protocols set by senior team members.

• Collecting and recording data.

• Conducting analyses of datasets.

• Preparing models to display results.

• Reviewing academic literature.

• Creating presentations based on key results.

• Fact-checking, editing, and proofreading research documents for accuracy and consistency.

• Maintaining laboratory equipment and inventory.

• Recruiting study participants.