How Technology is Impacting Clinical Research Careers

As COVID reshapes the national work landscape, there are massive shifts in clinical research. Many technology advancements focus on enabling remote processes and refining workflows that will transform job roles for clinical research professionals.

In the third episode of The Next Phase: Exploring Innovation in Clinical Trials, host Blake Adams and ACRP Workforce Innovation Officer Beth Harper review the findings of a comprehensive study on (Clinical Research Associate) CRA and (Clinical Trial Associate) CTA competencies conducted by the Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP) and explore the lasting impacts of COVID and advancing technologies on clinical research.

ACRP Study on Clinical Research Training and Technology Benefits

In 2014, the Joint Task Force for Clinical Trial Competency developed a Core Competency Framework that represents “pillars of proficiencies” for professionals in clinical research, regardless of role. ACRP is working to develop role-specific guidelines for clinical research professionals to help map career pathways and to guide training and mentorship standards for organizations. 

In 2019, ACRP conducted a comprehensive study with over 500 respondents to answer a few key questions:

• How do CRAs perceive their competency gaps and how do they get those needs met? 
• How do managers and study team members who interact with CRAs perceive competency needs and gaps?
• How do the investigative sites, coordinators, and investigators perceive those gaps?

“We really were interested in looking at how CRAs themselves perceive their competency gaps and needs and how they get their needs met.” Beth Harper

With the goal of defining and refining competency guidelines, ACRP found that professionals weren’t being appropriately trained for technology advancements. One-third of respondents said systems weren’t intuitive or easy to access, and two-thirds said they didn’t feel adequately equipped with tools and training to do their jobs. (1)

“We can have all this great technology, we can have refined our processes and streamlined things, but at the end of the day, if we don’t have a skilled, empowered, and competent workforce to use all this technology efficiently, we’re just going to be stuck with these chronic delays. The time to develop new drugs hasn’t changed in decades.” Beth Harper

With progress in technology training and education, CRAs and CTAs can fill unique roles and reduce study timelines in the ever-evolving clinical research industry.

How have COVID and technology advancements changed the Clinical Research Industry?

Innovation blossomed when the pandemic forced remote processes, and as a result, there’s been a greater focus on communication and collaboration. 

With many stakeholders involved in a clinical trial, rapid, well-informed decision-making is vital. COVID has driven a sense of urgency. Beth Harper hopes that we can take this opportunity to improve on old “archaic bureaucratic” processes.

COVID has also emphasized the need for a diverse pool of research participants. Beth Harper says we need to, “bring research to the patients” and to different health systems and communities rather than just focus on research at expert facilities.

How does this impact clinical research professionals and where do they go from here?

While many people think of doctors or lab scientists first when considering careers in healthcare, there are many positions “between the bench and the bedside.,” and those roles are constantly changing. 

Beth Harper has some simple advice for those in the clinical research field: “Become aware of all the opportunities that exist.”

Remote work has also diversified the traditional role of the CRA. For example, CRAs can be centralized monitors or field-based. They can help manage regulatory documents, monitor studies, or analyze data.  With the introduction of wearables,, eRegulatory systems, and electronic informed consent, there’s ample opportunity for collaboration between research coordinators, participants, and sponsors.

“We are always going to need CRAs to go onsite, interact with investigators, train the investigators, and verify things onsite that can’t be done remotely.” Beth Harper

Whether you’d prefer working at the patient’s side, or working behind-the-scenes, ACRP offers many great resources at www.acrpnet.org to help clinical research professionals map their career paths. You can also listen to this complete podcast episode with Beth Harper anywhere you get your podcasts.

Want to keep up-to-date on COVID’s impact on clinical research and learn more about how technology is driving innovation? Subscribe to Florence’s podcast The Next Phase: Exploring Innovation in Clinical Trials.