Clinical Research Project Manager – Overview
Clinical research project managers play an important role in keeping clinical trials on track and under budget.
Clinical project research management is a complex discipline requiring formal training and is not merely a soft skill.
If you’re planning to become a clinical project manager (CPM), it is crucial to understand the essential skills and experience needed to become a successful research project manager.
What are the responsibilities of a Clinical Research Project Manager?
As a clinical research project manager, your main job involves planning and managing everything related to a clinical trial.
Research trials evaluate the effectiveness and safety of medicinal drugs, devices and in-vitro diagnostic techniques. All these combine to support marketing claims or regulatory submissions.
For a clinical trial to succeed, a CPM must manage a team of Clinical Specialists and Clinical Research Associates (CRA). The CPM is the common point between clinical trial sites and study sponsors.
Successful CPMs understand the intricacies of project management techniques. This is incredibly important when leading a multi-disciplinary research team. Ideally, a CPM should also have the leadership capacity.
This is because their responsibilities may involve training the team, evaluating staff performance and helping resolve issues with the clinical trial.
Additionally, CPMs also need to have excellent communication skills. This way, a CPM can create and sustain relationships with investigators, sponsors and research staff with equal ease.
When you get promoted to CPM from a CRA, the writing and analytical skills you gain as a CRA are also crucial to know for a CPM.
Experienced CPMs are also expected to have sufficient knowledge of the financial aspects of research studies. This includes knowing everything about invoice reviewing, regular accounting tasks and creating a feasible budget for the research trial.
In some cases, a CPM may also be required to participate in statistical analysis and create data documentation, which is essential for registration, approval, and marketing clearance.
What is the Career Scope for Clinical Research Project Manager?
There is an incredible demand for CPMs in the US and numerous other countries. As global regulations on clinical trials become stringent, there is an increasing demand for successful and experienced clinical project managers.
As a CPM, you can work in numerous industrial niches. Your job prospects may include working in companies that make pharmaceutical drugs, medical devices or in-vitro diagnostic equipment.
You will mainly deal with managing the trial study or supervising a clinical research project.
In addition, CPMs can also work for academic institutions or non-profit healthcare-centric organizations as the lead for clinical research projects.
How to become a Clinical Research Project Manager?
A bachelor’s degree in a relevant scientific field is typically required to become a clinical research project manager.
PMs can come from a variety of educational fields and backgrounds. Usually, you need to acquire a bachelor’s degree in science, such as life sciences, health, bioengineering or biology.
It becomes easier to enter the medical research industry if you have advanced educational qualifications, such as MS, PhD, MBA, or MD. However, you also need relevant project management, clinical trial experience, and educational qualifications.
Candidates who are also adept at writing scientific documents, such as study protocols, have an added advantage over their peers.
As a CPM, you will be expected to work in high-pressure environments. Hence, you should know about Good Clinical Practice and similar regulatory requirements.
This is highly valuable if you have previously worked with the IRB (Institutional Review Board) or EC (Ethics Committee).
A CRA with extensive experience, often several years, is considered ideal for transitioning to a CPM role, though specific time frames can vary.
How to apply for a CPM job?
Your CV should clearly show your previous relevant experience. Highlight your relevant experience with clinical trials and your contribution to achieving the study objectives.
If your CV is well-organized and error-free, it also acts to your advantage because it shows you have an eye for detail. This is a crucial aspect of a successful clinical project leader.
Utilizing job search engines and networking within the industry are effective strategies for finding job opportunities for CPMs.
See Also
How to Become a Clinical Trial Manager
What Surgeon Makes the Most Money
Best Non Clinical Physician Jobs
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