Hilary Cocker - Royal High School Bath 1987 - 1990

Clinical Research Associate (CRA)

The role of the CRA is to provide support in all areas of the clinical development process. This can involve a wide variety of tasks, but the major part of the job is spent making sure that clinical trials are running smoothly and according to plan. Once a trial is running, the CRA is the main contact between the doctor and the company and checks that the trial is being run according to Good Clinical Practice (GCP), an international standard for clinical trials. This involves regular visits to hospitals and clinics to check and collect patient data, check medication is being used correctly and to check that the patients are being treated in accordance with the strict guidelines for the trial. Whilst in the office, tasks are varied but include dealing with problems at the hospitals, report writing, co-ordinating drug supplies and co-ordinating the trial payments. On average, I spend two days a week visiting sites within the UK and Ireland and because many of the studies are international, I travel abroad about once a month for meetings and conferences. At the moment I work solely on oncology studies because of my background, but most CRAs work in a variety of therapeutic areas. The company I work for has a good career structure, with three CRA grades (CRA, Senior CRA and Principal CRA). Promotion is achieved through a combination of ability and experience and many CRAs eventually become Clinical Study Managers and Clinical Project Managers. Your level of qualification does not usually affect promotion at lower levels, but many of the people in senior posts have a postgraduate qualification.

I have now been working as a CRA in a pharmaceutical company for 18 months and this is my first full-time job. I have A levels in Biology, Chemistry, Maths and Geography and did a degree in Natural Sciences at Cambridge, specialising in pharmacology in my final year. I then did a PhD in molecular pharmacology at the Institute of Cancer Research (University of London) before starting my current job. I found this job by writing directly to pharmaceutical companies and applying to adverts in clinical research publications and the scientific press. It is difficult to become a CRA without any experience of clinical trials, and a masters degree or PhD definitely helps. A relevant degree in biological/clinical sciences or a nursing background is virtually essential and any knowledge of clinical sciences eg. pharmacy, disease pathology, medical procedures, blood testing is an advantage. It is possible to gain experience in roles such as Clinical Trials Administrator, which is similar to a CRA but with less varied tasks, less responsibility and no travelling.

Unfortunately I am unable to offer work experience due to the nature of the job. However, I am happy to be contacted for further advice via the Minerva Network Development Office.