FAQ

Questions

Answers

How is this course different from other courses in Clinical Research?
The course offers valuable hands-on experience with full professional support to compliment the theory.

How does your course compare in price to others offered in this field? 
We pay you a trainee salary instead of you paying us for training. 

What is the typical background of students enrolling in this program? 
Graduates with a BSc, MSc and/or PhD who lack experience in Clinical Research, or healthcare professionals who would like to take their career to the next level. 

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What is the structure of the course? 
Part I is a free-of-charge 3 day training course entitled “Introduction to Clinical Trial Practice” and is given by the Institute of Clinical Research (ICR). The ICR provides our training so candidates can be guaranteed of a high quality and accredited course. 

Part II is a 3-month long (or longer) training placement within a client office shadowing an experienced CRA. This involves working within the client office performing CRA administrative activities and also monitoring at sites. The objective is to obtain hands-on experience through a structured framework, and details are included in a set of customised manuals (one for each of the Client, Trainee and country Clinical Coach). This ensures that every party involved in the programme knows what to expect.

  • Month 1activities: Reading SOPs & protocols, informing on therapeutic information, digesting material, asking questions, observing and interacting within the departments.
  • Month 2/3 activities: Taking an active role in some of the tasks whilst being supervised by your mentor(s).

Please note that a traineeship may take longer then 3 months when a company prefers to retain a trainee for a longer time period. It is therefore possible that traineeships can take up to a year. 

Part III involves the potential offer of a job as a Junior CRA either on the Client headcount directly, or via a DOCS contract with the client. Although this is not a job guarantee, rest assured that after you have undertaken our traineeship you will be an attractive prospect in the job market. 

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How long is the programme? 
The part of the programme that concentrates on hands on experience can last anywhere between 3 months to 1 year. The theoretical part of the programme lasts 3 days. 

Is there a large market for this industry? 
There is a continuous growing demand for experienced CRA’s. After following our program all our trainees currently have a job as a CRA. 

What are the starting salaries for CRA’s? 
This will depend on the country in which you will be working. 

To obtain employment do I have to travel? 
Yes, a major part of the daily activities for a CRA is visiting different sites. For most CRA’s this means travelling in your own country quite often. International travel would be required for international CRAs.

Will I have to relocate for a job? 
If your live near your client company or can get to work on a daily basis in a timely manner then you may probably not have to relocate. However it's worth recognising that companies may expect a junior CRA to be available in the office on a regular daily basis for at least a year after starting employment. 

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Will I have a job after completing this program? 
You may receive a CRA job offer from the client company if you are considered suitable. If you are not offered a CRA job from the client company then DOCS International will endeavour to place you with one of its other clients.

Is the CRA course aimed only at a career in the pharmaceutical sector?
Most placings are with pharmaceutical companies or CRO. We do have some clients within Medical Devices. However, quite few. 

I saw that the length of the traineeship may vary. Can we decide whether to accept or refuse a traineeship longer than three months - I mean, do we have a certain width of choice?
Of course, we try to keep in account your wishes. However, although we do have clients who take on trainees from us every year, we also have to look for placements. To make the placements run smoother it easier when a candidate is flexible. 

Does the traineeship take place in the same country as the course or it can vary?
Always the same country. Since one aspect of the 3-day course is local law.

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How much is the traineeship salary? Does it vary according to the country of training?
The trainee salary varies between each country, but if you are following a three-month traineeship, it is about the same as the salary when you are working on your Phd. If you would be a trainee for a longer period of time, it will be market conform with a starter Clinical Medical. Variations between countries exist and they are based on market value. Your Talent Coordinator can tell you more.

How long after the course does the traineeship start?
It depends. As I have mentioned previously, we do have clients who take on trainees on a regulatory basis right after the training. Sometime we have to look for a placement and it could take longer. 

Do I have to pay something for the course? I have understood that I must pay it back only if I get a job independently.
The course and membership of the ICR is free for our trainees. 

When is the closing date for the application for the course in UK? When do I have to ultimately choose the location of the course/traineeship?
The closing date is before august 28th. Right now you are in our database as applied for the September course in the UK. 

Do you provide any support in finding accommodation?
We only arrange hotel accommodation during the 3-day course. We don't have the expertise to find suitable housing for you.

Do you provide traineeships for any other jobs in Clinical Research?
In the future we aim to have more programmes like for Project Managers, Regulatory Affairs Officers, Data Managers …. Please visit our website regularly to see if we have new offers.

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