Clinical Research Coordinator or Master's Degree?

[McGillian]

Hey all,

Currently holding a position as a CRC and applying to med. If it doesn't work out for me this year, I have to figure out what to do next year. I'm considering doing an M.Sc or an MPH, ooor I could (hopefully) keep this job. Anyone could chime in and give their opinion on this? Will a M.Sc really help or is it just a waste of time? What about MPH? CRC offers me lots of clinical experience and I'm working for a very prominent PI.

Thanks!

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[Snakes]

This is off-topic, but what do you do as a CRC exactly? I know what the technical job description is but was wondering exactly what the job entails. Do you get any co-authorship on pubs your PI publishes?

 

[phunky]

This is off-topic, but what do you do as a CRC exactly? I know what the technical job description is but was wondering exactly what the job entails. Do you get any co-authorship on pubs your PI publishes?

Typically yes, if you work directly on the project. It's important to be very direct about your goals of getting published and asking about opportunities to do so when looking for jobs though.

I'm 16 months into a research assistant/coordinator gig, and while I have a couple projects in the pipeline, nothing will be published by the time I leave for medical school. Research can be EXTREMELY slow. While I am sure my PI's recommendation helped me immensely in getting accepted, I think a lack of any kind of publication really hurt me at higher tiered schools.

 

[McGillian]

This is off-topic, but what do you do as a CRC exactly? I know what the technical job description is but was wondering exactly what the job entails. Do you get any co-authorship on pubs your PI publishes?

It really depends on your lab.
I would not get co-authorship on publications at my workplace, simply because we don't really publish much. We run clinical trials for pharmaceutical companies. I'm involved in pretty much every step, from the recruitment of patients up to the post-trial follow-ups. I'm the contact person for the patients, their physicians, the sponsors, monitors, regulatory agencies, etc.

You can PM me if you want more info!