It was just another weekend, when i bumped into this inquisitive young, just out of college chap, who asked me about how does it feel like being a CRA. Initially i was zapped, as most of the people i came across barely knew that there exists something called a clinical research associate & there are very few shoulders who would consider taking it up as their career. Well at first i got a little nostalgic as it reminded me of the good old Mount Carmel days....the dough nuts & the basket ball court!
A day in the life of a CRA - Wake up, gobble the morning tea, pack your laptop & the monitoring notes in your bag. Follow up with your cabby if he has reached anywhere near your residence. Get to the airport an hour early. You hear an announcement that your flight has been delayed (tell me something new ! :)). Huffing & puffing carrying your heavy laptops bag, you manage to pass through the security check, & board the flight. After the turbulence & the coarse landing, you grab a taxi to commute to the site by 9 am & guess what you make it! Gives you a good feeling early in the morning, pat yourself for being punctual & thanks to the captain & ATC!!
Pick up your phone, buzz the study coordinator, he picks after 3 rings (:)). You say thank heavens, he received the call! Then you meet the Study Coordinator, check everything you were supposed to, finish up the work, make a list of pending action items to follow up. There enters the Doc, gives you full 3-5 mins, you gotta be a robot, just memorize all u got to discuss & head back to the airport (you skipped breakfast & lunch, had some energy bars if you have carried them), get home just before the clock strikes 11.
And then i see the chap looking pale & confused & almost certain that we wouldn't consider becoming a site monitor. I smiled at him & told him that the bright side of this is ...You learn time management, planning, mitigation & contingency building, & will become a follow up expert!
It is all about Making a Difference to Patients lives!! And each day is a new day bringing in a different experience, new challenges, you get to become a word, excel & powerpoint whizzard and a CTMS superuser, whats' more? You get to visit different cities & states & it is an extremely interesting job to do once you get the hang of things!
It is all about Making a Difference to Patients lives!! And each day is a new day bringing in a different experience, new challenges, you get to become a word, excel & powerpoint whizzard and a CTMS superuser, whats' more? You get to visit different cities & states & it is an extremely interesting job to do once you get the hang of things!
He then sighs, and says, 'i think CRA's job involves high burn out due to travelling & certainly not a job to do if you have a family'. I just replied,'Well, it is a job to do if u have a family, because you get to be away from them & realize how important they are for you, you will begin to value them even more!!
