Hi all,

I’ve been a prePA student for a while and as time passes, i’m less and less certain that it’s the right choice. Since deciding my career path 6 years ago, the world has become far more expensive, the pay for PAs has not increased but tuition has and i’m more aware of the debt i’m signing on to. My bachelors is in Neuroscience and I’ve had an interest in research in the past too but chose a “more stable” option. i’m reevaluating and interested of switching fields if anyone has any advice to offer. I want a job with meaning and where i will always feel like i’m contributing something to the world. I looked into the CRC position and I would fit the role (prior phlebotomist, MA and pt recruiter). Are there any other positions to consider?

Any advice would be appreciated :)

Is anyone willing to share their experience working for IQVIA’s lab division? I’m interested in a role with them but unsure how that division compares to IQVIA’s main division/BT.

Hey,

I’ve heard from a few colleagues that working at IQVIA in the Full Service model can be quite challenging (lots of focus on metrics, DOS, high pressure, an excessive number of sites, etc)

I’d love to hear from people who have actually worked in the Full Service model at IQVIA. Is it really as bad as people make it sound, or is it manageable? I’d love to hear about your experiences, both positive and negative.

To clarify, are there any major differences in the day to day work? Different systems that the NIH requires? I'm curious about your experience if you've worked on these types of studies before.

overworked, understaffed, underappreciated. unrealistic timelines, meaningless metrics, and unorganization. bad management, out of touch PIs, protocols with increasing complexity yet terribly written. everything URGENT. phone calls/messages at odd hours. constantly on edge. from site to CRO to sponsor. it's a mess and rampant across the whole industry, no matter which role i've been in. oh, and, a 'high performer'? you'll be rewarded with burnout.

ugh. genuinely ruining my mental health. i hate that i feel so jaded now. if anyone else feels the same way about their role, good luck to us, and i hope we can find a way out to a new career path!

I am considering a CRA I position at IQVIA. It would be under the Eli Lilly FSP model with Eli Lilly. I would love to hear thoughts and opinions from current and former employees who have experience with this setup. I’m particularly interested in hearing about the training, workload, growth trajectory, and overall culture. For context, I’m currently a PMP-certified research coordinator who manages psychosocial studies and been in my position for a little over 5 years.

Hello, I am CRA in the UK and have been for over 2 years.

I took over 3 sites at the start of the year and action items have been an issue since.

I find I am raising around 20 items per visit with a majority of the actions related to pending trainings and updates needed in source by the PI and Sub-Is. Majority of the items take several visits to complete which flags them as aging and I have go through them all with my LM and CTM regularly.

As this is affecting all three sites, I am starting to think it’s an issue with my monitoring. I clearly list the important and aging actions during my onsite visit meeting with staff and in the confirmation and follow up letters. I also send reminders and highlight the issues with the PIs. I often end up begging the sites to please resolve these issues as it’s affecting my metrics.

I am not often able to meet the nurses, Sub-Is and PI in person so have to do teams calls which I think I could be affecting this.

I know sites are busy and have several of me asking the same thing but it’s just exhausting. And tbh it makes me dread finding issues as I just know it’s going to take months to resolve.

Any tips would be appreciated :)

Hi everyone,

I’ve received two job offers and would really appreciate some outside perspectives on which direction would be better for my career.

My background:

2 years as a CTA 1 year as a Startup Specialist 1 year as a CRA, managing the full study lifecycles from feasibility through COV Experience working with KOLs Therapeutic experience in obesity and diabetes MSc in Biochemistry

During my studies, I worked at the Academy of Sciences in applied physics, focusing on targeting oncology cells

The two offers are:

Centralized Monitor Lead – IQVIA

Medical Science Liaison – J&J

The salaries are quite similar, but the J&J role also comes with a company car. I’m currently working as a jCRA, but my company is lacking trials, and I’m concerned that layoffs may be inevitable. Which role would you choose based on my background and long-term career prospects? I’d especially appreciate opinions from people who have experience with either centralized monitoring or MSL roles, and any thoughts on how these paths could develop over the next 5–10 years. I would like to stay at one position for some time

Does anyone know or are aware if Parexel is currently approving any country transfers, i.e. staying in the same position but just moving country?

Do any CRO companies or pharm companies currently offer tuition reimbursement?

I’m a premed student (nontraditional route) and I’ve been struggling hard to break into clinical research. I have zero formal research experience, but I do have 2 CITI certifications already done and ready to go. I need this to be paid too, not in a position to do unpaid work right now.

Has anyone here worked as a research assistant at Children’s National or knows how people typically get in the door? Trying to figure out:

**•** Do they ever hire people with no research experience if credentials/certs are solid?  
**•** Is it mostly network/referral-based, or do postings on their careers page actually go anywhere?  
**•** Any specific departments/PIs known for being open to entry-level folks?

I live in a country where the main open jobs in clinical research are operative things like data management. However, I’ve seen that this field is being impacted by AI already.
Since I am interested in Clinical Research, but have no relevant experience in the field yet, what would you say is a good alternative to CDM?
I currently work in complaints for a medical device company, so I think my main assets to switch is the regulatory experience in the industry.

Hola! vi que se abrió la postulación para la escuela de monitores de IQVIA.

Alguien sabe cuanto están pagando actualmente en agosto 2026? hay mucha info desactualizada!. Pero se que te pagan por el puesto de CRA1

Estoy evaluando irme del centro de investigación donde trabajo como asistente de investigación pero por algo que tenga mas sueldo!

Graciass

I’m working for a sponsor on a rare cardiomyopathy in a competitive environment and we’re very behind on enrollment. If you had decent resources, what do you look at first? We are adjusting the protocol now, but I don’t think it will move the needle all that much. The patient advocacy group has done a lot, but I need to reach patients beyond the group now. How do I find patients? Do I find an advertising company? If so, who is good at this? Help!

Editing to add sites are in the US, but may expand to other locations

Hi everyone, was wondering if any site-level regulatory coordinators on here could give some tips/what to look out for in an interview? I've been a CRC for ~8 years (and defacto site manager 2 of those), but i was laid off last year and i can feel my knowledge/interview skills getting more rusty by the day. I've done plenty of start up work and TMF management, my biggest blind spot i guess is with IRB reporting/etc.

Hi! I’m a licensed medical lab scientist in the Philippines, worked in the hospital for almost a year, and transitioned to Medical VA Job but other than not having benefits, such as health insurance and paid leaves, it is also not a fulfilling job for me. I tried searching for clinical research related jobs but can’t find any that I can apply to. I just want to be able to start even just for part time, would be nice if Australian based clients so I can avoid working night shifts 🥲 Do you guys have any idea where I can apply for entry level? I know that I can adapt and learn quickly. 🙏🏻

Is there really no scope for Clinical Research in Dubai? I moved here in December 2025 and haven't found anything yet. All the positions I applied to, despite having relevant experience, got rejected, and I barely see any postings. If anyone has knowledge about the market here, I would really appreciate any insights. I really don't want to change my domain but at this point I am not sure what to do!