I been wondering about CROs and Sponsor companies. What do sponsor companies contract CROs for - make up for resource shortfalls (eg no staff in a specific country), make up for lack of experience, (eg in running clinical trials in certain indications or phases) or because it is more cost effective?

I work a lot with both pharma and CROs and rarely do I hear a positive word about CROs. It seems the general feeling from Pharma is that CROs 'flog' their CRAs, and usually brand new starter CRAs, to be monitoring as much as is physically possible, up to the point where after 6 months they want to be a Senior CRA, don't get the position and leave to get it elsewhere. If this is true there are some considerable questions about the careers of CRAs as a good CRA needs to see a trial through from beginning to end, face the consequences of their actions and learn from them, rather than jump ship to progress their career.

Now this may seem a bit of CRA and CRO bashing but these are my observations from the week. 

The career path of a CRA seems to be CRA - Senior CRA - Project Manager - then either Freelancer, QA, or CRA Manager. While this is a sensible path the new CRA must consider this to be a good 10-15 years and not 5 years which seems to be the current thinking. No matter what the young CRAs think, until you have been through at least a dozen trials from beginning to end (and end is the archiving of all sites and final reports) they do not have the experience to progress.

Probably get lots of comments disagreeing but you compare the 'grey hairs' of the freelancers and Senior People with the 1/2/3 year old CRAs and you realise there is a huge gap in experience.

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A little cruel but I do understand where you are coming from.

I think a lot of people in both CRO and Pharma have moved on before the end of a trial and don't face the consequences. I have to say I think freelance staff are perhaps more experienced but less involved, not through their own choice, but by virtue of their role which is hired help.

Perhaps a stock interview question for CRAs should be 'How Many Trials have you seen through to the very very end?'

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I have to say I agree with a lot of what you say.  There is a bit of a paradox going on - on one hand there is a shortage of experienced CRAs and on the other you have CRAs being promoted far too quickly or moving company for a promotion and passing on their inexperience to the next lot!  Also not many companies - either CROs or Pharma are prepared to take on brand new CRAs and train them up.

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drdave - very very good words. so so true that consequential training is non-existant for CRAs. The question for you and PP is how do you find out those who can from those who 'say they can' at a CRA interview?

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You could try testing them as part of the recruitment process?  Find out how much they know about GCP - get them to do the quizzes on this site - or the PharmaSchool one.  I think PharmaSchool also has a sister company that does online GCP testing.  Also you could run interviews more along assessment centre lines and get them to do role play and/or case studies. 

The other thing is though that if a company were prepared to take on new people they could then train them up the right way and get them working the way they want them to in a fairly short timescale if they had a decent training programme.  Maybe it's better to "grow your own"??!!

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Dear,

I don't know why do you say that, but I consider the time is not the main cause to promove the people, specially CRAs. You shoud consider the efficiency, efficacy, training and of course the experience. Not necessarily CRA with 10 or more years of experience will be better than CRA with 5 years.

Thanks

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Dear,

I don't know why do you say that, but I consider the time is not the main cause to promove the people, specially CRAs. You shoud consider the efficiency, efficacy, training and of course the experience. Not necessarily CRA with 10 or more years of experience will be better than CRA with 5 years.

Thanks

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