If you are interested in this as a career, it is assumed that you already have a medical background, as this is mandatory. Make sure that your resume is rewritten to highlight your research ability, as this is what the coordinators will be looking for. Your resume will be absolutely vital to the end result, as this is an extremely competitive field to get involved with and if your resume does not stand out, you probably will not have much success in the future.
You must be comfortable with being monitored constantly while you are on the job, so make sure that this is tolerable for you. Many people end up quitting very good clinical research jobs because they cannot stand being watched while they work, as it becomes a major distraction. You might even be able to accompany a current research for a day in the lab, which would give you the hands on experience you will need to be successful.
Another thing that those with jobs in clinical research must do is adjust their thought process significantly. This is because you will have to make sure that your sponsor's protocol is followed, in addition to following federal laws. Basically, you will be hired by companies who will want to you come to a certain result with their product. You, however, must make a commitment to both the company and to these federal laws, which can be a fine line to walk at certain times. When dealing with a publicly traded company, you will constantly be answering to people, which can bring a great deal of pressure to your job.
Finally, it is important to get yourself certified because even doctors need special certification in order to participate in some clinical trials. While some companies will hire you without this certification, most of them will require you to go through with this extra training, just to put their minds at ease. Basically, those that do the hiring for these clinical research jobs want you to be as qualified as possible because the long term success of the company could be dependent on how well you do your job. This can be a highly rewarding career for a great number of people, but it can also cause many problems for the person if they have shareholders breathing down their necks. Therefore, it is wise to make sure that you are cut out for this career before you take the plunge and get started.
