Career and Prospects of Clinical Research

A career in clinical research promises lucrative jobs in the country and abroad. At present, India is the most preferred hub for clinical trials among all the Asian countries.

Clinical Research is a sub-specialty of paramedical healthcare sciences. This is one of the booming industries with rewarding career options. The study plays a pivotal role in introducing new drugs into the mainframe pharmaceutical industry and in enhancing health statistics. In India, the scope for clinical research is raising its global standards to introduce new medicines and to cure various illnesses. The study of clinical research determines the effectiveness and the safety of medicines that are prescribed for various health problems, the safety of medical equipment, diagnostic products, etc. before they are released in the Market. In short, clinical research is referred to as the complete reference for a drug, biological test or a medical device. A career in clinical research promises lucrative jobs in the country and abroad. At present, India is the most preferred hub for clinical trials among all the Asian countries.

Major components of the course include:

• Study of the drugs and their composition
• Manufacture new drugs and medicines and their management
• Determine the appropriate drug dosages for different ailments
• Study the impact created by the drug on the body
• Advanced study of sub-specialties relevant to research such as data management, research, biostatistics, and epidemiology.

Eligibility Criteria:

At present the course is offered in three levels, Diploma in Clinical research (one-year full-time course) and as Bachelors and Master’s degree in clinical search.

For the Diploma course,

The candidate should have a minimum of 55% score in their graduation, preferably MBBs or BDS. Other qualifying degrees are Degree in Science, Pharmacology, Biotechnology, and Life sciences. Some of the universities conduction this course, also hold their entrance tests and admit students based on their performance in these tests.

For UG and Master’s degree,

B. Sc., in clinical research, is offered after 10+ 2 streams of education in select universities. Candidates should possess 50% marks in their +2 with science as their major subject.

M.Sc., in clinical research, is a 2-year post-graduate course. The Minimum eligibility criteria is a graduation degree in life sciences (Botany, zoology, toxicology, pharmacology, microbiology, biochemistry), BPT, B.Sc., in Nursing, etc. And the students should have 50% aggregate marks in their UG degree for course admissions.

Skillset required:

 As clinical research coordinators, these professionals are required to perform clinical trials on selected human samples. They are also required to help in the ongoing research and monitor the trials for reactions throughout the trial period. Thus, they need to possess certain skills such as,

• Ability to explain the trial procedure to the participants in a language and tone that they will understand.
• Be a keen observer with a keen eye on details
• Good persuasion and communication skills
• Take informed consent before starting the procedure.
• Deal with the participants legitimately and with respect
• Monitor vitals and record all the changes that the trails undergo
• Clear documentation of the entire procedure
• Coordinating with doctors and senior team members
• Understand the laws that govern clinical trials in the practising country and adhere to it.

Cost of the course:

The Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Research course is offered in a very limited number of colleges in India and the cost of the course can be anywhere between Rs. 3.5 lakhs to Rs. 7 Lakhs in India. The average tuition fee for M.Sc., in Clinical Research, ranges between Rs. 10000 to Rs. 2,00,000 depending on the nature of the institution.

Top Colleges offering Clinical research courses:

Clinical Research is a booming course in India with very few universities offering the course. The top places to study clinical research at the B.Sc and M.Sc levels are as follows,

Rank of the college	Name of the College	Course Fee
	Institute of Clinical Research, Bangalore	Rs. 3.45- Rs 5.65 lakhs
15	Jamia Hamdard University, New Delhi	Rs. 67,000
39	Saveetha Medical College, Chennai	Rs. 1,07,000
	Sharda University, Greater Noida	Rs. 90,000
	Amity University, Gurgaon	Rs. 95,650
13	Indian Institute of Public Health, Gurgaon	Rs. 69,000

Job roles and career prospects in Clinical Research:

A clinical research associate can take up different job roles at different levels within an organization. Novice professionals start their career as a clinical research administrator and move on to clinical research associate. The job roles of the CRA are at three levels depending on their expertise and experience. Also, there are a number of career options available within the field of clinical research, namely clinical research associate, clinical research managers, clinical research investigators, clinical data managers, research training manager, clinical research counselor, research site manager, account directors, clinical auditors, drug safety scientist, etc. The career prospects can be summarized as follows,

Name of the Job Role	Job description	Average Salary offered	Top Companies recruiting these professionals
Clinical research associate	Collects and preserves the data about different research trials	Rs. 3-4 LPA	Milagro clinical research, Pristyn research solutions
Clinical research coordinator	Implements and co-ordinates research and conduct trials	Rs. 3- 6 LPA	Integria clinical research, Chitern clinical research India Pvt Ltd.
Bio statistician	Using statistics and mathematics formulas to arrive at possible solutions for clinical trails	Rs. 2.5- 4 LPA	Atria Biosciences, Reckon solutions, Astra Zeneca India Pvt Ltd
Clinical research analyst	They study the effectiveness of a drug, medical equipment, etc. and conduct trails in health care settings	Rs. 2.5-5 LPA	Questra clinical research, panexcell clinical labs,
Clinical research manager	They are responsible for managing the clinical research department and oversee all the research studies	Rs. 11.5- 13 LPA	ICON clinical research, Apotex research Pvt Ltd

Pros and Cons of choosing a career in Clinical Research:

Pros:

• This is a very challenging and intellectually pleasing career
• This helps the scientist in establishing good networks with different hospitals
• There is tremendous scope for international exposure while conducting clinical trials

Cons:

• There are no fixed working hours
• There is a chance of disruption in personal life
• Sometimes the job may demand extensive travelling

Future Growth Prospects:

India is the second-largest Pharmaceutical hub in Asia. A rise of approximately 10% career enhancement in clinical research is anticipated in the coming years.  A number of multinational companies are sponsoring the research centers in India enhancing the rise of the clinical research industry. Hard work, practical knowledge, and good communication are all that takes to take an edge in the clinical research industry.