Clinical Research Assistant Job Description, Key Duties and Responsibilities

This post presents detailed information on the clinical research assistant job description, including the key duties, tasks, and responsibilities they commonly perform.

It also highlights the important requirements you may be asked to fulfill to be hired for the clinical research assistant role by most recruiter/employer.

What Does a Clinical Research Assistant Do?

A clinical research assistant, CRA, is responsible for providing quality patient care and service to the clinical research clients and the healthcare providers.

The clinical research assistant job description involves working closely with doctors, nurses, and other technicians in performing clinical and laboratory procedures.

It also entails conducting pre-study testing in accordance with protocols.

Clinical research assistants also document results of testing in a medical record of the assigned patient and notify medical staff, X-ray technicians, lab personnel, or nursing staff immediately if there is any unexpected result discovered during their daily duties.

They provide technical expertise by maintaining a professional attitude towards clients and all healthcare providers within their scope of practice in accordance to guidelines, regulations, programs of care (POC) and established business practices.

It is also their responsibility to provide regular reports on patients’ condition, including vital signs and symptoms.

They collect and record data in compliance with regulatory requirements and ensure that data is stored and maintained in a secure location at the site of care.

Clinical research assistants create records by documenting their various activities throughout the day, which requires medical terminology to describe findings or procedures performed during the day on patients of all ages or illnesses.

They maintain records of patient care, procedures, and treatments to ensure accuracy, as well as provide a record for future reference.

CRAs ensure that all patient records are maintained in a secure location and in accordance to HIPAA policies and guidelines.

One of their duties involve assisting patients by providing or arranging transportation, such as ambulances or wheelchairs; helping them with eating or drinking; providing comfort measures, medication reminders and information on medical insurance coverage.

Clinical research assistants work closely with staff as they develop and implement a plan to meet the study’s objectives and goals.

Providing a variety of services to staff and ancillary departments, such as food service, laundry, housekeeping and security departments is also part of their duties.

The clinical research assistant work description may entail maintaining records of findings or procedures performed during studies at all times.

It also involves maintaining regulatory compliance by following government regulations, research protocols, and business practices to ensure that the organization is operating in accordance with current industry standards.

Clinical research assistants work in accordance with the policies of the facility where they are employed and will ensure that those policies are adhered to at all times.

They assist clinical laboratory staff in performing tests and procedures, such as taking blood, drawing blood, processing blood, and providing other lab services.

Attending scheduled training seminars, workshops, and other educational courses is a part of their tasks.

Clinical research assistants must maintain a professional attitude at all times and conduct themselves in a manner that is consistent with the standards of the medical industry.

They provide high quality patient care and service to the clinical research clients and healthcare providers.

It is their duty to ensure that all patient records are maintained to ensure accuracy and provide a record for future reference.

They work closely with the physicians, nurses, other technicians and patients in performing clinical and laboratory procedures.

Clinical Research Assistant Job Description Sample/Example/Template

The clinical research assistant job description consists of the following duties, tasks, and responsibilities:

• Conducts patient evaluation
• Organizes patient visits
• Provides patient care in a variety of settings (e.g., physician office, university clinic, hospital)
• Performs demographic and physical assessments of patients
• Provides patient education
• Collaborates with other clinical research assistants and staff within the department
• Collects data for study protocols
• Maintains medical records
• Conducts quality review of medical records and research data
• Provides study-related information to patients during research studies
• Prepares patients for procedures/treatments
• Prepares study-related materials using laboratory equipment (e.g., blood pressure cuff, stethoscope, and otoscope)
• Takes blood samples from patients for testing (e.g., EKG, x-rays, laboratory tests)
• Collects specimens (e.g., urine samples) from patients for testing (e.g., urine test)
• Supports other clinical research assistants
• Documents observations and information generated during patient care
• Performs clerical tasks (e.g., data entry, typing, etc.)
• Continues health education with patients
• Assists nurses in the clinic setting or on hospital units as needed for a variety of tasks (e.g., patient care, record keeping).

Clinical Research Assistant Job Description for Resume

If you have worked before as a clinical research assistant or are presently working in that role and are making a resume or CV for a new job, you can make the Professional Experience section for the resume by applying the sample clinical research assistant job description provided above.

You can express the duties and responsibilities you have performed as a clinical research assistant or are presently carrying out by applying the ones provided in the above clinical research assistant job description template.

This can easily convince the employer/recruiter that you have been effective on the clinical research assistant job, which can greatly influence them to grant you an interview and hire you for the job that you are seeking, especially if it requires having some clinical research assistant work experience.  

Clinical Research Assistant Requirements: Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities for Career Success

Here are important requirements you may be expected to meet to be hired by most employers/recruiters for the clinical research assistant role:

• Good oral and written communication skills
• Good time management and organizational skills
• Supervisory capacity and ability to take direction from superiors
• Computer literacy in working with Excel and Word
• Basic mathematics, typing, and computer knowledge
• Ability to pay attention to details in work environment (e.g., accuracy of data collection)
• Travel required throughout the country
• Bachelor’s degree in medical field (e.g., medicine, nursing, public health)
• License to practice in the state of employment (e.g., state of Florida)
• Ability to communicate and relate effectively with co-workers and patients
• Valid driver’s license
• Excellent customer service skills
• Ability to work full time, holidays, and overtime when needed.

Clinical Research Assistants Salary

According to Glassdoor, the national average compensation for a clinical research assistant in the United States is $41,677 per year.

Conclusion

The role of the CRA offers a person with an interest in scientific research and patient care a unique opportunity for employment.

Clinical research assistants are an integral part of the process that moves medical discoveries from research to application with patients.

The clinical research assistant also provides highly skilled professional service to clients and healthcare providers.

This post is useful to individuals who are interested in the clinical research assistant career.

They will be able to learn all they need to know about the duties and responsibilities of the job and so be able to decide if it’s the right career for them.

It is also helpful to recruiters/employers in making a detailed job description for the clinical research assistant position in their organizations for use in hiring for the role.