Meet Katherine, Clinical Research Associate II

What does a day in the life of your role look like?

The CRA role at Parexel is a dynamic adventure, far from a typical 9-5 job. Every day brings something new, making it incredibly engaging. I would usually spend 1-3 days a week onsite at the hospital performing patient and study data review, helping sites close data queries and meeting with study coordinators, principal investigators and pharmacists to discuss study updates and any pending issues at the site. Other days when I do not travel, I would write my reports, follow up on emails, perform remote monitoring visits, attend study meetings and prepare for the next monitoring visits.

What part of your job are you passionate about and would like to share?

This role is a constant learning journey – you'll never find yourself bored! I get to dive into various therapeutic areas, expanding my knowledge of diseases and cutting-edge treatments. But the most rewarding part? We're actively supporting the development of breakthrough treatments that can save lives. There's nothing quite like hearing a doctor or nurse say that a patient is improving – it's moments like these that remind me why I chose this career!

What skills are needed to be successful within your team?

Success as a CRA requires a diverse skill set and a willingness to embrace challenges. It's about being adaptable, thinking critically, and mastering the art of stress and time management. Because 50% of our job involves traveling, we need to be affective in our time management and organization skills. Additionally, arriving to site organized, prepared and knowing the protocol will set you up for a successful visit. As we get limited time to be onsite, we need to make sure we are able to complete the important tasks, document important issues and protocol deviations. However, depending on the visit we can always face an unexpected situation, which can change our whole initial plan, therefore being able to adapt to different situations and use our critical thinking is very important. Additionally, building our relationships with our nurses, study coordinators and principal investigators is very important for the site to want to continue working with us and meet our deadlines. As CRA we need to be able to read the room, adapt our communication, be supportive and respond in appropriate way depending on the situation and who we are talking to.

What do you want candidates to know about your role before accepting an offer?

This role requires versatility and comfort with being pushed out of your comfort zone. It's fast-paced and demands excellent planning skills. While challenging, it's incredibly rewarding for those passionate about clinical research and improving patient lives.

Has there been a project you've worked on that has been rewarding and how?

I was entrusted with managing the highest recruiting site in a large vaccine study, with over 200 enrolled participants! While it was certainly challenging, it significantly enhanced my site management and organizational skills. I also recently had a sponsor audit at this site with no GCP findings, which was very rewarding as all the hard work was paid off! Additionally, Parexel also makes sure you get recognized for all the hard work you do which is very rewarding and motivating to continue delivering.

Why did you choose the Clinical Research industry?

I studied MSci in Biomedical Science with Pharmacology in Aberdeen. I have always wanted to work in a clinical research industry but not directly in the labs. I had an opportunity to do an industrial placement year as a study and site management undergraduate for a top pharmaceutical company where I had a chance to gain insight in how clinical trials are being managed and that is when I decided this is the right career work me!

What have you experienced at Parexel but not anywhere else?

Since joining Parexel I have been part of a very welcoming and supporting team where I was able to grow professionally and personally. I have had a great onboarding experience where I was provided with a great training that allowed me to be able to do my job confidently. I am also very lucky to be working with a supportive manager, clinical operation lead and CRAs who I can always rely on and ask for help if I need to. Parexel also encouraging co-monitoring which has been so helpful when you have a lot of patient data to review, but also co-monitoring makes the monitoring experience more fun when you go out to the site with your colleagues, get to know them and feel more part of the team and it also makes the job feel less remote!

How do you work 'With Heart' and what does it mean to you?

Working "With Heart" for me means working part of the team who wants to create a safe, inclusive, respectful and motivating work environment for every colleague so that we can deliver breakthrough treatments to the patients . For me work "With Heart" means taking pride in my work, I want to help and support my study colleagues and most importantly my site staff who I work with. As we work directly with the nurses and principal investigators its very important for us to be able to communicate clearly with them and support them as much as we can when it comes to busy tight deadlines.

How has Parexel supported your career growth?

Parexel has given me opportunity to work on a large vaccine study where I was able to manage sites with over 200 enrolled participant this has definitely enhanced my organization, time management and communication skills. Additionally, I am able to ask to work on different therapeutic areas to increase my knowledge in different diseases, protocols and sponsors.

How does Parexel/your Line Manager/your team support flexibility and work-life balance?

During busy periods of time my line manager would check in with me and always ask about my workload. Parexel also encouraging co-monitoring which has been so helpful in large vaccine studies but also co-monitoring makes the monitoring experience more fun when you go out to the site with your colleague and it also makes the job feel less remote.

How do you feel empowered throughout your job?

I take pride for my job and when I get recognised for my hard work it really motivates and and engages me to continue working hard. I am lucky to have study team who i am not afraid to voice any concerns or areas that need to be improved and I feel like its very important for team members to always have a voice and not be afraid to speak up. I feel empowered when I am able to help support my team and my team can trust me .

How do you and your team take quality seriously?

Quality is very important in our job as a CRA we make sure sites follows ALCOA+ principles which is critical to the quality and integrity in our studies . Therfore, as a CRA we need to have attention to detail and look out for any trends in data, capture any site findings and follow up on any data discrepancies.

How does your role contribute to any, or all, of the Parexel behaviors?

Commit to Excellence: Ensuring protocol adherence, review data quality and integrity during monitoring visits, staying on top our metrics such as following up on open issue , submitting our reports on time and keeping our sites as clean as possible. Win as one Team: Work closely with our sites, help them resolve open queries, provide them correct study training and help them meet deadlines. Support your CRA colleagues to help them meet deadlines too and work with other cross functional departments. Deliver "With Heart" and determination: Build relationships with the site staff, support your site staff with recruitment strategies to bring the breakthrough treatment to as many patients as possible. Own the outcome: Stay organised, submit your report on time, follow up on issue resolution and plan ahead.

What do you enjoy outside of work?

What is something most people don't know about you that would surprise them?