A Success Story in Clinical Research

Sayah O.*
Clinical Research Associate II
Medical Device Company

Lab tech finds advancement opportunities in the move to clinical research

After three years as a lab technician at a biotech company, Sayah O. felt she had hit a ceiling. "I did not see myself moving up from there,” she said. So she started a job hunt for other opportunities in biotechnology. When she came across clinical research job listings, she thought, ‘I can do that.” And she did.

Today Sayah is a clinical research associate (CRA) at a medical device company, where she oversees the proper conduct of clinical trials that comply with good clinical practice (GCP) and follow industry guidelines and standards.

"Now recruiters are seeking me out.”
Moving from the lab to clinical research wasn’t easy at first. Applying for clinical research jobs, Sayah found doors initially closed to her, even with her work experience and a BS from the University of California, Berkeley, in Integrative Biology. "When I first started applying for clinical jobs, I couldn’t get anything. They all wanted clinical work experience,” she recalls. Then from a recruiter she heard about the Clinical Trials Design and Management Certificate program at University of California Santa Cruz Extension and started taking classes.

"Patty Kasper, the instructor, saw my drive and desire to break into the industry and she gave me some leads to some clinical research assistant jobs,” Sayah adds. After a year’s experience as a clinical research assistant and completing the Clinical Trials program certificate, those previously closed doors opened for her.

"Employers and recruiters were seeking me out,” says Sayah O. In 2007, she accepted a job as an entry-level clinic research coordinator (CRC), and since then she has been steadily promoted. In 2010, she expects to become a certified CRA and be promoted to Senior CRA at her company. "I am happy with my career advancements in the clinical arena, but what I like best about my job is assisting clinical sites when they have challenging questions,” says Sayah.

What does it take to work in clinical research?
Though a science degree is helpful, it isn’t essential for a career in clinical research. People who are not science majors may do very well in clinical research, too, says Sayah. However, she offers some wisdom from experience: "It wasn’t easy to get where I am now. I had to start from scratch, and I advise that you do that because it is important to understand the basics before becoming a CRA. There is much responsibility and it is important to learn how to swim before you jump in.”

"My certificate in the Clinical Trials Design and Management Certificate program at UCSC Extension has catapulted me into clinical research during my career transition.” – Sayah O.

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* This story is authentic however; the name was changed to provide anonymity.

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