Is a CRA certificate recommended for a potential research nurse?

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Hi everyone!

I have 4 years of nursing experience and am considering transitioning to research (with which I have no experience) within the next year or so. Two community colleges near my home offer a research certificate.

Community college A offers a "Healthcare Clinical Research Specialist" certificate. It is 4 months long and it teaches clinical trial structure, regulatory requirements, and basic knowledge of collecting and analyzing clinical trial data.

Community college B offers a "Clinical Trials Research Associate" certificate. it is a year long.

Could you please tell me if these are recommended before applying for clinical coordinator jobs and if it would greatly benefit me? if so, which one would you recommend for a future research nurse? I'll take any tips I can get!

Thank you!

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Or if anyone has an online program they'd recommend that may be more relevant. I'm open for suggestions!

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Hi there! I have been a Clinical Research Coordinator (CRC) for 17 years. I am not a nurse, but am starting nursing school in the Spring because I want to move forward with my healthcare career. If you want to work with patients the Clinical Research Specialist program would be for you. Clinical Research Associates have no patient contact at all. They, basically, audit the research sites and only have contact with the MDs, nurses, and research staff conducting the studies. They are paid very well after a couple of years of experience, and senior level is often 6 figures or close to. There is usually a lot of travel involved and they are set up with a home office.

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Thank you very much for that information! I really appreciate it! I will consider signing up for the CRA program. Would you mind briefly describing what you do in a typical day? Pro's and con's?

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Specializes in 20.

What company do u work for?

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