Who we are
CRA School – Montreal is a Canadian non-profit organization, the only provider of bilingual International Clinical Research Education, combined with unlimited e-CRO Internship and Job Placement Support, which continues till hire.
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Special programs are offered to GCP trained professionals, IRB/IEC/REB members, and to MDs and MSc/PhD holders in carrer reorientation.
Our mission
The program objective is to provide all the necessary tools and know-how to allow faster access to the rewarding Clinical Research Professional careers (CRA, CRC, CTA, DM, PM, PV, MSL, etc.), which match their qualification.
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Customized corporate training or refreshment courses on ICH GCP and Canadian, resp. Quebec regulations are provided on request.
What are clinical trials
The clinical trials industry
The recent technological developments and scientific discoveries increased substantially the possibilities of creating new therapeutic molecules and devices. Before approved for marketing they must be tested also on humans. However the number of clinical trials grows faster than the introduction of new trained specialists, because they usually lack practical experience. As a result, there is a chronic shortage of qualified staff (up to 30% and more according to different reports).
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This shortage increases the demand and raises the salaries level. Once a person enters into the field and gets 6-9 months ‘hands-on’ experience, the recruiters start calling to offer a better paid job. CRAs say: ‘Once you are in, you are in‘. This placed the SrCRA job among the 10 best jobs in USA and this level can be reached with only 5-6 years experience.
Clinical trials
Clinical trials are experimental studies to assess statistically the safety and efficiency of the new developed drug candidates or devices and their action on the human health, the ratio of the related benefits and risks, and the suitable treatment regiments. After the pre-clinical laboratory studies on animals have shown product safety, the studies continue on humans in medical clinics (hence the name “clinical trials“) under the supervision of qualified physicians, called Clinical Investigators.
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Patient evaluations are carried out by their respective physicians, called Principal Investigators (PI), with the help of their Study Nurses (SN) or Clinical Research Assistants, called also Clinical Research Coordinators (CRC). The control of their work is done by the Sponsor’s Monitors called Clinical Research Associates (CRA).
Roles in clinical trials
The regulatory agencies (FDA, Health Canada or other) inspect only a small portion (about 2%) of all studies. The law requires from the Sponsor (the company or individual investigator that initiated the study) to monitor continuously the quality of the data and how the rights and safety of the study participants are protected. The physicians (PI or Sub-I) are responsible for the evaluation of their patients and the quality of the data, generated in their sites.
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The data management, quality control and statistical treatment of the study data is done by the Sponsor’s staff, the Clinical Trial Assistants (CTA), in-house or field Monitors or Clinical Research Associates (CRA), Data Managers (DM), Safety Managers, Medical Advisers, BioStatisticians, Project managers and other staff, trained on Study Protocol, clinical trial regulations and sponsor’s Standard Operations Procedures (SOP).
What is a CRA and a CRC
The field Clinical Research Associate (CRA) is an auditor, who visits periodically his study sites to supervise and inspect the work of the Physicians – Clinical Investigators and their Coordinators. The Monitor verifies their compliance to the Protocol and regulations, and makes sure that all regulatory requirements are met, and the quality of the data is assured. The in-house CRA and the CTA organize all Sponsor’s study related activities.
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The Clinical Research Coordinators (CRC) are Clinical research assistants who work in the medical clinics (called sites) where the studies take place. They organize all interactions with the study participants and all study related activities at the site, until the Principal Investigator (PI) is responsible for the patients’ care, evaluations, and the conformity of all the study conduct with the law and clinical trial regulations in force.
Target audience
Companies look for functional English and university diploma. Life sciences, Health care/Allied Health, biology, biochemistry, biomedical engineering, social sciences, or other medical field are preferred. This guarantees that the candidate will be able to understand a research protocol when trained.
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The eligibility criteria usually include a college or university diploma. For some high level jobs, an advanced scientific degree is required. The best hiring chances have professionals, who have already some exposure and practical experience in support of clinical research activities. This is always the 1st hiring criterion.
International candidates
Health professionals, trained abroad, often have difficulties when they move to another country. Foreign diplomas often are not recognized and the required local experience is missing. Regulatory affairs jobs allow remaining in their field of competences without needing a recognized diploma.
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With the exception of the clinical investigators and their nurses, the other CRPs (CRAs/CRCs/CTAs, etc.) don’t perform medical acts, they only handle study organization and documentation without making interpretations of the study data. Therefore they don’t need to have a license to practice as medical professionals.
Why us
Unique approach
Get a job, not just a diploma
Fast access to well paid, but unknown careers
Universal: All clinical trials carreers covered
Internship for hands-on Canadian experience
Full accessibility
Accessible when you need it
Online training to advance at your own speed
7/7 LIVE Support by Skype till late evening
Flexible payment options adapted to your needs
Interview preparation
Job specific preparation for interviews
JD analysis + CV adaptation for every job
Preparation for every interview till hired
Training in advance on subjects not studied yet
Job insertion support
Active Job Placement Assistance
Instructions on the pre-selection questionnaires
Coaching on typical interview questions & traps
Introduction to industry slang and terminology
Professional branding
Coaching & support on Professional positioning
Professional branding coaching & mentoring
Reference letters, Job Alerts + job assistance
Networking meetings & weekly consultations
But wait, there is more!
Universal program for all needs
US, Canada, EU, ICH GCP & QC regulations
Options for GCP professionals, MD, MSc/PhD
Referral Program with unlimited Bonuses
Testimonials