Maricopa Community Colleges

Health Careers : Clinical Research Coordinator
Stock photo of research team
 
Clinical Research Coordinator
Clinical Research Coordinators are members of a team working in the health field of medical research and development. They arrange the research study site; recruit, screen and enroll clinical study participants; arrange follow-up visits; maintain and dispense study drugs and other supplies; and complete and ensure the accuracy of case report forms and regulatory documents.

Work Environment:
Most Clinical Research Coordinators work in hospitals, physicians’ offices, biomedical research organizations and institutions, specialty disease centers, and pharmaceutical and medical device companies. Clinical research encompasses many different healthcare settings and specialties.

Job Outlook:
The emerging industry of clinical research has significantly increased the demand for Certified Clinical Research Coordinators (CRCs). Arizona is a growing locality for clinical research--especially in the areas of genomics, biomedical technologies, medical device development, and several major disease categories.

Licensure/Certification:
The CRC Program is taught in accordance with standards of the ACRP (Association for Clinical Research Professionals) and SoCRA (Society of Clinical Research Associate) to prepare individuals to become eligible to take the nationally and internationally recognized CRC certification exams.

Salary:
Salaries for CRC’s depend upon the individual's previous educational background, years of experience in healthcare and/or research environments, and healthcare licensure (RN, LPN, MOA, RT, etc).

Average salary range is $35,000 - $59,000. (http://swz.salary.com)

Program Offerings:
GWCC offers two CRC programs: 1. The Certiificate of Completion program is 16-credit, 4 course program achievable within a 12-month period if two classes are taken each semester. CRC courses are offered mostly online with no classroom or hybrid delivery format with evening classes that meet once a week for a full semester with additional course content provided online, and 2. The Associate in Applied Science in Clinical Research Coordinating degree track which includes the 4 Certificate courses and additional specialized clinical research courses and internships and requires 70-73 credits to complete.

This program cannot guarantee a CRC position upon program completion, but does provide students with potential employment sources, directories, and local job postings. The CRC program is actively networked with the local Phoenix Chapter of the Association of Clinical Research Professionals, The Arizona Bioindustry Association and the Arizona Bioscience Roadmap throught the Flinn Foundation.

For more information visit http://www.gatewaycc.edu/Programs/ClinicalResearchCoordinating/ or contact the Program Director at 602-286-8488 or Program Advisor at 602-286-8600.

Block Transfer for Health Professions:
CRC courses are transferrable to ASU and NAU. Contact an advisor for further information.