Share thisStudy Technicians give their opinions on working in a contract research organization.
For this month's issue, the editor of ALN made a special request of me. She wanted an article that focused on technicians and contract research organizations (CROs). After putting some thought into this, I decided to ask three work satisfaction related questions of several people I know who currently do (or have in the past) worked for a CRO as a study technician. I asked that these individuals supply me their answers anonymously so they can be free to express themselves. Surprisingly, I had a 100% response rate to my "survey questions."
My questions focused on the satisfaction that individuals gain from working for a CRO. CROs present a work environment different from pharmaceutical companies, academia, and the government. The biggest difference is that the work (research) performed isn't funded or directed by the organization; it has been given to your organization by another entity (the sponsor or client). This is the hallmark of CROs and allows them to be more operationally efficient and become expert on regulatory expertise for testing new drugs and medical devices for approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Because of this research arrangement and confidentiality requirements, study technicians may not know what the test article being studied is or what the outcomes of the studies are hoped to be. Many times, CRO employees never hear about whether or not the drugs and medical devices they tested were ever approved by the FDA and used in humans or animals. However, technicians at CROs know that they play an important role in the drug and medical device development process, helping to bring treatments and cures to people and animals around the world.
CROs also provide other opportunities for the intrinsic motivation of employees as demonstrated by several answers to the first question I posed in my survey: What do you (or did you) like about working for a CRO? Several respondents noted that the inherent variety of projects at CROs keeps them motivated. They get to learn different techniques and procedures as different drugs and medical devices oftentimes need novel tests to demonstrate their safety and efficacy. At CROs, technicians can move into roles where they perform surgery which is usually a highly desired job function. The variety also extends to the type of people technicians interact with at CROs, including veterinarians, clients (sponsors), trainers, scientists, and quality assurance staff. Finally, because CROs are depending on the approval of a particular drug ormedical device for their success, they tend to provide steady employment opportunities.
Because clients are the life-blood of CROs, meeting and exceeding client expectations is an important aspect of any technician's job at a CRO. I wanted to know how technicians go about meeting or exceeding client expectations so the next question on my survey was What do you do (or did you do) to meet or exceed client expectations? Technicians are required to read and understand study protocols. When they have questions, they need to go and get the answers either from study management or the sponsor. Beyond knowing the study protocol, good communication and flexibility are key to providing the client with good service. Also important are the need to train on new procedures and processes as appropriate, the willingness to work extra hours to finish projects based on unexpected deadlines, and decline to perform projects that are outside the scope of the technical expertise of the CRO's staff. In the end, one of the best ways to meet or exceed client expectations, according to technicians, is to view themselves as collaborators or partners with the client.