Clinical Research Coordinator
What this job does:
Manages the day-to-day running of clinical trials at a research site, such as recruiting and consenting patients, collecting data, scheduling study visits, and ensuring every procedure follows strict regulatory and ethical guidelines. Acts as the primary contact between study participants, investigators, and sponsors. It is a hands-on role combining patient interaction with meticulous documentation and regulatory compliance.
This job is similar to these lab/research tasks:
IRB submissions and human subjects research protocols, rigorous data collection and record-keeping, managing complex experimental timelines, ensuring data integrity and methodological detail
Typical starting salary range
$57k to $95k
Salary estimate represented as 25th to 75th percentile. Gathered from recent job postings, Glassdoor.com, and Salary.com
Daily task breakdown
- Patient interaction: recruitment, consent, study visits, follow-up (30%)
- Data collection, entry, and documentation: CRFs, source documents (25%)
- Regulatory compliance and study documentation: IRB, adverse events (20%)
- Study logistics: scheduling, specimen handling, supply management (15%)
- Communication with PI, sponsors, and study team (10%)
Skills you'll use in this job:
Good Clinical Practice (GCP); regulatory compliance (FDA, HIPAA, IRB procedures); data collection and management; electronic data capture (EDC) systems; patient recruitment and informed consent; organizational skills and attention to detail; medical terminology; specimen collection and processing; clinical trial management software; communication and interpersonal skills; protocol interpretation; adverse event reporting
Talk about these PhD skills in your resume and interview:
Talk about your experience with IRB submissions and human subjects research protocols, rigorous data collection and record-keeping in the lab, and managing complex experimental timelines. Your training in reading and interpreting protocols, ensuring data integrity, and attention to methodological detail translates directly to the CRC's core work. A CRC role is an excellent entry point into clinical research operations that can rapidly lead to Clinical Project Manager or Clinical Operations Manager positions.
Alternative job titles to search:
Clinical Study Coordinator; Clinical Trial Coordinator; Research Coordinator; Senior Clinical Research Coordinator; Study Coordinator; Clinical Research Nurse Coordinator; Clinical Program Coordinator; Research Study Coordinator
*Note:
-Job titles are inconsistent between companies. Try various keywords.
-PhDs tend to undershoot seniority level. Target higher than you think.
