New ACRP Article: From Career by Chance to Profession by Design: Building a Research-Ready Clinical Research Workforce in the U.S.
Dear Colleagues,
We wanted to share this new ACRP publication, which highlights strategies for building and strengthening the future clinical research workforce. Please see the information below for more details.
****************************************************************************************************
The future of clinical research depends on the people who make it possible.
Yet many organizations continue to face the same challenge: finding, developing, and retaining qualified talent in an increasingly complex research environment.
To help address this challenge, ACRP has released a new publication, From Career by Chance to Profession by Design: Building a Research-Ready Clinical Research Workforce in the U.S.
Developed from a multi-stakeholder workforce development symposium convened by ACRP with support from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the publication examines how the clinical research profession can create stronger pathways into the field and better prepare the workforce for the future.
Key Themes Include:
• Moving beyond experience-based hiring to recognize potential and transferable skills
• Creating intentional pathways into clinical research careers
• Identifying foundational knowledge needed for workforce readiness
• Building a stronger professional identity for Clinical Research Professionals
• Advancing workforce development through industry-wide collaboration
As national efforts seek to strengthen U.S. clinical research capacity and competitiveness, developing a sustainable, research-ready workforce has never been more important.
Questions for Reflection
Share the publication with colleagues or discuss it during a team meeting or lunch-and-learn. As you consider the future of the profession, ask:
1. What barriers to entering clinical research exist in your organization, and how might they be reduced?
2. If you are a hiring manager, do you look beyond experience when evaluating job candidates?
3. What attributes or transferable skills do you seek when evaluating a candidate for an entry-level clinical research position?
4. Have you thought about clinical research and your career as having a professional identity? If so, how would you define it?
5. What educational content is critical for role-agnostic training for those just entering a clinical research career?
6. What could you or your organization do today to help develop the clinical research workforce for the future?