Perhaps you're a little restless with your current work as a healthcare professional, wishing you could find a new focus or add responsibility without leaving your current job. One of the interesting part-time opportunities that you could potentially do on evenings or weekends is working in clinical research trials, helping researchers who need a team to meet with research subjects and administer the protocol accurately to get the best possible data.
Let's look at how to get involved in clinical research and participate in research studies as a healthcare professional.
Understanding Working in Clinical Research
You've likely encountered clinical research trials here and there if you've been working in healthcare for any length of time. Researchers whose protocols and treatments are experimental but show promise can apply to conduct a human trial. They then bring treatment to a group of subjects, comparing them to a control group who think they might be receiving treatment but are not.
These trials are a major part of how medical knowledge advances, but there are various ways caring for these subjects is different from a day-to-day hospital patient or client at a clinic. For one thing, they need to never know whether they are in the experimental group or the control group, since the placebo effect can make them think they are gaining more (or less) benefits than they would otherwise report. They also need to be given the same disclosures, information, and clarity other subjects receive to ensure that they fully meet the requirements for the study.
Need Occasional Extra Income? Studies Can Sometimes Be Done Part-Time
While there are institutions large enough to need full-time team members, the fact that studies are time-bound means that there may be opportunities to just do a study here or there as a part-time clinical researcher, often working nights or weekends. While not everyone is ready for another gig in the evenings or weekends, a part-time role with clinical research can be a way to gain experience, test out something new, and get some extra income at the same time.
Even if you work part-time in your current role or while going to school, you may find that clinical research projects can supplement your income and maintain your work-life-school balance.
Trial times may or may not be flexible, but often shorter-term trials pick times like evenings and weekends when more of their research subjects will be free for meetings or treatments. If you can arrange your schedule at your primary job to work around the scheduled times for a research trial, working as a clinical researcher is a great way to gain experience while earning an income. Additional income can be useful for short-term goals that create more stability, like saving up for a down payment, paying off debt, or purchasing reliable transportation that saves you on repair bills. Taking on this additional work may help you feel more stable in the future.
PCC's Foundations of Clinical Research Course Connects You to Opportunities and Looks Great on a Resume
The Foundations of Clinical Research curriculum at PCC is well-attuned to the needs of Portland’s research community because PCC consulted them to develop the program. It aims to help healthcare professionals feel confident, whether they add clinical research duties at their day jobs or take on trials as side gigs.
The program starts by introducing you to members of the local research community and having you connect with organizations that need clinical researchers. You'll even sit in on a real Institutional Review Board (IRB) meeting to see these procedures through. The goal is that you'll know people in the field while completing your coursework. If they are actively recruiting, you may be one of the top candidates on their lists.
Clinical research doesn't have to stay a side gig either. Putting the Foundations of Clinical Research program on your resume is a great way to develop interest in your credentials and become a better fit for research hospital work. Knowing the procedures for clinical research may give you more opportunities within your current job or show a willingness to learn and diversify your experience. That interest and curiosity can flourish with moves toward management or other heightened responsibility.
Are you looking for ways to add income, add additional work hours, or simply become a more competitive candidate for health related jobs? Portland Community College courses really help people kickstart their careers. Get to know the school today and find the right path for you!
