Clinical and translational research workforce education survey identifies needs of faculty and staff

Loucks, Tammy L.; Harvey, Jillian; Lee-Chavarria, Diana; Paranal, Rechelle; Lenert, Kathleen Anne; Bonilha, Heather Shaw; Feghali‐Bostwick, Carol

doi:10.1017/cts.2021.875

Cited by 5 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Institutions that offer onsite trainings, such as lunch and learns and symposia have reported varying attendance to these events, particularly post-COVID. Time constraints and flexible schedules often hinder CRC attendance at these events [ 20 , 25 ]. Addressing these concerns led to the development of the TWD Catalog, a collaborative effort between the Georgia CTSA and the University of Southern California-CTSI.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What PIs want when hiring a clinical research coordinator

Fisher,

Thomas,

Choi

et al. 2024

J. Clin. Trans. Sci.

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Introduction: Clinical research coordinators (CRCs) play a key role in supporting the translational research enterprise, with responsibilities encompassing tasks related to the design, implementation, and evaluation of clinical research trials. While the literature explores CRC competencies, job satisfaction, and retention, little attention has been given to the role of the PI working with Human Resources (HR) in the CRC hiring and onboarding processes. We investigated the priorities, decision-making processes, and satisfaction levels of principal investigators (PIs) and hiring managers in CRC hiring. Methods: An online survey consisting of open-ended and fixed-choice questions to gather information on desired CRC qualifications and competencies, factors influencing hiring decisions, and overall satisfaction with selected candidates was administered. The survey utilized a Task/Competency Checklist developed from job descriptions and the literature. Respondents were asked to rank the importance of factors such as CRC skill set, years of experience, educational background, and budget constraints. Results: Results indicated that the skill set of the applicant was the most frequently cited factor influencing the hiring decision, followed by years of experience. Education and budget constraints were of lesser importance. Most respondents reported a satisfaction rating of 50% or greater with their new hires, although some participants expressed challenges related to institutional training requirements, the performance of entry-level CRCs, and the qualifications of experienced candidates. Conclusion: The hiring cycle involves HR-PI collaboration for a clear job description, effective onboarding processes, and accessible professional development opportunities to enhance PI and employee satisfaction and CRC retention.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What PIs want when hiring a clinical research coordinator

Fisher,

Thomas,

Choi

et al. 2024

J. Clin. Trans. Sci.

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“…Qualitative analysis of open-ended text box responses was performed by two researchers with qualitative training. Analysis was performed by two female analysts trained in qualitative methods 19 , 20 using a general inductive approach and thematic analysis. Comments were read multiple times through an iterative process to identify relevant categories related to the attitudes and barriers to research careers.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self-Assessment of Research Skills and Barriers to Research Careers among Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellows

Scott

Goodwin

Nadig

et al. 2023

Journal of Medical Education and Curricular Development

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BACKGROUND Recruitment and retention of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine (PCCM) trainees into academic research positions remain difficult. Factors influencing graduates, like salary and personal circumstances, remain unchangeable. However, some program-level factors, like research skill acquisition and mentorship, may be modifiable to encourage matriculation into academic research positions. OBJECTIVE We aim to identify proficiency in research-specific skills in PCCM trainees and barriers to careers as research-focused academic faculty. METHODS We surveyed PCCM fellows in a nationwide cross-sectional analysis including demographics, research intent, research skills self-assessment, and academic career barriers. The Association of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Program Directors approved and disseminated the survey. Data were collected and stored using the REDCap database. Descriptive statistics were used to assess survey items. RESULTS 612 fellows received the primary survey with 112 completing the survey for a response rate of 18.3%. A majority were male (56.2%) and training at university-based medical centers (89.2%). Early fellowship trainees (first-/second-year fellows) comprised 66.9% of respondents with 33.1% being late fellowship trainees (third-/fourth-year fellows). Most early trainees (63.2%) indicated they intended to incorporate research into their careers. A chi-square testing of independence was performed to examine the relationship between training level and perceived proficiency. Significant relationships in perceived proficiency were identified between early and late fellowship trainees with an absolute difference of 25.3% (manuscript writing), 18.7% (grant writing), 21.6% (study design), and 19.5% (quantitative/qualitative methodology). The most prevalent barriers were unfamiliarity with grant writing (59.5%) and research funding uncertainty (56.8%). CONCLUSION With an ongoing need for academic research faculty, this study identifies self-perceived gaps in research skills including grant writing, data analytics, and study conception and design. These skills map to fellow-identified barriers to careers in academics. Mentorship and innovative curriculum focusing on the development of key research skills may enhance academic research faculty recruitment.

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“…We determined that potential new site investigators would benefit from a structured training program; however, any program would need to include sufficient protected time to develop the expertise to be effective site investigators and establish a successful clinical trial portfolio. Reinforcing this notion were the results from a recent research education needs-and-utilization survey where faculty at our institution identified time as a primary barrier to engaging in research training and development activities [ 9 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Preparing clinicians to be site investigators in multicenter clinical trials: A training program at an academic medical center

Loucks¹,

Lee-Chavarria²,

Harvey³

et al. 2023

J. Clin. Trans. Sci.

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Clinical trials are essential in the translation of biomedical discoveries to new clinical interventions and therapeutics. Successful multisite clinical trials require qualified site investigators with an understanding of the full spectrum of processes and requirements from trial identification through closeout. New site investigators may be deterred by competing demands on their time, the complexity of administrative and regulatory processes for trial initiation and conduct, and limited access to experienced mentor networks. We established a Clinical Trialist Training Program (CTTP) and complimentary Clinical Trials Bootcamp at our institution to address these barriers and increase the number of local site investigators enabled to lead successful clinical trials. An initial cohort of four CTTP scholars received salary support with protected time, didactic training, assistance with study identification and start-up navigation, and quarterly progress meetings. By the end of the 12-month program, this initial cohort identified 33 new trials, utilized feasibility assessments, and reported being on target to sustain their protected time from new clinical trials. Bootcamp attendees demonstrated increased knowledge of resources, offices, and processes associated with clinical trial conduct. Our results support providing compensated protected time, training, and access to experienced clinical research professionals to enable clinicians to become successful site investigators.

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Clinical and translational research workforce education survey identifies needs of faculty and staff

Cited by 5 publications

References 10 publications

What PIs want when hiring a clinical research coordinator

What PIs want when hiring a clinical research coordinator

Self-Assessment of Research Skills and Barriers to Research Careers among Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellows

Preparing clinicians to be site investigators in multicenter clinical trials: A training program at an academic medical center

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