CCRPS Reviews: From IMG to Clinical Research Coordinator at Columbia University, A Graduate Case Study

Clinical Research Coordinator Certification Case Study Featuring February 2024 Cohort Graduate Lisa-Pierre

In preparation for further accreditation for CCRPS, we are conducting case studies with graduates to discuss their experience in our course in 15-30 minute interviews with our clinical research educator, Courtney. We invited students to share their feedback asking extensive questions on why they chose the course, what they felt while taking the course, and how the course has helped them after completion. Today, we share our second graduate case study interview from Lisa, a recent graduate of our CRC certification program.

Key Takeaways

● Lisa-Pierre had a very positive experience with the self-paced online format of the course. She appreciated the flexibility it provided.

● The course gave Lisa-Pierre the clinical research knowledge and confidence she needed to obtain a CRC job right after finishing school.

● Lisa-Pierre felt the course covered all the necessary basics and she did not have any suggestions for additional topics to include.

● The course certificate helped Lisa-Pierre update her resume and get hired at a prestigious research institution.

Impact on Confidence and Employability

● The course certificate boosted Lisa-Pierre’s confidence in applying for CRC jobs despite having no direct US research experience. She believes the certificate was critical in helping her get hired at a top research institution right after finishing school.

Most Valuable Topics

● Lisa-Pierre found the overview of clinical research processes and role of CRCs most valuable. The regulatory topics were important but more difficult.

Recommendations for Others

● Lisa-Pierre would recommend the course to help people get the research knowledge needed for their resume and transition into the field, especially those without research degrees.

Career Advancement

● Completing the course allowed Lisa-Pierre to begin her career as a CRC at Columbia University. She has received other job offers since then.

@0:05 - Courtney: Okay, well thank you for your time and congratulations on you successfully completing the CCRRPS program and taking this time to meet with me and we're pretty much just going to go through a quick question answer conversation pretty much just to prepare the company or future graduates of the program.Okay so can you share some of your favorite moments from the course that enriched your learning experience?

@0:38 - Lisa-Pierre: I think for me what I really liked is that it was self-paced so I started this course I was still in school and I knew that I wanted to get a job like as soon as I finished so I was able to like take my time and then it was tailored to me. I was able to do it at my own pace and go back to the lesson when I was I was unsure about something so that had to get a like what I like the most about the course.

@1:02 - Courtney: Okay, good to hear. What sort of program were you looking for when you chose CCRPS and were you placed at the content once you got started?

@1:11 - Lisa-Pierre: Yes, I was just looking for something to give me more insight on the clinical research coordinater. And I knew little bit about research, but I didn't know about that specific positioning detail. So that gave me a good run-through of what it was about, what I needed to know. And I think I was pretty satisfied with everything I got from the course.

@1:32 - Courtney: Okay, good stuff. Looking back, is there any aspect of the course that you feel like have been enhanced to make it more rewarding?

@1:43 - Lisa-Pierre: Honestly, not really. I feel like I really enjoyed my experience. And I feel like I was able to get assistance when I needed it. I had questions, help. And again, just go back to my lessons.Whenever I wasn't sure about something, so I don't think there's anything I would change from there.

@2:00 - Courtney: of course. Okay. And were there any additional topics or elements that you wish were included within? Basically, just to give you a better understanding of clinical research.

@2:11 - Lisa-Pierre: So I don't think so. I think I covered a lot. Again, I had like a little background on research from school and it went into detail with like regarding other topics that I didn't know about. And now being, I'm currently working as a clinical research coordinator and I feel like I got all the basics I needed. Even when I started the job with the trainings, most of the things that I was being taught in the trainings for the job, not the specific research were doing, I had already seen from the course. So yeah.

@2:42 - Courtney: Well, that's good to hear. When you were considering enrolling, were there any specific information on our website that could have been better highlighted with the benefits of this course for you?

@2:54 - Lisa-Pierre: Um, honestly, it's been a while since I enrolled, but, um, I think for me, like, when I went to look at the course, I just wanted to see, you know, what was included and what I would get from it. And honestly, from what I can remember, I feel like it gave me, like, a pretty detailed information of what it was about and that's what I was looking for. So yeah.

@3:22 - Courtney: Would you consider revisiting the course for a refresher and is there anything specific you'd want to see within a refresher course?

@3:31 - Lisa-Pierre: Yeah. I would definitely go back to it when I first got hired. wasn't scared because it was my first time doing the whole CRC. And I did go back to just have the, like, just have a refresher and just be, be well prepared for my, for my job. I think for me, like, it's a lot about like GCP, I feel like that's something that's really emphasizing. So I'm working in the field, so I...It would be what I would go back to. Yeah, thank you for that input.
@4:52 - Courtney: And then could you share what factors motivated you to choose this course and how it stood out from other options that you may have considered?

@4:59 - Lisa-Pierre: Um, yeah. Oh, I, again, I was in school and I knew that I wanted to work in research, but I didn't exactly like, you know, work in research. When I went on your website, there was a CRC position and that's the one that spoke the most to me because it was, I had it but to me to have like patient facing experience, which is what I was looking for. And again, what mostly attracted me was the self-paced because I didn't want to be subjected to something where I would have to attend classes at a specific time and just be there because I had a lot going on at the time. So that's definitely something that was attractive, like that attracted me to the course. And the other thing is that financially, I think it was a good, it was a good option for like the price and what I was getting compared to others because when I looked at others, a lot of them were more expensive. Well, according to my format, when I compared it to my budget. Yeah. Yeah, that's definitely okay.

@6:02 - Courtney : So you did explore other offers or different programs before. Yes. Mm-hmm then can you share about your professional journey prior to embarking on a course?

@6:13 - Lisa-Pierre: Yeah, so I was in school in Cuba I was a medical student and I wanted to come here to practice. But I knew that like you don't have to pass my exams and I didn't want to have a gap on my CV So I wanted to get into research, but I didn't know how exactly to get into research I didn't want to be doing like just lab work research or just I wanted to have something that was patient-facing why would it gets me to write people and I Think that's that's what led me to deciding to do look into like seriously positions And then I think also when I went on the website like there was a lot of information of what I could do with Um, the certificates, I was like, okay, this seems like something that, um, that's beneficial to me. Um, my prior research experience, it was from full when we had to do papers and everything. So it, I did have experience, but I didn't have any experience here in the state. So. Perfect.

@7:44 - Courtney: Okay. And then after completing the course, how did you update your resume to reflect your new found skills and knowledge and how has it enhanced your professional profile?

@7:53 - Lisa-Pierre: Um, so I just added this, like the certificate on my, um, resume. A lot of jobs I've tried to ask if I had any knowledge of like GCP and they had some other like they had specific things that they asked if I had knowledge on in research and that definitely helped me because I had proof that you know I did a certificate that helped me get the knowledge that I needed for the job. So I feel like that definitely helped me because street out of school with no research experience. think it would have been a bit harder to get a job.

@8:53 - Courtney: Yeah, good. So how would you describe your experience with our learnings?

@9:00 - Lisa-Pierre: Did it facilitate a smooth and engaging learning process? Yeah, it definitely did. I think for me, just had to, hard part was just being consistent because I didn't have anybody to answer to anybody to push me. But I think the learning experience is very nice. It's very detailed. You get, you get all information you need and you get to replay if you didn't understand something. So it's, I think it works because it's, it's, when I compare it to let's say taking classes where you take the clock and that's done, but then you can take the path over and over and over and so you know, you feel like you understand it. And I think that's another thing that I really liked about the program.

@9:45 - Courtney: Yeah, that's a great feedback. Alright, and then can you share how the course boosted your confidence and prepared you for job interviews or career advancements in clinical research?

@9:55 - Lisa-Pierre: Oh, yes. So before I had the sophistication, I knew I wanted to get into research because that would help me on the long haul, but I was scared. I didn't think I was going to find a job because I was a foreign graduate. I didn't have any experience here. I didn't have like the research experience I had was in here and it would be hard, you know, demonstrate like with the guidelines here. It's not the same thing. So I think once I got a tradition, I felt more confident in applying for jobs and saying listen, I had have a certificate. Some of these classes, I know what this is about, I know what research is about, and so I think it definitely boosted my confidence in like just applying for jobs because sometimes I would see jobs and I wouldn't apply for them because I'm like, I'm not going to get it even if I get it, I going to be able to keep up with the pace? So I think that's how it helped me.

@10:47 - Courtney: Yeah, well that is amazing to hear. What part of the course did you find most engaging and beneficial to your professional development?

@10:55 - Lisa-Pierre: With part of the course. Honestly, it's been a while since I've been the course. think what I like the best is like you know when you first start and you tell you about research in general, what it is, phases, how it's healers to patients and what's involved. think when you get into the degree things of like FDA regulations that was a bit you know it's necessary but it was a bit trickier for me. Yeah so yeah.

@11:23 - Courtney: Okay and then what are some reasons that you would recommend this first to others based on your experience?

@11:28 - Lisa-Pierre: I mean one it's a good thing to boost your CV to see how to certificate from an organization that's you know recognized. Another thing is that I believe that you know you get information and you get knowledge that you wouldn't necessarily get if you don't have any research background and then it's always just deep especially people like me who have like financial restrictions, who can go do a whole bachelor's or master's degree. I think That's a good like it's a good bridge in order to be able to get into research. So, yeah.

@12:07 - Courtney: Yeah, that's great. And last, could you share how your career has advanced into completing the course?

@12:14 - Lisa-Pierre: Yes, so I was able to get a job. I was able to get a job in research at Columbia University, which is yeah, which the department is really renowned for their research. And I think had I not had this certification, I wouldn't have been able to get it as such a prestigious university. I've been at the same company. I've even had people reach out to me to for other clinical jobs, clinical research jobs, sorry. So, I think that this is something that definitely helps because that's basically the only, know, official research being that I have.

@13:00 - Courtney: I think that that's all I need from you for now and then if anybody is going to reach out about just future like if they need some feedback or something like that, then they'll definitely do so. All right. Thank you.

@13:41 - Lisa-Pierre: I hope you have a great day. so much, you too.

You can follow Lisa-Pierre’s career story here.