Transferable Skills You Can Apply in Clinical Research

Today, clinical research is constantly evolving. It’s adapting new developments in technology and science to help solve some of the world’s most critical challenges. It’s an exciting field to be in right now. 

So if you’re new to clinical research—or looking to break into the industry—you should consider whether you can leverage any transferable skills to advance your career prospects. Clininal research requires several transferable skills that are in high demand.. 

Read on to learn why these specific skills are becoming more important and how you can use them to your advantage. 

Digital technology skills for remote clinical trials. 

Driven by the pandemic, recent years have seen a huge change in the life sciences industry. For example, clinical trialsmanagement has undergone a digital transformation. And as technology continues to transform clinical trials in key areas, like the drug development process, experts think some of the required technical skills will require recruiting candidates outside the sector. 

Decentralized, virtual trials have become more mainstream today. This brings key advantages like cost savings, increased speed, and ease of patient recruitment. The benefits of continuing with remote trials are convincing, and more than two-thirds of European life sciences firms plan to conduct trials this way within the next three years. But to do so, a host of related digital skills are required, driving an increase in demand for clinical research professionals.

Running trials online, or in a distributed way, requires app development and UX design skills to ensure that participants can monitor themselves easily and effectively on their own. Or,if a participant can be, monitored, without relying on input, wearable tech development skills are essential. Likewise, there’ll be a growing need for things like e-consent form production and digital data security management. 

Finally, managing digital or distributed trials will require specialized digital project management skills. If you bring these skills from work in other industries, you’ll find yourself in demand, similar to candidates who’ve already cultivated a blend of life sciences and mainstream technological experience. 

Collaboration and communication skills are vital. 

A shift to working remotely has enhanced the abilityfor people to collaborate in clinical research internationally, whether they’re in-house colleagues or teams from other businesses. To illustrate this shift, note that almost half of late-stage pipeline assets developed in 2021 were the product of such collaborations and partnerships. 

Conflicting priorities can keep many clinical research professionals from focusing on soft skills. So while communication is a crucial tool for clinical researchers, problems stemming from poor communication are so common that many researchers actively seek to improve. 

The opportunities this effort brings are enormous but demand a novel range of skills. You may be a leader who can inspire and motivate teams, even from afar. You could be a communicator who understands how to get your messaging heard in different regions, or a project manager who’s not fazed by working across time zones.  

People with significant experience in leadership, communication, and project management roles can be found in almost every industry. So If that sounds like you, consider casting your net beyond your usual fishing grounds to discover opportunities in similar key roles across clinical research. 

AI and Big Data: the next big things are here. 

We’ve been talking about the use of AI and Big Data for years, but these technologies are finally being brought into play in a major way. With applications in drug development, R&D, and regulatory compliance, investment in AI is growing despite the economic uncertainty of the past two years. In fact, according to a recent life sciences digital innovation survey, 76% of respondents are currently investing in AI for clinical development. 

Early results are impressive. Research suggests that employing AI in healthcare in Europe could save more than 400,000 lives, €200 billion, and nearly 2 billion hours of HCP/clinician time a year. But harnessing this opportunity will require skills and experience far beyond the talent pool of many clinical research firms. It will be worth their investment to provide life sciences training to data scientists hired from other disciplines who would thrive in a clinical research environment. 

More companies will also be using AI to accelerate clinical trials for data collection and management, which could be a game-changer in the drug development process. Using the power of available and scalable AI technologies, clinical trial processes can be digitized to complete studies faster for a considerable competitive edge. Again, with the proper training, experts in artificial intelligence or data science from other industries could quickly adapt to the needs of clinical research.  

How you can highlight your transferable skills. 

To make yourself attractive to employers in clinical research, keep the following tips in mind: 

• Make a skills inventory. List all the skills, applications, and programsyou use in your current job, such as digital technologies, advanced communication, project management, or other specialized knowledge. 
• Determine the areas in clinical research that need those skills. It’s unlikely to always be the same combination of skills, so choose areas that have a demand for your strengths. (any tips for how to determine which areas can use their skill sets?)

• Adapt your résumé and other professional materials. Don’t list your actual job title to avoid employers only associating you with your current industry. Instead, state something like, “Data scientist performing analysis on Big Data for a financial institution.” 
• Work with a recruiter who can facilitate your move to another industry. A recruiter with experience in science and clinical disciplines will know how to disassemble your work experience into transferable skills and repackage them to match what employers are looking for. 

If you’re a skilled professional looking for more diverse work experience, making moves between industries is a great idea. It allows you to keep advancing your career while bringing significant experience and more refined knowledge to every project. 

Expertise in digital technology, collaboration, AI, or Big Data may be your entry to a new career in clinical research – especially if you’re currently working in a technical industry. You can put your hard-won skills to use in a way that benefits humankind, and in a growing sector with exciting new developments occurring every day. 

Explore Kelly Science & Clinical roles today to discuss which may be a fit your specific experience.