“I wanted to find a field where I could utilize my nursing knowledge and experience,” shares Clinical Research Associate (CRA) Ondřej Hájek. Ondřej’s path to the CRA role wasn’t linear, but this became his advantage.
Eyes on the Horizon
Located in the Czech Republic, Ondřej began his professional career as an Emergency Room nurse. During his five-year tenure in the ER, he worked closely with patients and used this time early on in his career to assess if healthcare was the right industry for him. In the end, Ondřej trusted his gut –healthcare was where he was meant to be and pretty soon, he was moving into the private sector.
After a couple of years working at a private healthcare practice, Ondřej was ready to head into a new direction. While he knew he wanted to remain in healthcare, he considered different career paths before officially stepping foot in the clinical research industry. “I wanted to grow professionally,” Ondřej explains. “[This] can sometimes be limited in a traditional nursing role.” He joined a Contract Research Organization (CRO) and took on the role of eTMF Health Swat Specialist.
Before long, Ondřej was promoted to the CRA role. This career path, he discovered, was exactly what he had been searching for. Now that he had found the role, he wanted to find the company. His next career move involved narrowing down his search of CROs.
Up Next:
Ondřej spent time considering what he wanted from a CRO. Remaining a CRA was a top priority, but more than simply keeping his title, he wanted to start building his professional career. “I believed a mid-sized company would offer a more individualized approach to employes,” Ondřej explains.
That’s when he found Medpace.
Even though Ondřej was joining Medpace as an experienced CRA, he still went through the Professionals Achieving CRA Excellence® (PACE®) program. He recalls the appreciation he had once he completed the program, “It gave me the necessary time and knowledge to adapt to new systems and learn the unique aspects of the CRA role at Medpace.” During the PACE® program, Ondřej discovered his nursing skills contributed more to his clinical career than he anticipated. Among technical skills, Ondřej signifies empathy as one of the most important skills a healthcare professional can wield. “Having worked in a hospital, I understand firsthand how difficult it can be for site staff to manage a clinical trial alongside their primary duties,” Ondřej explains. The simple act of approaching a study with sincerity, Ondřej has found, not only helps site staff but the entire process of the trial.
Generations
Ondřej’s drive for connecting the driving forces of clinical research extends to his own orbit of CRAs. He plays a key role in the training and development of new CRAs in Medpace’s Prague office where he takes new hires along with him on site visits. He walks them through typical days as a CRA – monitoring sites, working with staff, and imparting travel advice.
Throughout his professional career, Ondřej has had his own professional benchmarks he strives for. Outside of this, however, his core goal has always laid in his mission to impact patient’s lives. His nursing background has propelled him into clinical research, and while his impact looks different as a CRA, he still strives to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives.
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