When the COVID-19 lockdown forced Clinical Research Associate (CRA) Gaia Deonette to stay home, she never expected to come out the other side with both a new career path and a new friend.
Finding Your Way
“I was in the middle of my first year of [my master’s program] when it all shut down,” Gaia says. She was working towards her Master of Science in Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, only now from home. Stuck inside and starting to plan her career, she began to befriend her next-door neighbor, a clinical trial study nurse who worked at a nearby hospital. Gaia knew she wanted to make a greater impact, but she wasn’t sure where to start. Her degree program had introduced her to the Clinical Research Coordinator (CRC) career path where she would work directly with patients. She liked the idea of working in clinical research, so Gaia reached out to her neighbor to get a candid point of view of the role. “Hearing [about the experience] from her made me realize it could be a good fit for me too,” Gaia explains.
From this point on, Gaia began focusing all of her efforts towards transitioning into the clinical research industry.
One Foot in the Door
During Gaia’s year as a CRC, she worked closely with a CRA who oversaw her site. Gaia was the only CRC in her ward, so she relied on her CRA to show her the ropes. “She basically taught me everything I needed to know to be a good CRC,” Gaia explains. The coaching she received from her CRA and the exposure she got to the intricacies of clinical research sites was extremely encouraging. After a short time as a CRC, she became increasingly curious about the broader perspective of clinical research. Gaia wanted her reach to extend further, to reach patients across the globe.
“Becoming a CRA felt like a natural next step,” Gaia says.
Let the Training Commence
As Gaia began mapping out her transition from a site position, she narrowed her search to include organizations that could support her as she learned a new role. She was determined to build up a solid foundation early on in her career, and that’s when she discovered Medpace.
When Gaia entered Medpace’s PACE® program, or Professionals Achieving CRA Excellence®, she was met with a comprehensive training experience. Not only was she paired with a manager, she also worked with a mentor and an experienced CRA to help guide her through her first year. By the time she graduated from the PACE program and began working at sites on her own, Gaia had gained a substantial foundation of knowledge and experience in addition to a reliable network of coworkers.
Leaving the Nest
Even though Gaia had less patient contact as a CRA, she took on a broader range of responsibilities like oversight and quality. While the foundation of CRA and CRC roles are the same — attention to detail, organization, communication – the perspective of each role is vastly different. Now that she’s the CRA in the CRC/CRA relationship, she finds that her background informs her current role. When she was working as a CRC, Gaia felt that support and collaboration created the most effective relationships she had with CRAs. “Now as a CRA,” Gaia explains, “I understand the pressures at the site level and try to work with CRCs as a partner rather than just as a monitor.”
Gaia’s desire to cultivate supportive learning environments has transcended her daily CRA duties. She is now a resource for new CRAs joining the PACE® program, serving as an experienced CRA, and taking new joiners on site visits to provide them with hands-on working experience. Gaia has also recently stepped into the role of “mentor,” offering one-on-one support to a new CRA who has joined her office in Italy.
How do you make a difference?
“Your experience as a CRC gives you a strong advantage,” Gaia shares. The combination of her background and her current CRA experience allows her to meet each site with understanding and nuance. Gaia shares that welcoming your career transition with adaptability and curiosity allows for a very rewarding experience.
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