Welcome to the results of our 2008 Salary and Satisfaction Survey of Clinical Research Professionals. For background, we conducted
this survey of our readership in June 2008. At that point, if memory serves me, the economy hadn't gone completely whacky
and the words "bailout plan" weren't part of our daily vocabulary. That doesn't change the fact that comparative salary information,
as well as job satisfaction ratings, are extremely interesting and valuable to the workplace. They are, and we are very excited
to share the results with you. If anything, economic prosperity or economic difficulty provide the context for your current
situation and provide markers for the future.
Lisa Henderson
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In economic prosperity, we have the luxury of paying more attention to our career aspirations. In a less anxious environment,
we can explore other opportunities and weigh work-to-life balance and the benefits we receive. In economic difficulty, with
the accompanying anxiety, we may feel simply fortunate to have an income.
Paying attention to where your career is now and where you want to go is always helpful, both in good and bad times. That
is why we collected information on what clinical trials professionals feel they need to do to advance or to be more competitive
in their career.
We also asked members of our Editorial Advisory Board to provide the best career advice they ever received. Our EAB is comprised
of an experienced and diverse group of experts in all areas of clinical trial conduct—project management, regulatory, technology,
and more. Read advice from several of our EAB members that follows, read the Salary and Satisfaction article written by our
Managing Editor Kerri Nelen, then mix in the other articles we present on current work-life benefit trends and changing job
roles and we think you'll be well prepared for whatever the next step is in your career. "It is at least as important to manage your boss as your staff. You should never assume your boss knows what you are doing
and you should always try to align yourself with your boss's goals."—Jeffrey Litwin, MD, Executive VP and Chief Medical Officer,
eResearchTechnology.
"Be interested in other cultures, languages, and disciplines. Clinical development is a global, multidisciplinary effort."—Johanna
Schenk, MD, FFPM, Senior Partner and Managing Director, PharmaProjekthaus GmbH & Co.
"Understand what people do and why they do it, and then see how you can best achieve compliance in their environment."—Stanley
C. Rogers, Executive VP, SMHW Associates, LLC.
"Get an MBA. Understanding the business ramifications of clinical research decisions is more important than most imagine.
An MBA will enable you to think broadly."—Timothy Pratt, PhD, MBA, Clinical and Business Consultant.
"Learn from your successes and mistakes. It's better to learn from someone else's mistakes than repeat them, so seek advice
from your colleagues."—Stewart Geary, MD, VP and Global Safety Officer, Eisai Co.
Lisa Henderson
Editor-in-Chief
email: lhenderson@advanstar.com
http://www.appliedclinicaltrialsonline.com/
