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Laboratory Focus November 2012 www.laboratoryfocus.ca
CAREER SPOTLIGHT Bio-economy Career Profile
Check us out! November is upon us, and with it comes the exciting news of the launch of our new website www.laboratoryfocus.ca! For years now, you’ve known Laboratory Focus exclusively as a print magazine through and through. We’ve been working hard to bring you a website with the same high-quality coverage of Canada’s lab market as we do in our print magazine, which will continue to be published on a bi-monthly basis. As Canada’s leading editorial-based lab publication, we wanted to make our content more accessible, to better give readers the latest in technology updates through application and tech notes, as well as giving you a spot you can go to for all of Canada’s lab news. With our new website, we’re entering the digital world to offer you a more interactive reading experience. Our recently launched site offers readers up-to-date news on innovations, developments and new products in the industry, as well as major awards and funding opportunities and web-exclusive content. We provide you with insightful articles looking at the trends in laboratories across Canada, as well as lab safety features. The new website has a simple, user-friendly theme, along with user-interest categories of Pharmaceutical, Clinical, Chemical, Food and Environment. Also available on the new website are the latest digital editions of the print magazine, and archived editions of previous Laboratory Focus issues. An important part of our new site is our section devoted to new products. We’re featuring a variety of the latest and most innovative laboratory products available in Canada, similar to our “New Products” section in the print magazine. Web visitors can find out about the latest news by signing up for updates from Laboratory Focus, which provides you with our latest stories and up-to-the-minute industry news. We have entered a new era here at Laboratory Focus, and are excited to share our new website with you. We hope you take a chance to check us out online at www.laboratoryfocus.ca. Happy November!
Compiled by BioTalent Canada Position: Senior Clinical Research Associate Name: Brenda Nolf Company: Organon Pharmaceuticals Salary Range: CRA $44,000 to $63,000 per year Senior CRA $71,000 to $82,000 per year
What I do:
I’m the sponsor representative who recruits doctors to recruit patients for studies. I ensure doctors are compliant with following the protocol, ensuring safety for patients and reviewing the data to make sure it’s accurate and correct. Most of my time is spent on a computer, either e-mailing or doing data monitoring. The rest of my day is spent doing document review, communicating with the investigative study group, and making sure that all of the work is compliant with good clinical practice. I travel between 75 and 90 per cent of the time.
What education and skills do candidates need for this position?
To work in this area, you usually need a science background. I’m a registered nurse by background, and I find it to be quite helpful. In terms of skills, you need to be detail-oriented and have good communications skills. Relationship building is a big necessity when you’re dealing with different sites. Being organized is also important. You also have to be knowledgeable about good clinical practices.
What are the best parts of your job?
The best thing about the job is that I have flexibility. Also, I’m always working on different projects, so once one study finishes, there’s another one that overlaps. It gives you variety and interest. The research is very interesting, and people tend to ask you questions about it when they find out what you do. For instance, we did a study on infertility, and you find out later that people you know have a related issue, and you can answer their questions about it. I had another friend mention something to me about having diabetes; he was sharing the fact he was interested in being part of a study.
