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Clinical Programmer |
Career OverviewA clinical programmer works very closely with both the research team as well as the data manager to establish and build databases to accurately reflect the data that is produced during the research. A clinical programmer usually is very involved in the clinical trial aspect of drug and medicine research and is required to determine what type of database as well as the fields and types of information that will be entered in the database.
The clinical programmer is always responds to inconsistencies or errors in the data and works to problem solve or troubleshoot potential issues and concerns. The clinical programmer is the person that contacts the various groups with the clinical trial and keeps information and data flowing between the various groups to facilitate research and keep the project on timelines and meeting deadlines for data collection and analysis.
The clinical programmer may also provide additional data as needed and may help the design team determine the data that should be collected during the clinical trial. The clinical programmer is involved in the development of new forms of data entry, data programming, as well as data analysis on both a large scale and on an individual project basis. The clinical programmer can become involved in development of data protocols and even standard operating procedures for data collection.
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Career RequirementsThose clinical programmers with a Bachelors level science degree can be hired as entry level clinical programmers and are often used for the more routine aspects of the job. They are often responsible for the actual database management and monitoring of data parameters and results. With supervision the entry level clinical programmers may work to complete troubleshooting and may assist with development of new databases and protocols.
A Masters level clinical programmer is more independent and works in a supervisory role within the team. They are responsible for troubleshooting and problems solving. Most advanced clinical programmers have at least two years of pharmaceutical programming as well as laboratory experience with data collection.
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Job OutlookThe job outlook for clinical programmers continues to be positive, and should continue on with this trend for the next several years. As research and data collection becomes more automated it is critical to have troubleshooters and data monitors that are able to develop appropriate databases as well as spot any potential problems or conflicts in data as they are processed.
The clinical programmer combines both computer skills and knowledge with clinical science knowledge and this combination is in high demand within the biotechnology field.
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Career TrackEither Bachelor or Masters level clinical programmers may be eligible for supervisory roles with extensive experience and specialized training in a particular area of study. For most management positions the clinical programmer will need to have 3-5 years of clinical experience with data programming and will also have to have a Masters level education.
Clinical programmers may become consultants or may even move into the computer software development stream and work with specialized software companies that work on developing research databases and other data collection software.
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CompensationA Bachelor level clinical programmer with more than two years of experience can earn between $32,000 and $40,000, depending on their location, area of specialization, as well as their years of experience.
A Masters level clinical programmer with more than five years experience and some supervisory experience can often earn $53,000 to $90,000, again depending on area of expertise and type of research.
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