A Beginner Guide to Working at a CRO

Contract research organizations, usually just called CROs, run a huge share of the clinical trials happening globally, but a lot of people outside the industry do not fully understand what these companies do or what working at one is like. This article explains the basic role a CRO plays between pharmaceutical sponsors and trial sites, and the range of departments you might end up in, from clinical operations to regulatory affairs to data management. We also cover some of the practical differences between working at a CRO versus directly for a pharmaceutical company, including things like project variety, which tends to be higher at a CRO since you are usually supporting multiple sponsors at once. If you are weighing offers between the two types of employers, this should give you a clearer picture of what to expect.