Medical Research Associate

Medical research associates help design, prepare, plan, complete and review clinical trials to make sure they meet regulatory standards.

NOC Code: 4165

Job Duties

Medical research associates help design, prepare, plan, complete and review clinical trials to make sure they meet regulatory standards. You may work for educational or research institutions, government and non-government agencies, or consulting and marketing companies. You may also be called a medical research associate, clinical research assistant or clinical research associate.

Generally, medical research assistants:

  • Observe tests, analyze data, and interpret results.
  • Prepare technical reports, summaries, protocols, and help conduct quantitative analyses.
  • Develop new methods, models and technologies.
  • Participate in scientific conferences and contribute to scientific journals.

Source: HRSDC

Job Requirements

Education

This job requires: Post-Graduate

Comparison with other jobs in this profession
JobLevel of Education Required
Pharmacy AssistantHigh School
Medical Research AssociatePost-Graduate
Pharmaceutical Regulatory Affairs and Quality Operations AssociateCollege or University
Technical Sales SpecialistCollege or University

Experience

This job requires 2 - 5 years of work experience.

Comparison with other jobs in this profession
JobYears of Work Experience Required
Pharmacy Assistant0 - 2
Medical Research Associate2 - 5
Pharmaceutical Regulatory Affairs and Quality Operations Associate2 - 5
Technical Sales Specialist2 - 5

Source: HRSDC

Essential Skills

As a medical research assistant, you need to:

  • Speak, write and read English.
  • Understand medical terminology and scientific procedures.
  • Have strong planning and organizational skills.
  • Be able to work on different projects at the same time.
  • Have good leadership and research skills.

Language Skills

You need to communicate in person and in writing with co-workers and participants.  You need to use specialized terminology.

Labour Market Information

Trends

This is a competitive career since the number of job seekers is larger than the number of openings.

Prospects

The work prospects for this job are: FAIR

Comparison with other jobs in this profession
JobWork Prospects
Pharmacy AssistantGood
Medical Research AssociateFair
Pharmaceutical Regulatory Affairs and Quality Operations AssociateNo Data
Technical Sales SpecialistFair

Wages

The average hourly wage for this job is: C$33/hour.

Comparison with other jobs in this profession
JobAverage Wage/Hour
Pharmacy Assistant$17.00
Medical Research Associate$33.00
Pharmaceutical Regulatory Affairs and Quality Operations Associate$0.00
Technical Sales Specialist$25.00

Source: HRSDC

Retraining

Educational Programs

These links will give you a list of related educational programs or where you can search for them. There may be other schools that have similar programs, such as private career colleges. You may be able to get advanced standing.

Bridging Programs

Here is a list of some bridging programs. These programs can help you assess your education and skills, get practical training or improve your language skills so that you can work in your field.

Language Training

Here is a list of some language training programs, such as Enhanced Language Training (ELT) and Occupation Specific Language Training (OSLT).

Work Experience Programs

Some bridging programs in this field include co-operative (co-op) work experience.

Voluntary Membership Opportunities

Helpful Links

The data in this profile is provided for informational purposes only. Some of the information may have changed since this profile was written. Please check the source for the most up-to-date information.