Coordinators who support clinical research teams at the U of M and Fairview have new resources to help them be more successful, thanks to expansions to the Clinical Research Coordinator (CRC) Orientation program.
The online training program now offers a new course about recruiting research participants (shown above), to help coordinators more effectively attract volunteers for clinical trials, and ensure they have a positive experience.
"Recruiting patients is vital to a trial's success, and sites invest a significant amount of time and resources on recruitment activities. I'm very exited about the development of the CRC Orientation program's latest course, which is designed to provide CRCs with the skills, training, and real-world examples that can help them more effectively recruit and retain research participants," says Denise Windenburg, Program Director of the U of M's Cardiovascular research team. Windenburg collaborates on the training program with other content experts and the Clinical and Translational Science Institute.
Other new program features include an online forum that allows the U of M and Fairview CRC community to discover, share, and discuss resources, as well as digital badges that enable CRCs to showcase training progress, such as on their LinkedIn profile.
Recruitment is one of many courses included in the module, which addresses a wide range of topics, from good clinical practice and research ethics to policies and regulatory considerations. Courses can be taken anytime, anywhere, and are free to CRCs at the U of M.
"We originally created the CRC Orientation program to help drive high-quality research, while also supporting the career development of the coordinators who are critical to a clinical study's success," says Michelle Lamere, assistant director for CTSI's Education, Training, and Research Career Development function (CTSI-Ed). "We continuously add new features to keep delivering on this promise, and respond to the evolving needs of the CRC community."
The Clinical and Translational Science Institute developed and manages this program, while CRC experts and research managers serve as content experts, including for the new recruitment-focused course.
Visit the CRC Orientation page to learn more. To enroll, email [email protected] or visit the CRC Orientation Moodle page (requires U of M login).