This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
Mandi Miller is a Senior Clinical Research Associate at Alimentiv.
Why did you become a CRA?
I have been a CRA since 2006. I’ve always been very interested in the medical field and have a strong background in science. I was recruited by somebody in the industry.
What is your favorite part about working at Alimentiv?
My favorite part has to be my coworkers, my peers, the people, and the culture. It’s very warm and friendly compared to some other CROs that I’ve worked for. You really feel like you’re a name and not a number. You feel like your voice is heard and you feel like your contributions make a difference.
What does a typical workday look like for you?
My typical workday varies. I trade off weeks of traveling and then weeks in the office. It’s a style that works best for me because you need time in the office to get caught up on administrative tasks. And then we do a lot of remote monitoring.
On my typical day I check my email, get a plan for the day if I’m not monitoring reports, and check in with my sites. I’m very close with all of my study coordinators—that’s one thing I’ve found is very helpful.
Study coordinators are very busy, and they oftentimes have more on their plate than they can handle. I’ve found that if you treat them well, they tend to show up for you when you need something done. They know they can call or text anytime if they need anything.
Every day is a little bit different, which is also something that I really enjoy because you don’t get bored that way. There’s always something to do in a new challenge.
What advice would you give to those looking to become a CRA?
If this is your calling and this is something that sounds interesting to you, it’s a great opportunity to work with other people, to travel, and to learn multiple different kinds of protocols.
Once you get your foot in the door, you can stay in this career and grow in it. If you like traveling and you want to do that, you can. If that’s not your cup of tea, there’s a lot of remote monitoring.
I tell a lot of my study coordinators when I’m out in the field, “You should look into being a CRA.” You see potential in some of these study coordinators, that this is something that they’re really good at. I tell them that they should look into growing their careers with clinical research because it is such a vast platform.
You can move laterally or you can move vertically within a company. Another thing I really like about Alimentiv is that that opportunity exists far more than it has for me at some other CROs.
What gives your work a sense of purpose?
It’s cutting-edge science. It is saving lives. It is improving people’s lives, especially in IBD. These patients who have Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, their quality of life is not the same as it is for the rest of us. They are sick.
Anytime you live in chronic pain, you’re going to have a lot of associated side effects, such as depression or anxiety. If you can’t go a couple of hours without having to run to the restroom, that’s no way to live your life.
I found that it is rewarding to know that we work in the area of improving people’s quality of life. The more data we collect, the more patients we can help. And so it does feel like my job is impactful and it does make a difference in people’s lives, and that’s always rewarding.