•  
  •  
 

Abstract

Competency-based training and professional development is critical to the clinical research enterprise. Understanding research coordinators’ perspectives is important for establishing a common core curriculum. The purpose of this study was to describe participants’ perspectives regarding the impact of online and classroom training sessions. 27 participants among three institutions, completed a two-day classroom training session. 10 novice and seven experienced research coordinators participated in focus group interviews. Grounded theory revealed similarities in novice and experienced coordinator themes including Identifying Preferences for Instruction and Changing Self Perceptions. Differences, seen in experienced participants, focused on personal change, in the theme of Re-Assessing Skills. Infrastructure and cultural issues were evident in their theme, Promoting Leadership and Advocacy. Novice participants recommended ways to improve training via their theme of Making Programmatic Improvements. Participants reported a clear preference for classroom learning. Training played an influential role in changing participants’ self-perceptions by validating their experiences. The findings provided guidance for developing a standardized curriculum. Training must be carefully tailored to the needs of participants while considering audience needs based on work experience, how technology can be used and offering content that is most urgently needed.

Keywords

Clinical Research Coordinators, Competency-Based Training, Grounded Theory, Online Training

Author Bio(s)

Linda S. Behar-Horenstein, PhD is Distinguished Teaching Scholar & Professor in the Colleges of Dentistry, Education, & Pharmacy, Director, CTSI Educational Development & Evaluation, and Co-Director, HRSA Faculty Development in Dentistry at the University of Florida. Correspondence regarding this article can be addressed directly to: lsbhoren@ufl.edu.

JoNell Efantis Potter, PhD is Associate Professor, Department of Obstetrics-Gynecology & Pediatrics, Director, Division of Research & Special Projects, Chief, Women's HIV Service, Vice-Chair IRB Committee C, Human Subjects Research Office, Co-Director, Alianza Program, Miami Clinical & Translational Science Institute, and Associate Director, Clinical Translational Research Center in the Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami. Correspondence regarding this article can also be addressed directly to: jpotter2@med.miami.edu.

Alena Prikhidko is a Doctoral Candidate in the College of Education at the University of Florida. Correspondence regarding this article can also be addressed directly to: Alenagraduate@gmail.com.

Stephanie Swords, MA, CCRP is the Program Director - Study Coordinator Apprenticeship and Mentoring Program (SCAMP) & Research Coordinator Support Service (RCSS) at the Johns Hopkins University's Institute for Clinical and Translational Research. Correspondence regarding this article can also be addressed directly to: sswords1@jhmi.edu.

Stephen Sonstein is Professor and Program Director for Clinical Research Administration at the Eastern Michigan University's School of Health Sciences. Correspondence regarding this article can also be addressed directly to: ssonstein@emich.edu.

H. Robert Kolb, RN BS CCRC is the Assistant Director for the Clinical Research Translational Workforce Directorate and Research Participant Advocate / Consultant for Regulatory Knowledge, Research Support and Service Center at the University of Florida' CTSI. Correspondence regarding this article can also be addressed directly to: kolbhr@ufl.edu.

Acknowledgements

Research reported in this publication was supported by the University of Florida Clinical and Translational Science Institute, which is supported in part by the NIH National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences under award number UL1TR001427. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Publication Date

12-3-2017

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2017.3192

Share

 
COinS
 
 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.