Description de la soumission d'un avis
Your career path after graduating from the master's?
At the end of my master’s, I wanted to redirect my career path while making the most of my scientific background. Continuing in clinical research seemed like a good compromise. So I joined the FARC-TEC inter-university diploma, at the Timone Faculty, a training open to M.Sc. graduates. The training
is divided into six 4-day seminars spread out over 7 months, where we learn the theoretical, regulatory but also practical aspects of clinical research. An internship is not required but highly recommended.
What are your duties?
I finished my training mid-May and I graduated early June. I just got hired at the European Hospital of Marseille as a clinical research associate (ARC). My job is varied, I make the link between volunteers in a clinical trial and the doctor who designed it: I include volunteers when they are interested, and I make sure that they have all necessary information to understand it. I subsequently deal with the administrative aspect of the trial, its logistics, and I can also help with statistical analysis.
What you like most about your job?
To be honest, I’m still discovering this job, even if I did a 6-month internship during my training. However, I like the human aspect: to be in contact with people, to work in a hospital setting. I also like to contribute to advancing science; the protocol on which I am working, for example, could change the lives of many patients in the field of gynecology.
What are its constraints?
I don't have enough perspective to apprehend them yet, but I would say that the administrative side represents a large part of the job.
Interview given in July 2017
The advantages
The neuroscience master’s program has especially helped me acquire the scientific approach. During my M2 internship, I had the chance to be mentored by Prof. François Féron and Dr. Gaëlle Guiraudie-Capraz, who allowed me to have a lot of freedom and autonomy in my work, and in a climate of trust. The master’s does not only consist in theoretical learning, it is also meeting people who help us advance on the professional and human levels.
The difference is not so great between basic and clinical research, the goal is more to help develop new therapeutic strategies. The master’s training allows us to have knowledge in biology and a scientific profile, which is indispensable. We never feel like we are caught unaware, regardless of the medical field in which we have to work.