most CRA jobs are obtained via their bloody "networking"

People should also be wary of the following:
http://medicaldevicesnews.com/
http://regulatoryaffairstoday.com/

These websites are very similar with some links to a "real" website concerning industry news, however other links are CLEARLY slanted toward Kriger, Cereprotex, ClinProxy, ClinQua, etc. An independant repubitable biotech news site would not try to drive its viewers toward certain companies, it would simply present jobs and related information. For a "real" website check out http://www.biospace.com/

I did a search for Linkedin of Clinproxy and only two people showed up...very suspicious for a worldwide company.

Please dont fall for these antics...I have worked for clinical organizations  for 10 years at Merck, Hoffman, to name a few...If a company is interested they will provide you with training for free. Or at least assist you finanically for any "specialized" training. I agree one should check out www.socra.org, www.acrpnet.org, and www.scdm.org for getting a start to getting into the clinical industry or further advancement. Not this Kriger scam.

Under the law there activities are legal. Anyone in the US can open a university. There is more than 3000 universities in this country. You pay and take the course and they give you a certification. Now it the responsibility of everyone enrolling to check if the program offered is accredited by the state you live in. If you did not too bad for you and you cannot even sue them. You are only left with a piece of paper employer will probably will not recognize.

Anute, if you curently work at a university, I would suggest the following: contact professors at the Department of medicine, health professions, Psychology/Neuroscience & Nursing to see if they have any research going on for which they need research assistants. You have better odds since you already work there.About training, I would recommend you volunteer a lot. You need practical experience. Just helping out in a clincial study for 1 month goes a long way. Check if your university has a centre for clinical research - they would have training programs each month on different aspects of clinical research b/c the professionals need to stay up to speed too. The programs are free, though registration is generally required since seats are limited.You only become a certified CRA after 2 yrs work experience. At this point, mentioning "CCRP or CCRA" on your resume will set you apart. Otherwise, you basically begin at an entry level position and work your way up.Lastly, be proactive! Tell everyone you know that you are looking for work in this field. Search job banks, use google, set up career alerts, send out resumes even when not sollicited. Make sure you target your search and apply for positions for which you qualify.

Exactly the same story.I have just sent an e-mail to EspoirBridge enquirying...

Anute, if you curently work at a university, I would suggest the following: contact professors at the Department of medicine, health professions, Psychology/Neuroscience & Nursing to see if they have any research going on for which they need research assistants. You have better odds since you already work there.

About training, I would recommend you volunteer a lot. You need practical experience. Just helping out in a clincial study for 1 month goes a long way. Check if your university has a centre for clinical research - they would have training programs each month on different aspects of clinical research b/c the professionals need to stay up to speed too. The programs are free, though registration is generally required since seats are limited.

You only become a certified CRA after 2 yrs work experience. At this point, mentioning "CCRP or CCRA" on your resume will set you apart. Otherwise, you basically begin at an entry level position and work your way up.

Lastly, be proactive! Tell everyone you know that you are looking for work in this field. Search job banks, use google, set up career alerts, send out resumes even when not sollicited. Make sure you target your search and apply for positions for which you qualify.