Wow, am I happy to find this thread. During this last week I've received several e-mails from Espoirbridge/EBRecruiters. I have a BS in Natural Sciences - Biology Major and also studied Pre-Med. First it was Monika Hoffman (I sent an updated resume to: http://www.ebrecruiters.com/cr.html) , then several from Carolyn McMurry and now several from  KRGI Clinical Research. I suspected that a scam could be involved, so today I started to look a little bit more into it and have found several sites like this one which have opened my eyes. Can't believe people take advantage of us (I'm currently unemployed) for their personal benefit. Thanks to your comments we can defend ourselves.

So now I have read all of the comments about the fact that most of these companies are scams and I am wonder what probably others are... WHERE CAN I GET TRAINING TO BE A CRA??? I have applied for positions that ask for what seems like minimal experience, and no response. I find tons of openings on Medzilla for CRA's, but I must be a total loser, because I don't get even a "you suck, but thank you for applying" email. I have been a RN for 20 yrs, have my BSN and did about a years work as a CRA 12 yrs ago for a tiny research institute.
I would love to find a job as a CRA and work my way up to being home based and have a stable job! I know it won't happen over night, but I need help finding out how to start the entire process. I keep hitting brick walls because no one wants to hire and train you, and no one wants someone without experience!! It's a catch 22, which is so frustrating I want to scream!!

Can anyone shed some light on what to do? Thank you for anything you have to offer!
Gina

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.

Guys,

I am heartbroken,So this Espoirbridge,kriger thing is a huge scam.No doubt I applied to a lot of companies,but i didn't get a single call from anyone and I paid $1300 for the course.And now I think about it this Cliniqa thing is a big scam too.I was sent an e-mail saying that there as a immediate need for clinical research people and I kept calling the San Dieago number like a fool over and over again but nothing.

What do I do now,all my hopes crashed.I dont know what to do.
Where do I go from here.

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.

I also called by e-mail and phone both EspoirBridge and Cereprotec and I got no answer back in one week!

I am really suprised that I did not any job offer for sure (just a few interviews, some just prescreenings). If there are so many clinical jobs and there is "lack of professionals" (as Espoir Bridge claims), how comes I applied to 200 jobs and got only wasted time? This is frustrating and revolting.