#PositiveVibes - You've Got Personality

By John R. Nocero and Nicole M. Palmer

The VIBE: Soft skills can be as important as the hard skills

John: I was at a training class yesterday and we were discussing building the perfect Clinical Research Associate (CRA) a.k.a study monitor. We broke up our brainstorming session into two areas – hard skills and soft skills. When it came to me, my own answer surprised me – I said “If I was building a perfect CRA, I would give them a great personality.” I have done a complete 180 degree shift on this one. Let me explain.

Originally I believed, in any role, not just CRA's, was that knowledge was most important. You needed to have depth and know how to apply it. If you were a good monitor, sites would just fall into your lap. And maybe that would be true to a degree – but sites now are different. The average research coordinator is relatively newer in their career and may have experienced many different monitoring changes during the life of their study. They have been told many different things. They don’t know who to believe sometimes. The majority of coordinators are there to do a good job and want to know what they are doing is right. As a monitor, they need to trust you and be motivated by you. They want to know you are there to help them and not be punitive.

Think about the official definition of monitoring – it involves supervision of actions in progress to ensure that policies, procedures are actually being followed and controls are working as expected. It doesn’t mean you act like the regulatory police or a know-it-all. You are integrated into the site’s operational process as well as the study you are monitoring. Many of the coordinators I know have learned a lot from spending time with knowledgeable qualified monitors, that they liked. I know what you are thinking – “John, I am about results. I know sites are doing things wrong and I need to find out what they are to correct them. I need to keep participants safe and the data clean.” That’s true. I don’t doubt you – but let me ask you this – who would you rather work with – the monitor who is knowledgeable, likeable, knows their stuff and works with you to get things fixed, who can teach, motivate and adjust as necessary, or the person that comes in, sits down, is 100% business assertive, tells people what to do and then sends a report in a week?

 Nicole, what are your thoughts?

Nicole: Ultimately, we are talking about how is the CRA's customer service skills? I think in order to be a successful CRA, you have to possess the following skills: effective listener, empathy, understanding, time management, organized, respectful, patience and the ability to use positive language.

 Effective Listener: This means to be able to concentrate and listen, ask questions, provide feedback and summarize what you heard. It’s important to maintain eye contact and stay focused. Listen to what the person is saying and don’t cut them off. There’s nothing worse when you are talking, and someone tries to cut you off or talk over you. Be respectful and let the other person finish speaking and then you may provide feedback or ask the questions that are needed.

Empathy: Try and take a step back and understand where the other person is coming from. This means more than anything. If you can take a step back and think about how the other person is conceptualizing the situation and vice versa, it will make life so much easier in accomplishing our goals together as a team.

Understanding: It seems so basic. Merriam Webster dictionary says, friendly or harmonious relationship. CRA's need to be likeable. It’s important to build those positive relationships.

Time Management: When you are on site, managing your time is essential. You only have a limited amount of time and it needs to be spent wisely.

Organized: Since your time is limited on site, you must be organized. You must plan to prepare and prepare to plan. I like to write a “to do” list and prioritize my tasks. In clinical research, we are often trying to prioritize the priority

Respectful: Don’t forget your manners. A simple thank you goes a long way. Also, treat anyone you encounter the same way that you would want to be treated.

Patience: If the visit isn’t going how you planned, remember, you are in control of your emotions. You may not be able to change the situation that you are in, but you can change the way you think and feel.

Positive Language: Positive language equals positive outcomes. Language is the most powerful tool you have.

Now we want to hear from you! What do you think it takes to be a CRA?

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