With the advancement of health sciences and their subsequent expansion into various channels, clinical data management has become an important means to organize and consolidate the data available in hand.As diseases evolve and complicate by the day, clinical research on them is being conducted at a giant scale, and someone has to step in to collect and organize this data and also deem it available for future use, especially for further pharmaceutical developments by the pharmaceutical companies and evolved methods of treatment. This is the part where the clinical data management professionals step in them.

So why do you think you should study this hardly-heard-about subject? The answer is that as this field is an emerging area, thousands of jobs are being created every day, and the medical, as well as the IT industries, are in need of skilled professionals who can manage their extensive clinical research data for them. This job requires smart, efficient and competent employees with a penchant to serve humanity. This is a unique job which requires the dedicated service of a professional of the healthcare industry, combined with the skilled, precise data-crunching skills of an information technology engineer along with the visionary guidance of a research analyst thrown in. Many IT giants like Wipro, TCS, HCL, Novartis, and Cognizant are recruiting clinical data management students as their employees and now is the best chance to grab the opportunity before it gets too late. The number of job openings this field offers is high, at a whopping 1.5 lakhs!

So can you specialize in this subject? Well, if you have a Bachelor’s degree in health sciences, medicine or an IT degree, or say even a healthcare management course, then this career is ideal for you! The key soft skills required are classification, knowledge of computers, ability to think and analyze critically, excellent verbal skills, problem-solving and judgment, among others. Also, for getting a job, one commonly has to sit for an entrance test. These tests typically consist of a written examination, followed by an interview round. Some employers even look for work experience. However, it is assured that the salary is not bad.

This subject is taught at some levels in some institutions like ICRI (the first and largest Clinical Research and Healthcare institution). One can acquire certificates; attend workshops and seminars to get a hang of the subject. These are conducted both online and offline, subject to the convenience of the student.

Clinical data management students are taught how to collect data during various lab trials of pharmaceutical products or medical treatments efficiently. These are then processed and neatly arranged in databases for future reference by the pharmaceutical companies. They are also required to have a thorough knowledge of the guidelines enforced by regulatory agencies. You will also be offered a post-baccalaureate certificate from such a course that prepares you for direct industry interface.