Clinical Data Manager

Here's one more article on job prospects of CDM.

The workplace changes as the world changes as well. Before there were only a few jobs people can choose from – that of a teacher, farmer, doctor, nurse, lawyer, policeman, soldier, firemen, and other plain old jobs. But now, different trades and processions are emerging each year, making the employment scene quite rich and thriving. Apart from being interesting a lot of these jobs are lucrative as well. One great example of such new interesting and profitable positions is that of the clinical data manager. Looking at its responsibilities it seems to be rather a mentally stimulating job, and the buzz is that the salary range is attractive as well. An attractive salary is not only what lures people into applying for the clinical data manager position, the challenge of the job seems to be quite as fulfilling. The job entails a mixture of the medical field and information technology The manager is responsible for tracking and consigning the database system of a medical or clinical institution. The job may be within a health care system or a research facility. The clinical data manager supervises the work of data clinical data entry associates to ensure the accuracy and consistency of the data after it has been entered in to the system. This is important to meet the quality standards needed to report to medical regulatory bodies. The job of the clinical data manager is an essential part of the whole clinical setup as it deals with management of the information that would help the better understanding of patients or the clearer analysis of clinical studies. An efficient data base of the clinical data is necessary not only to keep records in the hospital or research facility, it also plays an important role in the proper administration of health care to patients. Many hospitals and research facilities consider their clinical database to be among their most important assets that really have to be kept in proper order. And it is the responsibility of the clinical data manager to maintain such. The clinical data manager positions requires the combination of knowledge and skill in both the medical and technological fields. The manager should have great facility in working with computer systems since he will be handling a wide scope of computer applications used for the collection, management, and retrieval of data. In conjunction with this, the clinical data manager should be also adept with medical knowledge, familiar with pharmacology, well versed in clinical procedures, and comfortable in medical jargon. The job basically entails merging the medical and the technological and so it is expected that the manager be good in both fields. With such an important responsibility and a matching salary to boot, it is just expected that the clinical data manager position would require a considerable set of qualifications. Usually, a minimum of a bachelor’s degree is required with a concentration on a scientific or related field. An extensive experience in clinical data entry is needed of usually around five years in a medical or research institution. Certification in medical database systems is very much an asset for applicants together with a working knowledge in medical terms, codes, conditions, and drugs. Since it is basically a managerial job, work independence and leadership skills are expected together with good communication skills. Now perhaps the most exciting part of this job, the salary. The clinical data manager may indeed be a financially substantial position. Entry-level managers may earn as much as $80,000 to $100,000 a year. Those in higher positions may get as much as $250,000. With such an exciting job with a substantial salary, the position of the clinical data manager may indeed be attractive. So for those who have the skill and the drive for this occupation, trying out for the stint may be well worth it.