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Whilst the bulk of my work consists of filing
for all the various trials, I also do data entry for forms – for
example quality of life forms. I am responsible for
responding to the randomisation notification
emails for the EURAMOS 1 osteosarcoma trial. That means
whenever a patient is registered or randomised into the trial I
have to enter their details, update the accrual spreadsheets and
make sure the relevant clinician and first point of contact for
that centre are informed.
On an ad hoc basis there are requirements for
printing off and binding protocols, assisting with mail
outs, photocopying and helping prepare for any upcoming
meetings. However the tasks seem to vary from trial to trial,
as well as on a daily basis. Occasionally it can be necessary
to help assist with data chasing, to find out which forms are
missing from patient files from each centre involved.
The amount of involvement with each trial
differs. However, it is always interesting to learn as much
as possible about the trial through the administrative tasks or by
reading the protocol.
It is important to be organised and efficient,
so you can make sure that all the documents you deal with are
easily accessible to everyone who has to use them. You need
good time management skills too, as jobs which require urgent
attention need to be dealt with as soon as possible but everyday
tasks, such as filing, needs to be attended to on a regular
basis. Working with different members of staff who look after
various trials means you need to be able to spread your time evenly
between them, but also recognise that some trials need more time
spent on them than others.
Whilst working as a trials assistant you are
able to watch and help with some of the tasks required to be a data
manager. You are also able to learn about how trials are run
and the background work involved. Trials assistants can go on
to become a Data Manager and then a Trials Manager.
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