Izzy works as a Clinical Research Associate at IQVIA. He completed his Bachelor's in Biopharmaceutical Sciences with a minor in Neuroscience, followed by a Master's in Biomedical Sciences.

I am Izzy, 32 years old. I did my Bachelor's in Biopharmaceutical Sciences and then a minor in Neuroscience, at VU. After that, I did a Master's in Biomedical Sciences in Leiden. Currently, I work as a Clinical Research Associate, which means I'm involved in clinical studies testing new drugs on patients, from phase 1 (first human trials) to phase 4 (evaluation). My role involves visiting hospitals or companies that conduct studies (such as CHDR in Leiden or ICON in Groningen) to ensure they adhere to the protocol. Are the patients safe? Is the data secure? Is it handled correctly? The most crucial part is to make sure that informed consent is obtained. Do the patients know what they are participating in? I oversee this from a helicopter view. Additionally, I receive assignments from the pharmaceutical company to follow up on. Essentially, I act as a contact person between the two parties.

Both. I can work from home because the job is quite solitary. You can perform all your tasks independently. Whether I’m at the hospital depends on the schedule. For instance, I currently have two studies involving eight hospitals in total. One hospital follows an eight-week schedule, so I visit every eight weeks, while others follow a 24-week schedule. It varies. I now work for Amgen and previously worked for Janssen and Sanofi. I've noticed that each company handles things differently. At Janssen, I sometimes had to visit the site almost every week due to a vaccination study.

The priority is always checking for informed consent. Have the patients given consent for you to view their data? Then, you review all the data collected by the site. For example, they must record an ECG, draw blood, and check vital signs before administering an IP. You ensure everything is properly recorded and that any issues are correctly noted. Data collected in hospitals is saved in a system that is accessible to the pharmaceutical company. These companies run studies worldwide. For example, I’m currently involved in a cardiology study with about 50 sites in the Netherlands alone and approximately 500 sites worldwide with 5000 patients. All this data is collected for analysis to determine if the drug can go to the market or not.

It varies daily. The only consistent task is writing a report after each visit, answering questions about how the visit went, and noting any observations. You then summarise this for the site, indicating any actions they need to take. Sometimes additional tasks arise, such as sites calling with issues or delays in data entry that you need to follow up on. Occasionally, patients experience adverse events that require follow-up.

Early in my studies, I explored what suited me and what I enjoyed. I saw that two former classmates worked at Icon (a company similar IQVIA). I applied there first, and through those connections, I quickly got in. However, I didn’t feel completely at home as I missed having a fun team around me with shared interests. I then moved to my current company, where I wanted to learn more and advance in this field.

I did at the other company as well, but this company is younger and offers more activities outside work. It’s known for having more young employees. I now have a great team around me, making even the challenging days easier.

We have monthly Friday afternoon drinks with a theme or activity, an annual spring outing, and biannual company-wide meetings in a cinema. This year, we also went skiing with a group. Such activities help you connect with other departments. The company promotes networking through coffee chats, linking you with different departments and roles, making it feel like you’re not confined to one position.

It can be a bit complex. IQVIA consist of 2 entities, IQVIA RDS and IQVIA Solutions. IQVIA Solutions is with many consultants and CTcue. IQVIA RDS, in which RDS stands for Research & Development Solutions, consists of multiple departments; Biotech, Clinical FSP, Site management and many more. I work for the department Clinical FSP (Clinical Full Service Provider in this department you are fully outsourced to one pharmaceutical company. I currently work entirely for Amgen. My team includes CRAs who support and submit studies, all working for Amgen through IQVIA. Biotech handles smaller startup companies that can’t afford a full CRA. Then you also have In Site Management, which is similar but can involve large studies hired by companies like Janssen.

I’m currently working on two studies and hope to get more soon. You can choose what interests you. I enjoy the neuro side and am waiting for a study in that area. I also take on other studies, like the current cardiology one. Clinical-FSP involves various pharmaceuticals like Roche, Lilly, and Boehringer-Ingelheim, as well as smaller companies with just one CRA. It's about what you enjoy. For example, Roche has more neuro-focused studies, which I didn’t know beforehand.

Yes, you do. There are many other branches in the company I’m not familiar with yet, like consultancy. The company is large and diverse, with about 500 people in the Netherlands.

Yes, I did because I was very interested in it. I even applied for the neuroscience master's in Rotterdam. Initially, I took neuro courses and did a lab internship, but the hierarchical structure in the university wasn’t a good match for me. However, I respect those who excel in it. It just wasn’t for me.

There are several things. I enjoy the freedom we have; it’s not a 9-to-5 job, which suits me better. I also like travelling, interacting with doctors and study coordinators, and having discussions. Challenging study designs energize me, as it involves more investigation. Cardiological studies are straightforward, whereas neuro studies can be more complex. At Sanofi, where I worked before, I had more neuro studies, and I found it fascinating to read patients' personal stories in their electronic records. Seeing a drug work effectively was very rewarding despite the often distressing details.

It can be very bureaucratic, strictly following rules without much room for thinking outside the box. This can strain relationships with sites when we have to enforce certain rules. Maintaining a good relationship is crucial to ensure they comply and perform well. However, overcoming these challenges can also be rewarding.

Not really. Practical courses related to business, like Excel, could be useful. The content courses during my master's were helpful, though you might not realize it daily. For example, neuro courses make it easier to understand relevant information, while cardiology sometimes leaves me puzzled.

We receive training for new studies, including reading the protocol, which is often lengthy and complex. The challenge is to extract relevant information efficiently.

The first interview was more nerve-wracking since it was my first job. I prepared by reviewing common interview questions, writing down key points, and avoiding memorization for a more spontaneous conversation. Preparing questions to ask the interviewer is crucial to show your interest and understand the role better. Discuss with peers and reach out to contacts in the industry for insights. This can be incredibly helpful.

Contact info: izzy.kreuk@icloud.com