Losing Talent
Really great talent is walking out the door to seek opportunities with contract research organizations (CROs) and sponsor teams that offer better compensation packages or other perks, such as remote and hybrid working models. Many are looking for a career change and aren’t seeing opportunities within their organizations.
Setting the Stage for Burnout
This cycle creates a massive burden for the remaining team members with additional responsibilities added to their daily work. The increased workload leads to job dissatisfaction and concerns about work-life balance that motivate them to look for new opportunities.
So those clinical trial site teams need more resources to ease the burden?
Yes. However, while they do need more resources, organizations must address the root causes of these problems. AACI’s CTO Staff Retention Task Force identified how limited career growth in their current roles and a variety of personal reasons all added to stress and burnout. All this contributes to job dissatisfaction, further burdening clinical trial professionals already dealing with heavy workloads and not enough staff to manage trial portfolios. Innovative changes are required to effectively address these challenges
Are you seeing teams developing any innovative solutions?
That’s the good news! Teams are beginning to change how they are addressing the situation. Organizations need:
- A culture shift to support more flexible working models
- New technologies to automate time-consuming and repetitive tasks
- Career pathing to help team members see opportunities within their own organizations
The CTO Staff Retention Task Force released recommendations to consider these things. The report was developed by a task force representing 15 different cancer centers. It cites many of the factors we just discussed but also makes recommendations about recruiting and retention strategies that will have a longer-term impact.
Do you think the CTO Staff Retention Task Force has the right approach?
Yes – it’s a good starting point. We have been using the term, “Healthcare Human Capital Epidemic” to describe the current situation because it is happening everywhere throughout our health systems.
Pharma companies are using contract research organizations (CROs) to meet their needs. Some of the CROs are starting to use functional service providers (FSPs) to address their resourcing issues.
But there really isn’t anyone rethinking the way sites are operating and helping them to address the issue in a more holistic way.
What would a holistic approach look like?
Vitalief’s Advisory team takes this approach. When they look at a client’s resourcing issues, they are looking at a much bigger picture. They are asking hard questions like,
- Are your technologies helping you meet your objectives?
- Are your processes optimized to ensure efficiency and compliance?
- Is your organization structured to enable the flexibility required by today’s workforce?
The so-called “resourcing challenge” isn’t something you can fix by throwing bodies at it. It requires a different way of working and that means we must start thinking about different team structures and resourcing models that offer more agility in the unpredictable clinical research arena.
Efficient Processes and Improved Employee Experience
We have to start looking at where technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can be applied to reduce the administrative burden on on-site teams. And we must look for new ways to retain talent. That could be anything from better compensation to more flexible hours to offering more training and professional development opportunities.
It’s definitely complex, but a broader view actually enables us to develop solutions that offer greater value. We can’t fix this new problem with old ideas.
What do oncology trials of the future look like?
The data volume and velocity are going to continue to increase. If we do this right, we can leverage technology, optimized processes, and top talent to create really efficient research and clinical trial engines.
Investing in Talent
By investing in talent, we can make sure that we retain the right experienced people to run the trials and support patients in need. It may sound a bit idealistic, but I think it is totally doable. We have so many bright people working toward better outcomes for our patients. We just need to step back and look at the bigger picture.
Our clinical trial site teams are critical to research and patient care. They are shouldering a lot of pressure to perform quickly and efficiently while engaging with patients and simultaneously maintaining compliance. It’s time to rethink how we support their efforts. If we make the investment now, clinical trial site teams of the future could offer better outcomes and greater value to their organizations and their team members, as well as the patients they serve.
Addressing the Healthcare Human Capital Challenge With a Holistic Approach
We’d like to thank Jim for sharing his expertise with us. It’s clear that addressing the increase in trial complexity and staffing problems is going to take a thoughtful approach. At Vitalief, we’re taking a holistic approach to address these challenges long-term. Contact Vitalief to learn more about how our team is addressing the healthcare human capital challenge.
