One of the biggest challenges was the management culture. Leadership often felt heavily focused on metrics and productivity, with employee value tied closely to enrollment numbers and revenue generation rather than individual effort or growth. Despite consistently taking on responsibilities beyond my role and achieving the top enrollment numbers at my site, I still rarely felt recognized or supported for my contributions. Ultimately, I was let go due to slow study flow, which made the experience feel especially discouraging given the level of effort and results I had delivered.
There was also a lack of support and advocacy from management at the site level. Communication, training, and leadership often felt inconsistent, and staff members were sometimes left to navigate challenges without adequate guidance or acknowledgment. I frequently found myself recognizing and encouraging my fellow CRCs because that support was missing from leadership.
What made the experience particularly difficult was that I genuinely loved the work itself and believed in the mission of helping patients through clinical research. However, the overall management approach left me feeling undervalued and questioning whether hard work and dedication were truly appreciated. It was disappointing to invest so much into the role and still feel easily replaceable when operational needs changed.
