Clinical Research Associate

Organizational Unit:

The USF Health College of Nursing is one of 14 colleges at the University of South Florida and one of four that make up USF Health. As a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities, USF is designated by the Carnegie Foundation as both a Research 1 and a Community-Engaged institution-reflecting its commitment to excellence in education, research, and service.

Nationally recognized as a leader in nursing education and research, the College of Nursing serves more than 2,000 undergraduate, master's, and doctoral students each year. For the fourth consecutive year, our Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program has been ranked No. 1 among Florida's public universities by U.S. News & World Report-rising to No. 23 in the nation in 2025.

As an integral part of USF Health, the College of Nursing is guided by a mission grounded in excellence, innovation, and respect. We are dedicated to educating future nurses, advancing nursing science, and applying evidence-based practice to improve health outcomes and community well-being.

Position Summary:

This position typically reports to the principal investigator of a clinical research study. The position may perform evaluation duties in preparation for the project. The position then performs project activities such as overseeing the screening and enrollment of potential clients for a health services protocol, developing materials to communicate the project to potential clients and their families, coordinating site visits and appropriate collection of data, ensuring quality control in the data, and compiling regulatory reports. This position may require specific computer expertise and may require maintaining information on a web site. Work at this level meets the FLSA criteria for a professional exemption since the primary duties are work that requires advanced knowledge which is predominantly intellectual in character and requires the consistent exercise of discretion and judgment. Clinical Research Administrators typically oversee temporary staff or Research Support Specialists. They differ from the non-exempt staff by developing techniques and overseeing clinical data gathering, establishing quality control standards, composing educational materials, and acting as liaison with regulatory agencies. Clinical Research Administrators are not overall project directors. They do not set overall project direction nor do they have responsibility for final interpretation of project results. This position may perform a small amount of general administrative duties such as monitoring budgets, and drafting administrative forms and reports. Work is distinguished from an Administrative and Business Analyst through its primary emphasis on overseeing client recruiting and testing, and analyzing clinical data rather than general administrative work.