Biostatistician Certification

As a biostatician, you won’t need licensing or certification. At least you won’t be licensed as a biostatician per se. During the course of your career, however, you may have job duties that require credentials. It’s very likely that at some point you will be involved in research studies that involve human subjects. You may be asked to be certified as a clinical research professional. If not, you may still pursue certification voluntarily. Certification is available through the Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP) or the Society of Clinical Research Associates (SoCRA). Research professionals who work under the supervision of the principal researcher may take ACRP’s Clinical Research Coordinator exam. According to the ACRP, major clinical research organizations encourage certification.

Your certifications, though, will be at best a small part of a what helps you make a career for yourself in biostatistics. If you want to succeed as a biostatician, your focus should be on building your curriculum vitae and on acquiring skills and making professional contacts. If you peruse job ads, you’ll see a lot of particular skills referenced, for instance knowledge of SAS, EDC, and other programming languages used in biostatistics. Many employers will ask for experience in particular fields, for instance, ocular. Ideally, you’ll be assisting with research and other professional duties from the time you are an undergraduate. Internships will prove useful for gaining skills and making contacts. Your own college will likely provide resources. If not, there is an extensive database on a site maintained by Rochester Institute of Technology.