Randomized clinical trials are the cornerstone of evidence-based knowledge across all areas of medicine, and the case is no different for dermatology clinical trials. Although the recent renaissance of artificial intelligence and technological advancements has provided new opportunities to improve the existing clinical research infrastructure, there is one pervasive issue involving the workforce in this industry that often escapes notice.

There has been a steadily growing disconnect between supply and demand for experienced clinical research professionals (CRPs), particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Delays within dermatology clinical trials are common enough without the additional challenge of finding qualified CRPs to help support a study. TFS HealthScience CRO (Contract Research Organization), a pioneer in the functional service provider (FSP) model, has long recognized that the clinical research industry is grappling with the need for more talent.

Understanding the impact of this workforce crisis on clinical research, TFS has established a robust platform offering sponsors strategic resourcing solutions (SRS) across numerous indications, including dermatology clinical trials. Read on to learn how study stakeholders, from pharmaceutical companies and investigators to other CROs, can leverage SRS and FSP services to curate the right team of CRPs for their next dermatology clinical trial! 

 

Challenges in Today’s Clinical Research Workforce

A 2023 study by Freel et al. found that across the United States, the job market for clinical research coordinators is expected to grow by 9.9% between 2016 and 2026, but the resignation rate at the time was 60% higher than in 2020. The turnover rate for patient-facing CRPs in clinical trials has increased to 35%-61% as of 2023, suggesting an unsustainable trend for sponsors and investigators towards a shrinking pool of talent for qualified CRPs. This underscores the need for SRS providers like TFS because staffing shortages are slowing down clinical trials, as well as pose concerns regarding its impact on the integrity and validity of the resulting study data. To learn more about the attrition crisis among clinical trials staff, click here. 

 

What are Strategic Resourcing Solutions (SRS)?

The SRS model enables providers like TFS to match the best talent for all clinical development functions and seniority levels across all phases, therapeutic areas, and competencies, to their clients’ open positions. SRS comes in various forms, including full-service outsourcing, professional insourcing of individual talent experts, recruitment services for a single resource or fully managed teams, and functional resourcing through the FSP model. Specifically, the FSP model allows sponsors to outsource specific functional components of a clinical trial while retaining control over the data and the overall process. To learn more about strategic resourcing solutions (SRS) and the challenges they address, visit this article from the TFS Intellect Hub. 

 

The Importance of SRS in Dermatology Clinical Trials and Key Advantages

The significance of SRS in the clinical research industry cannot be overlooked, considering there is a rising demand for more diverse skill sets and experience as dermatology clinical trials become increasingly complex and transition towards decentralized clinical trials. In response to growing workforce shortages in the clinical research industry, sponsors, clinics, and other CROs involved in dermatology clinical trials can rely on SRS offered by organizations like TFS customized to their unique needs (Table 1).  

 

Table 1. Key Benefits of Strategic Resourcing Solutions (SRS) for Dermatology Clinical Trials 

Key Challenges and Needs	How SRS Helps Clients
Decreasing CRP retention rates negatively impacts long-term provider relationships with dermatology study participants	SRS providers emphasize opportunities for career development and maintain balanced CRP assignments across multiple projects
Dermatology clinical trials are becoming increasingly globalized to improve diversity in study populations and generalizability	SRS providers possess strong local networks to support resourcing for projects in several countries worldwide
Technological advances in skin disease treatment necessitate study teams to have the right experience and skill sets	SRS providers have a long-standing history of recruiting qualified CRPs across all phases, from study coordinators to line managers
Clinical trials are an expensive venture, and the process of building the right team in-house is time-consuming, costly, and resource-intensive	SRS providers can support cost-efficient, quick transitions from request to placement, while ensuring streamlined training and onboarding
The growing complexity of dermatology clinical trials increases the need for greater quality assurance and study governance long-term	SRS providers like TFS have been in operation since 1996 and offer experienced line managers to provide structured oversight for study success

 

TFS Strategic Resourcing Solutions (SRS): Our Values and What Sets Us Apart

TFS Strategic Resourcing Solutions (SRS) has been offering a comprehensive suite of services that are tailored to meet the diverse needs of our clients globally for nearly 30 years. As one of the largest mid-sized FSP companies, we firmly believe in the power of the right people at the right time, providing tailor-made and cost-efficient solutions.

Our services range from providing single resources to fully managed teams for short- and long-term contracts, while using an approach rooted in partnership by fostering close and personal relationships with our clients and viewing their success as our own. We especially pride ourselves on our speed and flexibility, with the ability to quickly ramp up or down based on the needs of our clients, while our talented professionals consistently deliver quality expertise.

Beyond our core services, we offer customized service offerings through our Functional Service Provider (FSP) model, encompassing services such as single service capabilities, embedded teams, and operational oversight. Overall, TFS supports sponsors, investigators, and other CROs with our strong, flexible teams, while ensuring low employee turnover rate, efficient workload allocation, and extensive training programs for each project.

Our numbers speak for themselves! TFS has achieved several achievements with our SRS platform, now utilized by more than 30 well-known life science companies worldwide. 

• A global network of more than 60,000 active SRS professionals across 16 countries. 

• A monthly screening and interviewing rate of 500 applications/CVs reviewed by our dedicated in-house recruitment team. 

• Over 600 placements were achieved, all completed on average in under 30 days. 

• An average turnover rate of less than 14%. 

 

How TFS SRS Builds the Right Dermatology CRP Team for You

TFS’s SRS business unit provides a comprehensive recruitment process for dermatology sponsors, investigators, and CROs to build the right team of CRPs, including study coordinators. During pre-selection, TFS provides dedicated SRS recruiters with strong local country knowledge who provide relentless identification and vetting, reallocation of existing staff, and maintenance of an extensive database of available candidates. Following confirmation of candidate selection for the client, TFS SRS directs several resources over 5-15 weeks from the start to rebadge employees and support the placement of new staff. Tailored onboarding and training services are provided shortly after to meet the unique needs of each client and their dermatology clinical trials. On average, TFS has successfully delivered the required resources and completed placements within 1 month for clients across Europe, including in Spain, France, Poland, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. For more information on how TFS SRS can benefit your next dermatology clinical trial, click here! 

 

Conclusion

In conclusion, strategic resourcing solutions (SRS) like those offered by TFS CRO are critical in addressing the growing workforce challenges facing dermatology clinical trials and researchers within the field. These solutions undertake a versatile and efficient approach to matching qualified CRPs with the evolving needs of the clinical research industry. Furthermore, with its long-standing history in the recruitment of professionals, as a pioneer in FSP models and SRS, TFS guarantees a proven track record of success and a commitment to cost-efficient and quality services for sponsors, investigators, and other CROs looking to ensure the success of their dermatology clinical trials. 

 

Why Choose TFS Strategic Resourcing Solutions (SRS)?

At TFS HealthScience, we offer a 100% dedicated team to support biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies throughout their clinical development journey. As a leading mid-sized CRO with a global presence in 16 countries, our customized approach is underscored by a deep commitment to understanding our clients’ needs, which sets us apart.

Since 1996, our SRS and FSP services have been trusted throughout the entire clinical development journey, and our strategic resourcing experts possess a long-standing history of successfully recruiting CRPs for our clients. Visit our website to learn more about the solutions TFS can offer for your next dermatology clinical trial, or connect with a TFS representative today!

Download our One-Pager over our Dermatology Expertise here, and our SRS Expertise here!