Research coordinator vs. Master's level clinician: should I get licensed?

[mpayne003]

I will be graduating at the end of the 2016 with a MA in clinical psych, and as I've gained more clinical experience I am realizing full-time clinical work may not be my cup of tea, and being a clinical research coordinator or the like would be more enjoyable to me and fit my strengths.  My question is am I putting all my eggs in one basket by applying for research coordinator jobs, or should I try to get licensed (while still applying for jobs) to keep my options open even if I'm thinking the clinical research coordinator path is best for me?  Any thoughts/insight would be much appreciated.

[rising_star]

Have you looked at job descriptions/requirements for clinical coordinator positions? If not, you definitely should. What you want to know is whether they require or prefer that the clinical research coordinator be licensed. If you're seeing that it's preferred, then maybe it is a path you want to pursue. But, if it's not required, then maybe you don't.

[juilletmercredi]

In most states, an MA in clinical psychology doesn't lead to eligibility for licensure as a licensed professional counselor. (You'd instead get a master's in mental health counseling, or maybe another counseling field.) Are you sure your program does?

In any case, It's okay to concentrate on one particular career - lots of people do that. It's part of the goal of going to graduate school, after all. If you want to be a clinical research coordinator, go ahead and try - but be sure that you have the qualifications for it.

[CatLady4Lyfe]

I was in a very similar situation. I completed a 225 hour clinical practicum for my master's. During that time I really fell in love with research, and after graduating and working in the field for about a year I decided that's definitely not the route I wanted to go. I had completed all the pre-reqs to get licensed as an LPC because I wanted to keep that option open just in case I was ever in a bind in the future. Then I ended up taking a research coordinator position and it solidified that I want to go into research...as more time passed it became clear to me that having my LPC license wasn't something I'd use even if I was in a bind. I think it really depends on how strongly you feel about counseling/research.

Not sure how helpful this is to you, but I was very surprised how things have played out in my own situation If you think you want to hold on to that licensure then I would probably go for it now and take the NCE while you're still eligible. To me, anyway, it seems better to have it and then later decide you didn't need to use it rather than wishing you did a few years from now and having to jump through a bunch of hoops. 

[mpayne003]

Thank y'all for your feedback, I really appreciate it.  If I were to pursue licensure I would have to take a couple more classes and get more clinical hours under supervision after graduating, which is part of the reason why I'm questioning whether to get licensed at all. But @CatLady4Lyfe I appreciate your perspective.    If you don't mind me asking, what kind of research coordinator position do you currently have, and how do you like it?


 

[CatLady4Lyfe]

The supervised hours are important (and can really bite you in the butt if you have a hard time getting them). When I got hired for my research coordinator position, they offered to find a staff member for me and face time with patients just in case I did still want to get my licensure. 

The position I have now is for a smoking cessation program in a huge cancer research hospital. We offer free medications and free counseling for patients who are getting treatment here; however, my role is geared towards recruiting patients and running the clinic. Other people in my department have the same title, but very different roles, much like Rising Star said above. There are some LPC research coordinators, there are some who do just straight data entry, some who do EEG and other testing, and some whose focus is on submitting abstracts for conferences. It really just depends on the project and the place you go. 

Do I like it? I like it in the exposure that I get to have. I get to do some "researchy" type stuff, and I still get to interact with patients. The pay isn't great for a master's level degree, but it has helped me in other ways. Applying for grad programs was WAY easier working than it was while I was trying to graduate. And even though I'm not interested in researching specifically tobacco use or obstacles for cancer patients (I look more at addiction and shyness and motivation for behaviors), the connections have definitely helped me. One PI that I interviewed with this application cycle (and was later accepted at) collaborates with a PI that just left my department last month. Even though I didn't directly work with that guy, having this hospital/department on my CV helped. You never know...

Oh, one last thing - working here showed me an environment where PhDs still get to do research but don't work in academia (if maybe teaching isn't your thing). I had heard these places existed, but it was helpful for me to see what that really looked like. 

[mpayne003]

That's all very helpful, thank you so much!

[icantseethespacebar]

On 3/23/2016 at 6:58 PM, mpayne003 said:

Thank y'all for your feedback, I really appreciate it.  If I were to pursue licensure I would have to take a couple more classes and get more clinical hours under supervision after graduating, which is part of the reason why I'm questioning whether to get licensed at all. But @CatLady4Lyfe I appreciate your perspective.    If you don't mind me asking, what kind of research coordinator position do you currently have, and how do you like it?


 

You'll still need 2000 hours of clinical work post-masters to be eligible for the LPC (at least in the state I am in). In my state, I went the LPCC route, so I didn't have to pay to register as an unlicensed psychotherapist, but am still eligible to count all my clinical and supervision hours towards the LPC. I was encouraged to not close any doors, and while I don't want to be a full-time clinician, having a license opens up doors to many more opportunities in different work environments. For example, many research coordinator positions in hospital settings prefer licensure for hiring purposes if your research will be with clinical populations.

 

Good luck!