Working Conditions, Job Perceptions, Job Satisfaction, and Intentions to Stay at the Job for Clinical Research Coordinators in the Republic of Korea

Abstract

This cross-sectional survey of 533 clinical research coordinators (CRCs) investigated working conditions, CRCs’ perceptions of their jobs, job satisfaction, and CRCs’ intentions to stay at their jobs in the Republic of Korea. Only 11.3% of CRCs hold full-time positions, and 37.9% have an annual salary of US$13,055–$17,406. The average perception of 20 job attributes was 3.14 points on a 5-point scale; interest in job (3.90 points) ranked the highest, while promotion possibility (1.97 points) was the lowest. Seven factors related to job satisfaction were identified as a result of multiple logistic regression analysis: variety (OR = 2.24), interest in job (OR = 4.26), job stress (OR = 2.00), salary (OR = 2.85), influence (OR = 2.03), work value (OR = 2.24), and job security (OR = 3.01). The factors related to CRCs’ intentions to stay at their jobs were variety (OR = 2.12), interest in job (OR = 4.49), work hours (OR = 2.12), and job security (OR = 3.45). According to the results, CRCs were interested in their jobs and evaluated their jobs as important and worthwhile; they also showed high job satisfaction and an intention to stay at their jobs. Therefore, it is recommended that various efforts be made to maintain the current status of CRCs and to improve their job stability and salary, so that they remain CRCs for longer.