Position Summary:
The Patient Recruiter is responsible for identifying, engaging, and guiding prospective participants through the clinical trial recruitment process. This role serves as the primary point of contact for patient outreach, protocol-specific pre-screening, scheduling, and ongoing follow-up to support enrollment goals across multiple clinical studies. Working closely with Clinical Research Coordinators, investigators, and operational leadership, the Patient Recruiter ensures qualified participants are recruited, informed, and prepared for study participation while delivering an exceptional patient experience.
The position operates in a structured, metrics-driven environment where performance is measured by outreach activity, enrollment contribution, patient engagement, pipeline management, documentation quality, and responsiveness. Success in this role requires exceptional communication skills, organization, accountability, attention to detail, and the ability to build trust with prospective participants while consistently executing defined recruitment processes in compliance with Good Clinical Practice (GCP), HIPAA, and organizational standards.
Role and Responsibilities:
- Execute all patient recruitment, outreach, pre-screening, scheduling, and follow-up activities in accordance with study protocols, Good Clinical Practice (GCP), HIPAA, and site standard operating procedures.
- Maintain accountability for individual recruitment performance metrics, including outreach activity, qualified referrals, enrollment contribution, documentation quality, and follow-up completion.
- Consistently follow approved recruitment workflows, communication standards, and patient engagement processes to ensure a consistent experience across all studies and locations.
- Protect patient confidentiality and data integrity by accurately documenting recruitment activities, eligibility discussions, and patient communications in real time.
- Escalate recruitment barriers, patient concerns, scheduling conflicts, or operational risks promptly to support enrollment goals and study timelines.
Customer Experience- Serve as the primary point of contact for prospective clinical trial participants, ensuring every interaction is professional, respectful, and patient-centered.
- Educate prospective participants about clinical research opportunities, study expectations, and participation requirements while maintaining ethical and regulatory standards.
- Build trust and rapport through consistent communication, active listening, and timely follow-up throughout the recruitment process.
- Provide a positive, supportive experience that encourages participant engagement while respecting each individual's decision regarding study participation.
- Collaborate with Clinical Research Coordinators and clinical staff to ensure a seamless transition from recruitment through study enrollment.
Technical Performance and Precision- Execute high-volume outbound and inbound recruitment activities using approved communication methods, including phone, email, text messaging, physician referrals, and community outreach initiatives.
- Conduct structured pre-screening interviews using protocol-specific eligibility criteria and approved recruitment scripts.
- Schedule and coordinate participant screening appointments while maintaining accuracy, efficiency, and minimal scheduling gaps.
- Maintain an organized recruitment pipeline, ensuring every prospective participant has a documented status, next action, and follow-up timeline.
- Accurately document all outreach activities, patient communications, scheduling updates, and recruitment outcomes within designated electronic systems.
- Monitor recruitment metrics, identify trends, and recommend opportunities to improve outreach effectiveness and enrollment performance.
- Support recruitment initiatives, community engagement activities, physician outreach, and marketing campaigns designed to increase participant awareness and study enrollment.
- Coordinate closely with Clinical Research Coordinators to ensure qualified participants are appropriately transitioned into the study enrollment process.
- Identify recruitment challenges and proactively recommend solutions to improve enrollment efficiency and participant retention.
Learning and Professional Development- Maintain a working knowledge of clinical research processes, study protocols, patient recruitment strategies, and applicable regulatory requirements.
- Participate in required training and demonstrate the ability to apply new knowledge and recruitment best practices to daily responsibilities.
- Continuously improve communication, patient engagement, objection handling, and recruitment effectiveness through ongoing coaching and professional development.
- Seek feedback, monitor individual performance metrics, and implement continuous improvement strategies to enhance recruitment outcomes.
- Contribute to a collaborative, patient-focused culture that supports operational excellence and continuous improvement.
Qualifications
Education and Experience Required
- High school diploma or equivalent required; associate's or bachelor's degree in healthcare, business, communications, marketing, or a related field preferred.
- Minimum of one (1) year of experience in patient recruitment, healthcare outreach, customer service, healthcare sales, call center operations, clinical research recruitment, or a similar patient-facing role.
- Demonstrated experience working in a structured, performance-driven environment with measurable goals and accountability.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to build rapport and effectively engage diverse patient populations.
- Strong organizational and time management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and maintain accurate records.
Preferred
- Experience recruiting participants for clinical research studies or healthcare programs.
- Knowledge of clinical research processes, Good Clinical Practice (GCP), HIPAA, and patient privacy requirements.
- Experience using Clinical Trial Management Systems (CTMS), Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems, Electronic Medical Records (EMR), or similar databases.
- Experience with patient scheduling, lead management, or healthcare navigation.
- Bilingual communication skills (English/Spanish) or proficiency in another language reflective of the patient population served
Work is performed primarily within a clinical research site environment supporting active clinical trials. The role may require flexibility in scheduling to support study visits, sponsor meetings, or operational deadlines. Prime Clinical Research reserves the right at its discretion to request the employee to perform duties that are not listed. The company may use this position description to evaluate the employee's performance or make other appropriate job-related decisions.