The UT Southwestern Clinical Research Foundations Training Curriculum is designed to provide comprehensive education to all clinical research personnel at point of hire and to ensure research personnel have a consistent foundational understanding of the requirements to successfully deliver clinical research. This curriculum is based on core clinical research competencies that will set the standard for all incoming researchers to quickly learn the fundamentals for conducting research at UT Southwestern and partners.

The complete Clinical Research Foundations course will take approximately 8-12 hours to complete, this includes all presentation and CITI modules. You do not need to complete all the training in one sitting; this is a self-paced, online course designed to fit around your other onboading activties, and the system will save your progress.

You are however required to complete the entire CITI course within 30 days of receiving your onboarding email from the Office of Clinical Research. If you do not complete the course within 30 days, this will be escalated to leadership and further steps may be taken. If you have any questions about this policy, please OCR@utsouthwestern.edu.

The Clinical Research Foundations Training is currently only mandatory for individuals hired into certain clinical research job titles either as a new hire or transferring from non-research to a clinical research role. A list of these titles can be found here. If your title fits one of these categories and you have not received an email within 5 days of your date of hire or promotion, then please OCR@utsouthwestern.edu. If you are not listed as one of the above categories but are interested in taking this training, please feel free to access the training through either the CITI website or on the training resources website.

First, welcome to UT Southwestern! We are excited that you have joined our institution as a clinical researcher. If you are currently onboarding at UT Southwestern and your job title is part of the list that can be found here, then you will need to complete the Clinical Research Foundations Training through the CITI website within 30 days of your "Welcome Email" from the Office of Clinical Research. The Clinical Research Foundations Training curriculum is designed not only to provide a foundational understanding of clinical research practices, but also to put this into the context of how to conduct clinical research at UT Southwestern Medical Center and affiliates. Once you complete the training, you will have a more thorough understanding of all the services available to clinical researchers to help you become more successful in your role.

Yes, if you are changing positions starting 10th July, 2023, then you will need to complete the training. You should have received an email from us with instructions on completing the training. If you did not, please OCR@utsouthwestern.edu.

No, you do not need to take the Clinical Research Foundations training if you hold a current license to practice at UT Southwestern hospital and ambulatory clinics, and are credentialed through the Medical Staff Office (MSO) or are a Magnet certified RN. However, we encourage anyone working on clinical research to take this training if they are interested. If you would like to take this training, please feel free to access the training through either the CITI website or on the training resources website.

The CITI website is located at: https://about.citiprogram.org/.

If you are having trouble with your login credentials, or need assistance with the CITI website, please contact their Help Desk at: 888.529.5929 (8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. / U.S. Central Standard Time / Monday – Friday).

The CITI program has also created this helpful guide for New Learners: Guide to Getting Started (citiprogram.org).

If you are having problems with adding the appropriate CITI Clinical Research Foundations course to your list of required training, then refer to the Clinical Research Foundations CITI Tip Sheet. If you still need help, please OCR@utsouthwestern.edu.

If you are approaching your 30-day deadline, please notify your Supervisor and ask them to OCR@utsouthwestern.edu. Depending on the circumstances, we can make accommodations. We will also need to work with your Supervisor since this is a requirement for your role, and it may mean you cannot actively work on research studies until this training is complete.

No - once you complete the CITI Clinical Research Foundations course you will not be required to take it again. It is a one and done course with no expiration. Of course, you are always welcome to return to any individual module to review the content again.

There are many benefits to participating in a mentoring program as a mentee:

• Access to mentor’s expertise
• Vital feedback in key areas
• Learning specific skills and knowledge relevant to personal goals
• Larger networks with more people across UTSW
• Learning about the organization’s culture
• A resonating phenomenon (i.e., mentees become mentors themselves)
• Multiple types of support including career and psychosocial support

The following are the criteria for entry into the Mentoring Program at the Foundations Level:

• New hire or newly transferred to a designated Clinical Research role for less than 30 calendar days. A list of these roles can be found here.
• Signed up for the “Clinical Research Foundations” training through the CITI training platform

Participation in the Clinical Research Foundations Mentoring Program is a required component of the Clinical Research Foundations Training Program and must be completed by individuals onboarding in a Clinical Research designated role. See the list of roles here.

We recognize that employees at UTSW’s affiliated institutions may wish to enroll in our Mentoring Program and we are currently working with our partner institutions to integrate this Mentoring Program into their onboarding processes. For further information or queries about this, please ocr@utsouthwestern.edu.

There are 6 Modules in the Clinical Research Foundations Mentoring Program, and completion of Module 1 is expected to occur within the first 30 days of the new hire start date. However, subsequent modules can occur anywhere from two to three weeks from the previous module. Therefore, the program is expected to take anywhere from three to four months to complete.

First, thank you for recognizing that you’re facing challenges with finding the time to finish the program. We get it! Situations change all the time. However, we want to make sure you succeed in this program and it is a requirement for research onboarding. Please ocr@utsouthwestern.edu so we can review your situation and discuss options.

Completion of the SMART goal is one of the major requirements to successfully fulfill the Clinical Research Foundations Mentoring Program’s requirements. If you are unable to complete your SMART goal during the program, mentees will be offered the opportunity to continue to work with their mentor beyond the program’s structured length. Both parties should agree to continue their mentoring, if appropriate. Alternatively, the mentee can discuss with their supervisor and/or Manager to take over oversight as the new mentor designee until the SMART goal’s completion. If neither the supervisor nor the Manager are available, the mentee may OCR@utsouthwestern.edu to make alternate arrangements.

There are many benefits to participating in a mentoring program as a mentor:

• A chance to build connections in the UTSW research community
• Exposure to unique problems and perspectives
• An opportunity to develop leadership and coaching skills
• Information exchange both ways; Mentor gains insight from mentee
• Satisfaction of sharing expertise with others
• Gaining an ally in promoting the organization’s well-being
• More knowledge about other areas of the organization

Ideally, the OCR is looking for experienced coordinators and/or clinical researchers with at least 3 years combined working experience in research, preferably with exposure to a variety of types of research. Please contact the OCR at OCR@UTSouthwestern.edu if you would like to learn more about becoming a mentor in this program.

Ultimately, this program is meant to be enriching and rewarding for all participants. However, we recognize that sometimes a mentor-mentee pairing may not work out. If, for any reason, one or both members find this mentoring program experience unsatisfactory then we want to immediately address those concerns and either resolve the situation or reassign parties as needed. Therefore, if you have any concerns, please OCR@utsouthwestern.edu so that we can work with you to find a solution and put you back on the right path.

We are grateful for all notifications regarding broken hyperlinks, information that is out of date, etc., in our program documentation. Please OCR@utsouthwestern.edu and we will ensure this is updated in a timely manner for all the program participants’ benefit.

We are grateful for all notifications regarding broken hyperlinks, information that is out of date, etc. Please OCR@utsouthwestern.edu and we will ensure this is updated in a timely manner. The Clinical Research Handbook is generally updated in the Fall, although significant updates may be included on a rolling basis. A copy of the current handbook can be found here.