Too many to list, literally. In slack times you will not have enough to do, even though you may offer, you will not be cross-trained or be able to help co-monitor with a colleague. In busy times you will be asked to do the impossible, told firmly to simply 'do it' in so many words if you ask any question more than once, and be shown the door - immediately if you press the issue, later once you are no longer needed if you are not a 'team player'. By team player I mean be used and learn to play the game. As a valued PPD employee, you will be called upon to lie. Lie to the sites and investigators. Lie to the sponsors about the status of their trial and the feasibility of their monitoring plan and project oversight. Lie to your own manager when it comes to protesting workloads or project milestones sold by the sales team in bids and contracts that we all know cannot be met. Say nothing now - a change order will be added later when the predictable and preventable crisis hits. PPD optimizes profitability that way and can be a 'white knight' riding to the rescue of whatever problem has been created. Turnover is high enough in our industry that often staff at the client will not really know what went wrong and how to fix things long-term. That's because here every emphasis is on the short-term. Stock expectations every 3 months, both for the client companies as well as PPD. As a CRA you will be told that YOU, however, can only be evaluated once a year (that's the SOP, if it's often ignored). If you want a career and expect bonuses or a 'merit adjustment' (when conditions warrant that your salary is so low compared to industry average that you get a significant raise to bring you up to around 'market value' of the other major CROs at least). Seriously, people working here as CRAs should either be here to use the company to get needed experience or because maybe they are fortunate to be on a good team with professional colleagues they have a good working relationship with that they value. Those people are relatively happy, either too inexperienced to know any better, or experienced enough to know they can't really do much better anywhere else at the end of their career. For the majority in between, there are byzantine SOPs, bureaucracy upon bureaucracy to provide the illusion the bean-counters need you to see. Most of the billable time and profits at PPD derive from the monitoring - that's you if you are a CRA. They bill you out at more that twice - ouch, even 3 times your pay because they tell the clients you are getting close supervision, training, and oversight. In reality, you are on your own, and will either sink or swim based upon your own acumen. Succeed, and it's because you had a great team around you. Fail and you must not have had what it takes. There is a third course. Be lied to by your recruiter and HR about what to expect, your site load, your protocols, get hired, maybe relocate - know exactly what you are getting into - and find out nothing is what you were told, you have no protections at all, and you are down to the whims and caprices of your manager. Get along, and this can work, maybe even be good. Don't mesh or don't learn how to play the game and be a resource your boss can take credit for, and you are done before you start. Just don't burn bridges. Be smart. Everyone within the industry knows what PPD is, so you will only hurt yourself by being idealistic and bleating it like a lost lamb to anyone that will listen. Only confide in colleagues, and find your next position through them. The only good CRA job is one another CRA can tell you about and help you secure. I do know some people that are happy here; they have pretty low expectations, are good at what they do, and like their co-workers and are comfortable. PPD grants their 'managers' so much latitude Trump and Gandhi may have adjoining cubicles. Who you work for is often determined by drawing lots. As long as Trump makes the trains run on time, he's your problem. If you want Gandhi, set that up before you take the job, insist on it (you'll be told this can't be done and has never been done), and stick to your guns. If you are a good CRA, PPD needs you - you most definitely do not need them.
