Hourly Research Assistant, Department Of Psychiatry

The VCU Department of Psychiatry is seeking to hire a Research Assistant for its Child and Adolescent Division.

Position Responsibilities:

The Child and Adolescent Division of the Department of Psychiatry conducts research studies to help inform and treat child and adolescent mental health conditions. Research Assistants perform a variety of routine, non-technical duties in assisting technical and professional personnel in a research setting.

The Research Assistant will be expected to perform most components of data collection from human participants required for a mixed-methods research study. Additionally, the Research Assistant will collaborate with all members of the research teams, to ensure all federal, state, university, and protocol requirements are followed, institutional research objectives are met, and ethical obligations are kept.

The current position will contribute to research focusing on foster care and child wellbeing.

Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Participant recruitment, including placement of IRB- approved materials and media advertisements about research studies being conducted. Emailing participants, providers, and community collaborators inviting them to participate in research studies.

• Collection and computer entry of responses and information furnished by potential research volunteers contacting the lab by phone, web or other means in order to identify possible participants.

• Scheduling of participants within protocol specific time frames.

• Collection of informed consent and/or assent and permission from research volunteers, including describing the study to research participant candidates in simple language, and overseeing the signing of consent and assent forms.

• Psychometric data collection, including administration, collection and scoring of computer-driven questionnaires, as well as administration and recording of participant interviews.

• Accurate and secure transmission and storage of study data.

• Creation of data management systems or electronic surveys.

• Accurate calculation of participant compensation.

• Follow up with participant questions.

• Other duties assigned by supervisor or Principal Investigator.

Required Qualifications:

• Proficient in computer skills including word processing, data entry, spreadsheet, and database management.

• Strong interpersonal skills such as establishing rapport, maintaining participant motivation, empathic responding, ability to work effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team, and ability to use clinical judgment in (rare) emergency situations.

• Strong organizational skills, including understanding of HIPAA regulations.

• Demonstrated experience working in and fostering a diverse faculty, staff and student environment or commitment to do so as a staff member at VCU.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelors of Science degree or equivalent in Psychology, Social Work or related field.

• Interest and experience working with families involved in the child welfare system.

• Experience conducting research in pediatric or adolescent populations

• Experience recruiting, consenting, and carrying out study procedures with adult and youth participants

• Qualitative research experience, including data collection, coding, analysis

• Experience administering surveys in REDCap

• Experience in conducting mental health surveys with adults and youth

• Experience in mentoring and training student research trainees, incorporating them into research teams

This position will remain open until filled.

This is a restricted position with no set end date and continued employment is dependent upon project need, availability of funding, and performance.

The School of Medicine continuously strives for our workplace and learning environment to reflect the demographic and social milieu of the communities we serve. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply.

Please note that if you are employed as a university employee working in any of the health system's facilities, you will need to follow VCU Health System policies, which will include but will not be limited to, vaccination requirements.