The SRA Symposium - College of Medicine

Many specialties struggle with the perception of their lack of professionalism-from public administration
through engineering. Public administration continues to discuss different concepts
concerning its professional status (Spicer). Troen and Boles indicate that the teacher crisis is due to
the lack of a career ladder, thereby preventing it from being considered “a real profession, similar
to medicine and law.” Software engineers struggle with the concept of developing a certification
or licensure similar to other engineering disciplines and are addressing the need for continuing
education and certification of various grades of practitioners as found in the essays of Griss,
Gotterbarn, and Shaw.
These views may differ but the underlying precepts are the same. A profession requires dedication,
education, involvement, ethics, and standards. The public demands accountability after unfortunate
or isolated instances of unethical behavior occur (ACSM). These incidents or pressures from
increasing risk usually force associations to focus their efforts on becoming a recognized profession,
which when achieved, provides confidence in the behavior of its members.
The Population of the Profession
Papers
Professional Organizations
Research administration requires knowledge from many disciplines as emphasized by the variety
of professional organizations available to promote continuing education (Appendix 1). The two
main associations for research administrators provide continuing education for more than 10,000
professionals through the utilization of list-servs, workshops, lectures, conferences, and networking
to provide them the knowledge of regulations and techniques for decision-making.
Body of Knowledge
Members of NCURA and SRA developed the topical outline to assist institutions and professionals
in developing the expertise necessary to support their research (Appendix 2). The Research
Administrators Certification Council (RACC) utilizes the body of knowledge to prepare its certification
examination. The topics of which a certified research administrator needs to have a sound
understanding are: identification of funding opportunities, proposal development, budget preparation,
administration of awards, ethics and professionalism, conflict of interest, bioethics, human
subjects, animal care, responsible conduct in research, intellectual property, governing regulations,
accounting, auditing, facilities management, contracting, procurement, records management, and
human resource management.
Code of Ethics
An example of a research administrator’s code of ethics as found in SRA’s policy and procedure
manual is:
The Society of Research Administrators exists to improve the efficiency and effectiveness
of the administration of research and sponsored programs. This improvement
is accomplished, in part, through the development and promotion of professional
standards. Accordingly, every member of the Society shall be governed by
the following code of ethics.
As a research administrator, I will: 1) Maintain the highest level of professional
and personal conduct to enhance our organization and profession in order to gain
the trust and respect of our peers, employer, researchers, research funding agencies,
and the public at large. 2) Accept responsibility to enhance my professional
competence and freely share my professional knowledge with others. Follow the
letter and the spirit of the laws, regulations, and sponsorship agreement affecting
research administration responsibilities. 3) Inform individuals who are associ-
2005 Symposium Proceedings Book 97