Clinical associate vs clinical specialist

The differences between clinical associates and clinical specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a clinical associate, becoming a clinical specialist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a clinical associate has an average salary of $91,027, which is higher than the $67,002 average annual salary of a clinical specialist.

The top three skills for a clinical associate include patients, rehabilitation and home health. The most important skills for a clinical specialist are patients, excellent interpersonal, and patient care.

Clinical associate vs clinical specialist overview

	Clinical Associate	Clinical Specialist
Yearly salary	$91,027	$67,002
Hourly rate	$43.76	$32.21
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	56,977	55,670
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	4

What does a clinical associate do?

A clinical associate is responsible for supporting the operations of a medical facility by performing administrative and clerical duties as needed to provide high-quality care services for the patients and assisting health care professionals in performing medical procedures. Clinical associates monitor the conditions of the patients, administer medication, collect laboratory samples, and conduct initial medical assessments such as checking temperature and vital signs. A clinical associate must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially on addressing different patients' needs and reporting the patients' progress to the physicians.

What does a clinical specialist do?

A Clinical Specialists role is to assist in the selling of particular medical devices that need more detailed and complex knowledge. They work in laboratories as part of a team of technologists, technicians, and supervisors.

Clinical associate vs clinical specialist salary

Clinical associates and clinical specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Clinical Associate	Clinical Specialist
Average salary	$91,027	$67,002
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $208,000	Between $39,000 And $113,000
Highest paying City	Baltimore, MD	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Connecticut
Best paying company	University of Iowa Center for Advancement	Genentech
Best paying industry	-	Pharmaceutical

Differences between clinical associate and clinical specialist education

There are a few differences between a clinical associate and a clinical specialist in terms of educational background:

	Clinical Associate	Clinical Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	Duke University	University of Pennsylvania

Clinical associate vs clinical specialist demographics

Here are the differences between clinical associates' and clinical specialists' demographics:

	Clinical Associate	Clinical Specialist
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 28.0% Female, 72.0%	Male, 29.6% Female, 70.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 2.6% Unknown, 7.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 8.6% White, 65.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 9.0% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between clinical associate and clinical specialist duties and responsibilities

Clinical associate example responsibilities.

Perform EKG's, placement of cardiac leads and telemetry unit (critical care only).
Manage patient caseload with emphasis in occupational rehabilitation
Assist nurses and doctors with procedures, EKG monitoring, clinical duties, clerical duties.
Assist with project plan management, FDA submission paperwork, and tracking of contingency plans / appropriate triggers.
Experience with communication with professional staff regarding pertinent observations concerning conditions of patients.
Participate in disease diagnosis and treatment in the department of internal medicine and pediatrics

Clinical specialist example responsibilities.

Collaborate with teams managing Medicare / Medicaid (CMS) requirements to increase care access for all patients.
Manage CNS supervise hospital base cardiac surgery clinic.
Collaborate with ambulatory practice managers as lead patient scheduler to develop back office scheduler position to manage all disease group patients.
Monitor patients with implant devices and provide ongoing programming recommendations to cardiologists and surgical staff.
Monitor documentation to ensure compliance with ICH GCP guidelines and interact with regulatory team members.
Serve as NRP and BLS instructor.

Clinical associate vs clinical specialist skills

Common clinical associate skills

Patients, 30%
Rehabilitation, 6%
Home Health, 6%
Vital Signs, 5%
CPR, 4%
Excellent Interpersonal, 4%

Common clinical specialist skills

Patients, 21%
Excellent Interpersonal, 7%
Patient Care, 6%
Clinical Support, 6%
Customer Service, 5%
Technical Support, 4%

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Clinical Associate
Clinical Associate vs Clinical Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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