How To Become A Clinical Data Analyst: What It Is and Career Path

What is a clinical data analyst and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Saquib Ahmed Ph.D.

For a medical facility to work, it requires all of its pieces to mesh perfectly. One of these gears is the data collection area. This information, which includes personal, clinical, and scientific data, must be collected by trained personnel called Clinical Data Analyst.

I know this job may seem a bit boring, but its importance is crucial. And the best thing is that both the doctors and the hospital managers need you, yes, they require your services. They will approach you, they will ask you for the information they need, and you will want to pride yourself by saying, "you will have it as soon as it is ready."

To be sure that the information collected is correct, the Clinical Data Analyst trains in mathematics, computer science, and statistics, courses that last at least two years or a little longer if he/she or she specializes in medical records. A master's degree is always well regarded and helps the salary reach $72,000 a year, although sometimes it can be much more for extra work.

What general advice would you give to a clinical data analyst?

Saquib Ahmed Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Engineering Technology, SUNY Buffalo State

Keep a keen pulse on not only the science & engineering aspects of a technology, but its economic viability as well as ELSI (ethical legal social implications).

ScoreClinical Data AnalystUS Average

Salary

6.0

Avg. Salary $76,314

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

4.9

Growth rate 31%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.22%

Asian 22.75%

Black or African American 5.06%

Hispanic or Latino 7.59%

Unknown 4.95%

White 59.43%

Gender

female 70.73%

male 29.27%

Age - 35

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 35

Stress level

4.9

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.2

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.2

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a clinical data analyst

Explore clinical data analyst education requirements

Most common clinical data analyst degrees

Bachelor's

61.8 %

Master's

18.2 %

Associate

13.0 %

Start to develop specific clinical data analyst skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	11.79%
Data Analysis	11.17%
Data Collection	8.40%
SAS	5.75%
Process Improvement	4.71%

Complete relevant clinical data analyst training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New clinical data analysts learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a clinical data analyst based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real clinical data analyst resumes.

Research clinical data analyst duties and responsibilities

Manage clinical data projects for late-phase oncology studies (in-house and outsource).
Manage governance and permissions of SharePoint Intranet as well as data and reporting systems.
Serve as a client contact person for project meetings and CDM status updates and managing external vendors.
Handle post-trial activities and provide training relate to project specifics and ICH GCP.

Prepare your clinical data analyst resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your clinical data analyst resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a clinical data analyst resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

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