Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between clinical data associates and clinical data specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a clinical data associate and a clinical data specialist. Additionally, a clinical data associate has an average salary of $101,829, which is higher than the $62,592 average annual salary of a clinical data specialist.
The top three skills for a clinical data associate include data review, data management and FDA. The most important skills for a clinical data specialist are patients, data collection, and patient care.
| Clinical Data Associate | Clinical Data Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $101,829 | $62,592 |
| Hourly rate | $48.96 | $30.09 |
| Growth rate | 31% | 31% |
| Number of jobs | 119,026 | 123,586 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A clinical data associate is responsible for documenting and recording data from clinical research programs for various purposes, such as validation and future studies. Their responsibilities revolve around understanding the needs of every program, coordinating with different teams to gather accurate data, utilizing special tools and software, and preparing and processing data according to protocols and standards. Moreover, a clinical data associate typically works in a team setting, which requires an active communication line for a smooth and efficient workflow.
Clinical data specialists offer data management support for clinical trials and pharmaceutical research. These specialists review the research study and trial data. They determine the trends of data trends and verify data entry. Their job includes providing suggestions for improvement and generates reports. They disseminate information on paper into electronic data systems. They supervise the conversion process and work closely with their clients ensuring accurate and accessible data--also, the research data sources for information validity verification.
Clinical data associates and clinical data specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Clinical Data Associate | Clinical Data Specialist | |
| Average salary | $101,829 | $62,592 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $150,000 | Between $43,000 And $89,000 |
| Highest paying City | South San Francisco, CA | South San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Maryland | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Santander Private Banking International | Abiomed |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a clinical data associate and a clinical data specialist in terms of educational background:
| Clinical Data Associate | Clinical Data Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Most common major | Biology | Biology |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between clinical data associates' and clinical data specialists' demographics:
| Clinical Data Associate | Clinical Data Specialist | |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 27.2% Female, 72.8% | Male, 24.7% Female, 75.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.1% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 7.6% Asian, 22.7% White, 59.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 5.1% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 7.6% Asian, 22.7% White, 59.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |