Clinical pharmacologist vs medical science liaison

The differences between clinical pharmacologists and medical science liaisons 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 pharmacologist and a medical science liaison. Additionally, a medical science liaison has an average salary of $145,718, which is higher than the $115,180 average annual salary of a clinical pharmacologist.

The top three skills for a clinical pharmacologist include data analysis, development programs and NDA. The most important skills for a medical science liaison are patients, medical affairs, and MSL.

Clinical pharmacologist vs medical science liaison overview

	Clinical Pharmacologist	Medical Science Liaison
Yearly salary	$115,180	$145,718
Hourly rate	$55.38	$70.06
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	58,511	57,208
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	4	4

Clinical pharmacologist vs medical science liaison salary

Clinical pharmacologists and medical science liaisons have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Clinical Pharmacologist	Medical Science Liaison
Average salary	$115,180	$145,718
Salary range	Between $79,000 And $167,000	Between $59,000 And $359,000
Highest paying City	New London, CT	Jackson, TN
Highest paying state	Alaska	Tennessee
Best paying company	Doshi Diagnostic	Saint Luke's Health System
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between clinical pharmacologist and medical science liaison education

There are a few differences between a clinical pharmacologist and a medical science liaison in terms of educational background:

	Clinical Pharmacologist	Medical Science Liaison
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common major	Pharmacy	Nursing
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of Southern California

Clinical pharmacologist vs medical science liaison demographics

Here are the differences between clinical pharmacologists' and medical science liaisons' demographics:

	Clinical Pharmacologist	Medical Science Liaison
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 56.3% Female, 43.8%	Male, 41.6% Female, 58.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 3.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.4% Asian, 27.9% White, 56.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%	Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 23.4% White, 56.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between clinical pharmacologist and medical science liaison duties and responsibilities

Clinical pharmacologist example responsibilities.

Manage clinical monitors in successful completion of large international hypertension study.
Develop and implement cardiopulmonary rehabilitation program.
Develop and implement cardiopulmonary rehabilitation program.

Medical science liaison example responsibilities.

Supervise and analyze medical necessity review of manage care appeals.
Develop and manage KOLs resulting in presentations to regional, national and international meetings.
Utilize extensive knowledge of medical terminology, ICD-9, HCPCS and CPT coding along with analysis and processing of Medicare claims.
Provide pre-launch field support for a novel diabetes compound.
Provide drug information to medical professionals and sales force within FDA guidelines.
Join Clementine as a trainee BMS and successfully complete training and registration.

Clinical pharmacologist vs medical science liaison skills

Common clinical pharmacologist skills

Data Analysis, 28%
Development Programs, 16%
NDA, 14%
Clinical Study Reports, 13%
Clinical Pharmacology, 9%
ADME, 5%

Common medical science liaison skills

Patients, 11%
Medical Affairs, 9%
MSL, 7%
Medical Science, 6%
Pharmaceutical Industry, 5%
Internal Stakeholders, 4%

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Clinical Pharmacologist vs Medical Science Liaison

Updated January 8, 2025

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