Clinical physician assistant vs clinical research nurse

The differences between clinical physician assistants and clinical research nurses can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a clinical physician assistant has an average salary of $145,549, which is higher than the $60,347 average annual salary of a clinical research nurse.

The top three skills for a clinical physician assistant include patients, primary care and medical care. The most important skills for a clinical research nurse are patients, BLS, and acute care.

Clinical physician assistant vs clinical research nurse overview

	Clinical Physician Assistant	Clinical Research Nurse
Yearly salary	$145,549	$60,347
Hourly rate	$69.98	$29.01
Growth rate	28%	6%
Number of jobs	94,210	703,983
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age	39	44
Years of experience	-	2

What does a clinical physician assistant do?

A clinical physician assistant is in charge of performing support tasks in clinics, hospitals, and similar establishments. Typically serving as the patients' first point of contact, it is their responsibility to gather the personal and medical information of patients, identify their needs, answer inquiries, and escort them to offices and other rooms. They may also perform clerical tasks such as answering calls and correspondence, arranging appointments, preparing and filing documentation, and coordinating with other offices. Moreover, a clinical physician assistant must maintain an active communication line with physicians and nurses, assisting them as needed.

What does a clinical research nurse do?

A clinical research nurse is responsible for conducting research studies on various health conditions, illness treatments, and healthcare methodologies, analyzing existing scientific research to make new reports. Clinical research nurses also communicate with other health professionals and health organizations for their insights and recommendations for a specific medical study, ensuring to report their findings to doctors and medical researchers for further validation and clinical trials. A clinical research nurse must have excellent knowledge of communication, both written and spoken, as well as expertise in the medical industry.

Clinical physician assistant vs clinical research nurse salary

Clinical physician assistants and clinical research nurses have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Clinical Physician Assistant	Clinical Research Nurse
Average salary	$145,549	$60,347
Salary range	Between $84,000 And $252,000	Between $44,000 And $82,000
Highest paying City	Duluth, MN	Sacramento, CA
Highest paying state	Minnesota	California
Best paying company	Central Ohio Primary Care	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	Non Profits	Education

Differences between clinical physician assistant and clinical research nurse education

There are a few differences between a clinical physician assistant and a clinical research nurse in terms of educational background:

	Clinical Physician Assistant	Clinical Research Nurse
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common major	Physician Assistant	Nursing
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Clinical physician assistant vs clinical research nurse demographics

Here are the differences between clinical physician assistants' and clinical research nurses' demographics:

	Clinical Physician Assistant	Clinical Research Nurse
Average age	39	44
Gender ratio	Male, 38.0% Female, 62.0%	Male, 10.9% Female, 89.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.5% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 11.5% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 9.7% White, 65.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	12%	9%

Differences between clinical physician assistant and clinical research nurse duties and responsibilities

Clinical physician assistant example responsibilities.

Implement and manage cardiology internship college course.
Work closely with patients to manage their depression and anxiety beginning with initial diagnosis to med-initiation and follow-up care.
Complete nursing assessments, complete care plans, perform ADL's, utilize lifts, alarms and transfer patients safely.
Care for multiple patients in a fast pace setting and provide total care including all treatments, medications and ADL's.
Perform tracheostomy care and suctioning for ventilator dependent patients.
Provide physical therapy services in the inpatient rehabilitation unit and oncology floor.

Clinical research nurse example responsibilities.

Maintain accountability and compassion while providing care, administering medications, performing procedures and managing emergencies.
Demonstrate clinical competency and compassion in providing care, using technology, administering medications, performing procedures and managing emergencies
Command of CPR team until a doctor arrives; defibrillate and assess patients' condition.
Administer pain medication through intravenous, oral or subcutaneous injection to recovering patients in the immediate post-operative period of surgery.
Provide complete nursing care for patient populations undergoing procedures relate to abdominal surgery, multiple trauma, oncology, and peritoneal dialysis
Provide skil nursing care for patients spanning the pediatric medical spectrum including hematology, immunology, oncology, neurology and endocrinology.

Clinical physician assistant vs clinical research nurse skills

Common clinical physician assistant skills

Patients, 30%
Primary Care, 6%
Medical Care, 6%
Family Medicine, 5%
Urgent Care, 5%
Diagnostic Tests, 4%

Common clinical research nurse skills

Patients, 28%
BLS, 10%
Acute Care, 5%
Acls, 3%
Surgery, 3%
Quality Care, 3%

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Clinical Physician Assistant
Clinical Physician Assistant vs Clinical Research Nurse

Updated January 8, 2025

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