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Clinical research associate vs assistant

The differences between clinical research associates and assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a clinical research associate and an assistant. Additionally, a clinical research associate has an average salary of $62,966, which is higher than the $37,363 average annual salary of an assistant.

The top three skills for a clinical research associate include patients, informed consent and CRA. The most important skills for an assistant are patients, customer service, and patient care.

Clinical research associate vs assistant overview

Clinical Research AssociateAssistant
Yearly salary$62,966$37,363
Hourly rate$30.27$17.96
Growth rate6%-8%
Number of jobs94,336557,900
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 65%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age4450
Years of experience22

What does a clinical research associate do?

A clinical research associate is responsible for assisting medical professionals in clinical trials and conducting research studies on medications and medical procedures. Clinical research associates monitor the research materials, ensuring its safety and reliability through trial procedures, writing comprehensive reports of results, and disseminating information across the concerned parties. They also provide recommendations on improving clinical processes, reiterating protocol requirements, and maintaining strict confidentiality of the trial subjects. A clinical research associate must have extensive knowledge of the medical industry, including its disciplines and principles, to perform duties accurately under minimal supervision.

What does an assistant do?

An assistant intern is responsible for facilitating administrative and clerical tasks as assigned by the management. Assistant interns' duties include keeping records of meetings, receiving calls and handling customer inquiries, assisting on writing reports and data entry processing, cooperating and providing support for business events, and adhering to company policies and regulatory procedures. Successful assistant interns must have excellent time-management, multi-tasking, and communication skills. They must be a team player and fast-learner to handle various tasks in the corporate industry.

Clinical research associate vs assistant salary

Clinical research associates and assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Clinical Research AssociateAssistant
Average salary$62,966$37,363
Salary rangeBetween $43,000 And $91,000Between $16,000 And $82,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CABoston, MA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaMassachusetts
Best paying companyMetaLatham & Watkins
Best paying industryPharmaceuticalEducation

Differences between clinical research associate and assistant education

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

Clinical Research AssociateAssistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 65%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common majorBiologyBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaWestern Carolina University

Clinical research associate vs assistant demographics

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

Clinical Research AssociateAssistant
Average age4450
Gender ratioMale, 28.3% Female, 71.7%Male, 40.7% Female, 59.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 2.5% Unknown, 7.4% Hispanic or Latino, 13.7% Asian, 13.0% White, 62.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage9%6%

Differences between clinical research associate and assistant duties and responsibilities

Clinical research associate example responsibilities.

  • Manage, schedule and train up to 15 CRAs.
  • Recruit patients, attain patient inform consent form, educate subjects on compliance, and ensure patient safety per ICH guidelines.
  • Manage site TMF to ensure communication requirements adherence
  • Manage CRO and regional monitor to complete close out activities, including device accountability management.
  • Manage regional academic and community base oncology practices as the primary contact for all communications and support.
  • Manage the monitoring CRO and the data clean-up efforts for a 510k submission and interim/annual study reports by effectively collaborating cross-functionally.
  • Show more

Assistant example responsibilities.

  • Manage circulations, including educational textbooks and DVDS, video technology and supplies.
  • Manage branches providing information technology support, logistics, training and operational support.
  • Manage company's twitter account and communicate with multiple physical therapy providers around the country
  • Optimize productivity in prioritizing and managing special projects, PowerPoint presentations for classes, and proctore exams for undergraduate classes.
  • Assist in jewelry design and assembly, manage company Facebook page, participate in wholesale buying, and manage retail inventory
  • Manage and update company Facebook page with daily updates, finding/sharing relevant and interesting information, and encouraging fan engagement.
  • Show more

Clinical research associate vs assistant skills

Common clinical research associate skills
  • Patients, 9%
  • Informed Consent, 7%
  • CRA, 6%
  • Clinical Trials, 6%
  • Clinical Trial Management, 5%
  • Oncology, 4%
Common assistant skills
  • Patients, 27%
  • Customer Service, 13%
  • Patient Care, 8%
  • CPR, 5%
  • Sales Floor, 5%
  • Scheduling Appointments, 3%

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