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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 | Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $62,966 | $37,363 |
| Hourly rate | $30.27 | $17.96 |
| Growth rate | 6% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 94,336 | 557,900 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 44 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
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 associates and assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Clinical Research Associate | Assistant | |
| Average salary | $62,966 | $37,363 |
| Salary range | Between $43,000 And $91,000 | Between $16,000 And $82,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | California | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Meta | Latham & Watkins |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Education |
There are a few differences between a clinical research associate and an assistant in terms of educational background:
| Clinical Research Associate | Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Biology | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between clinical research associates' and assistants' demographics:
| Clinical Research Associate | Assistant | |
| Average age | 44 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 28.3% Female, 71.7% | Male, 40.7% Female, 59.3% |
| Race ratio | Black 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 Percentage | 9% | 6% |