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The differences between clinical research associates and medical science liaisons can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a clinical research associate, becoming a medical science liaison takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a medical science liaison has an average salary of $145,718, which is higher than the $62,966 average annual salary of a clinical research associate.
The top three skills for a clinical research associate include patients, informed consent and CRA. The most important skills for a medical science liaison are patients, medical affairs, and MSL.
| Clinical Research Associate | Medical Science Liaison | |
| Yearly salary | $62,966 | $145,718 |
| Hourly rate | $30.27 | $70.06 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 94,336 | 57,208 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 44 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
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.
A medical science liaison (MSL) is a scientific professional who facilitates a working relationship between healthcare companies and leading physicians, researchers, and clinicians. Also referred to as key opinion leaders (KOL), medical science liaisons represent their company to the decision-makers in the medical community as well as to investors and government regulatory agencies. They analyze clinical trends and monitor the scientific literature for new developments in the medical community. Medical science liaisons also prepare medical samples and data to investigate the causes of chronic diseases, pathogens, and toxicity.
Clinical research associates and medical science liaisons have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Clinical Research Associate | Medical Science Liaison | |
| Average salary | $62,966 | $145,718 |
| Salary range | Between $43,000 And $91,000 | Between $59,000 And $359,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Jackson, TN |
| Highest paying state | California | Tennessee |
| Best paying company | Meta | Saint Luke's Health System |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a clinical research associate and a medical science liaison in terms of educational background:
| Clinical Research Associate | Medical Science Liaison | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Biology | Nursing |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between clinical research associates' and medical science liaisons' demographics:
| Clinical Research Associate | Medical Science Liaison | |
| Average age | 44 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 28.3% Female, 71.7% | Male, 41.6% Female, 58.4% |
| 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, 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 | 9% | 8% |