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Clinical research associate vs project manager

The differences between clinical research associates and project managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a project manager has an average salary of $91,578, 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 project manager are project management, project scope, and customer service.

Clinical research associate vs project manager overview

Clinical Research AssociateProject Manager
Yearly salary$62,966$91,578
Hourly rate$30.27$44.03
Growth rate6%8%
Number of jobs94,336167,116
Job satisfaction-4.17
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 65%Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age4447
Years of experience2-

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 a project manager do?

Project managers oversee a specific project related to the organization's business. They manage the whole project from inception to evaluation. They initiate planning with involved departments, follow-through on the plans, ensure smooth execution of the plans, and evaluate the project for further improvements should these be needed. In line with this, project managers also ensure that the project is cost-efficient and well within the budget. They also manage the different work teams involved in the project and ensure that things are running smoothly on this aspect as well.

Clinical research associate vs project manager salary

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

Clinical Research AssociateProject Manager
Average salary$62,966$91,578
Salary rangeBetween $43,000 And $91,000Between $64,000 And $129,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyMetaThe Citadel
Best paying industryPharmaceuticalTechnology

Differences between clinical research associate and project manager education

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

Clinical Research AssociateProject Manager
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 65%Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common majorBiologyBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Clinical research associate vs project manager demographics

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

Clinical Research AssociateProject Manager
Average age4447
Gender ratioMale, 28.3% Female, 71.7%Male, 68.9% Female, 31.1%
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, 7.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 9.0% White, 65.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage9%10%

Differences between clinical research associate and project manager 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.
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Project manager example responsibilities.

  • Schedule and manage the GCP audit process.
  • Define, develop and manage metrics and KPIs systems for new product business group.
  • Manage the application process for the FDA medical device, minority and small business certifications.
  • Manage multiple projects and resources simultaneously while mentoring, coaching and implementing best practices, SOX and HIPAA compliance standards.
  • Lead teams using the Informatica ETL tool for the design and development of multiple financial and risk enterprise data warehouses.
  • Administer and manage Salesforce requirements.
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Clinical research associate vs project manager skills

Common clinical research associate skills
  • Patients, 9%
  • Informed Consent, 7%
  • CRA, 6%
  • Clinical Trials, 6%
  • Clinical Trial Management, 5%
  • Oncology, 4%
Common project manager skills
  • Project Management, 23%
  • Project Scope, 6%
  • Customer Service, 6%
  • Infrastructure, 5%
  • Status Reports, 4%
  • Risk Management, 3%

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