Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between clinical research specialists and clinical researchers 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 specialist and a clinical researcher. Additionally, a clinical research specialist has an average salary of $60,945, which is higher than the $55,453 average annual salary of a clinical researcher.
The top three skills for a clinical research specialist include patients, clinical trials and informed consent. The most important skills for a clinical researcher are patients, informed consent, and IRB.
| Clinical Research Specialist | Clinical Researcher | |
| Yearly salary | $60,945 | $55,453 |
| Hourly rate | $29.30 | $26.66 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 96,707 | 60,864 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
An air traffic controller specializes in overseeing and directing airspace traffic, all while maintaining an active line of communication with aircraft to ensure safe and efficient air travels. Generally assigned in ground control centers and towers, an air traffic controller's responsibilities revolve around utilizing technology to monitor flight paths, weather, and airport runways to guide pilots and airport personnel. They also work on coordinating with other control officers, inspecting and maintaining instruments and equipment in good condition, and alerting departments and assigned personnel should there be any emergencies.
A clinical researcher is primarily in charge of conducting research trials for medicine and health care development. Their responsibilities mainly revolve around conducting extensive research and analysis by gathering samples, performing experiments, working with research participants, and collaborating with other researchers and scientists. Moreover, as a clinical researcher, it is essential to maintain records of all experiments, summarize findings into reports and presentations, and monitor every progress, all while adhering to the research's deadlines, budgets, goals, and policies.
Clinical research specialists and clinical researchers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Clinical Research Specialist | Clinical Researcher | |
| Average salary | $60,945 | $55,453 |
| Salary range | Between $42,000 And $87,000 | Between $38,000 And $79,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Rosa, CA | Santa Rosa, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Edwards Lifesciences | Edwards Lifesciences |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a clinical research specialist and a clinical researcher in terms of educational background:
| Clinical Research Specialist | Clinical Researcher | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Most common major | Biology | Biology |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor |
Here are the differences between clinical research specialists' and clinical researchers' demographics:
| Clinical Research Specialist | Clinical Researcher | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 29.5% Female, 70.5% | Male, 38.3% Female, 61.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 2.6% Unknown, 7.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 11.0% White, 63.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 2.5% Unknown, 7.4% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 13.5% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |