Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between clinical researchers and research nurses 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 researcher and a research nurse. Additionally, a clinical researcher has an average salary of $55,453, which is higher than the $53,463 average annual salary of a research nurse.
The top three skills for a clinical researcher include patients, informed consent and IRB. The most important skills for a research nurse are patients, informed consent, and data collection.
| Clinical Researcher | Research Nurse | |
| Yearly salary | $55,453 | $53,463 |
| Hourly rate | $26.66 | $25.70 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 60,864 | 46,665 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
A research nurse specializes in conducting studies and scientific research for healthcare and medical development. They may work for medical facilities, private clinics, learning institutions, and government agencies. It is their duty to design research strategies and procedures, gather and analyze samples through various scientific methods, coordinate with other experts, and develop treatment and healthcare plans to optimize patient services and outcomes. Moreover, a research nurse typically works with a team of researchers, which requires an active communication line while adhering to the organization's policies and regulations.
Clinical researchers and research nurses have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Clinical Researcher | Research Nurse | |
| Average salary | $55,453 | $53,463 |
| Salary range | Between $38,000 And $79,000 | Between $38,000 And $74,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Rosa, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | California | New York |
| Best paying company | Edwards Lifesciences | Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a clinical researcher and a research nurse in terms of educational background:
| Clinical Researcher | Research Nurse | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Biology | Nursing |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | Duke University |
Here are the differences between clinical researchers' and research nurses' demographics:
| Clinical Researcher | Research Nurse | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 38.3% Female, 61.7% | Male, 9.2% Female, 90.8% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 2.6% Unknown, 7.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 8.4% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |