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The differences between clinical researchers and research project coordinators 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 project coordinator. Additionally, a clinical researcher has an average salary of $55,453, which is higher than the $48,683 average annual salary of a research project coordinator.
The top three skills for a clinical researcher include patients, informed consent and IRB. The most important skills for a research project coordinator are data collection, patients, and project management.
| Clinical Researcher | Research Project Coordinator | |
| Yearly salary | $55,453 | $48,683 |
| Hourly rate | $26.66 | $23.41 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 60,864 | 67,800 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| 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.
Research Project Coordinators take on a lead role in maintaining and creating processes that support the execution of a research project. Their duties include researching governance requirements, preparing for contract bidding, manage budgeting of a project to meet a specified timeline, and present findings of a project to all stakeholders involved. The Research Project Coordinator will also support administrative tasks, including producing corporate reports, organizing committee meetings, and developing a research database to track active milestones achieved.
Clinical researchers and research project coordinators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Clinical Researcher | Research Project Coordinator | |
| Average salary | $55,453 | $48,683 |
| Salary range | Between $38,000 And $79,000 | Between $36,000 And $65,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Rosa, CA | Middletown, CT |
| Highest paying state | California | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Edwards Lifesciences | Dignity Health |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Professional |
There are a few differences between a clinical researcher and a research project coordinator in terms of educational background:
| Clinical Researcher | Research Project Coordinator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Biology | Psychology |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | Duke University |
Here are the differences between clinical researchers' and research project coordinators' demographics:
| Clinical Researcher | Research Project Coordinator | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 38.3% Female, 61.7% | Male, 37.8% Female, 62.2% |
| 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, 2.5% Unknown, 7.4% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 13.3% White, 62.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |