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The differences between clinical researchers and researchers 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 researcher, becoming a researcher takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a researcher has an average salary of $67,145, which is higher than the $55,453 average annual salary of a clinical researcher.
The top three skills for a clinical researcher include patients, informed consent and IRB. The most important skills for a researcher are python, lab equipment, and C++.
| Clinical Researcher | Researcher | |
| Yearly salary | $55,453 | $67,145 |
| Hourly rate | $26.66 | $32.28 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 60,864 | 30,498 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 44 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
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 researcher is responsible for collating, organizing, and verifying necessary information for a specific subject. Researchers' duties include analyzing data, gathering and comparing resources, ensuring facts, sharing findings with the whole research team, adhering to required methodologies, performing fieldwork as needed, and keeping critical information confidential. Researchers must be knowledgeable about the current market trends and align findings with the research goals. A researcher must show strong communication skills, as well as strong attention to detail and time-management skills to meet deadlines under minimal supervision.
Clinical researchers and researchers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Clinical Researcher | Researcher | |
| Average salary | $55,453 | $67,145 |
| Salary range | Between $38,000 And $79,000 | Between $37,000 And $119,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Rosa, CA | Newark, NJ |
| Highest paying state | California | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Edwards Lifesciences | Renaissance Learning |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | - |
There are a few differences between a clinical researcher and a researcher in terms of educational background:
| Clinical Researcher | Researcher | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Biology | Biology |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between clinical researchers' and researchers' demographics:
| Clinical Researcher | Researcher | |
| Average age | 44 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 38.3% Female, 61.7% | Male, 50.9% Female, 49.1% |
| 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, 6.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 26.4% White, 53.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 8% |