Clinical scientist vs clinical laboratory scientist

The differences between clinical scientists and clinical laboratory scientists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a clinical scientist, becoming a clinical laboratory scientist takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a clinical scientist has an average salary of $122,388, which is higher than the $67,900 average annual salary of a clinical laboratory scientist.

The top three skills for a clinical scientist include patients, informed consent and clinical operations. The most important skills for a clinical laboratory scientist are patients, test results, and microbiology.

Clinical scientist vs clinical laboratory scientist overview

	Clinical Scientist	Clinical Laboratory Scientist
Yearly salary	$122,388	$67,900
Hourly rate	$58.84	$32.64
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	96,923	133,838
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 78%
Average age	41	44
Years of experience	4	2

What does a clinical scientist do?

A clinical scientist's duties depend on their line of work or place of employment. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around conducting experiments and research, gathering and preparing samples such as blood and tissues, analyzing and examining specimens through different processes, reviewing data and results, and coordinating with other scientists to develop medicines or treatments. They may also train new scientists, oversee assistants' performance, and maintain order in a laboratory. Furthermore, a clinical scientist may work in hospitals, clinics, private laboratories, learning institutions, or research facilities.

What does a clinical laboratory scientist do?

A Clinical Laboratory Scientist is responsible for performing laboratory tests that doctors count on to correctly diagnose and treat patients. They examine body fluids, tissues, and cells, identify infective microorganisms, and analyze the chemical constituents of body fluids.

Clinical scientist vs clinical laboratory scientist salary

Clinical scientists and clinical laboratory scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Clinical Scientist	Clinical Laboratory Scientist
Average salary	$122,388	$67,900
Salary range	Between $94,000 And $157,000	Between $46,000 And $99,000
Highest paying City	Indianapolis, IN	Santa Rosa, CA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Alaska
Best paying company	Reata Pharmaceuticals	Westpac
Best paying industry	Pharmaceutical	Health Care

Differences between clinical scientist and clinical laboratory scientist education

There are a few differences between a clinical scientist and a clinical laboratory scientist in terms of educational background:

	Clinical Scientist	Clinical Laboratory Scientist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 78%
Most common major	Biology	Medical Technician
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Clinical scientist vs clinical laboratory scientist demographics

Here are the differences between clinical scientists' and clinical laboratory scientists' demographics:

	Clinical Scientist	Clinical Laboratory Scientist
Average age	41	44
Gender ratio	Male, 37.0% Female, 63.0%	Male, 34.8% Female, 65.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.7% Asian, 26.3% White, 53.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 15.4% White, 52.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between clinical scientist and clinical laboratory scientist duties and responsibilities

Clinical scientist example responsibilities.

Manage clinical monitors in successful completion of large international hypertension study.
Manage and work collaboratively with CRO management to initiate and update contract/consultancy agreements/amendments on an ongoing basis.
Function as member of the FDA audit preparation team in support of the filed NDA.
Conduct multiple HIPAA training sessions.
Identify grant funding opportunities and prepare scientific grant applications (NIH and non-NIH).
Review serious adverse event reports receive from other local country sectors for expediting to the FDA.

Clinical laboratory scientist example responsibilities.

Analyze specimens in hematology, coagulation, urinalysis, chemistry, toxicology, blood bank, and limit microbiology and serology.
Perform testing on donor and patient samples on platforms using methodologies including EIA, CLIA, and NAT (PCR).
Perform patient blood analysis, interpret serology, immunology and flowcytometry results.
Provide phlebotomy, specimen processing and laboratory testing for clinical trial studies.
Analyze specimens in areas of hematology, urinalysis, coagulation, and clinical chemistry within time constraints in a high-volume environment.
Perform microbiology, mycology and bacteriology

Clinical scientist vs clinical laboratory scientist skills

Common clinical scientist skills

Patients, 9%
Informed Consent, 6%
Clinical Operations, 5%
Oncology, 5%
Clinical Development, 5%
Clinical Data, 5%

Common clinical laboratory scientist skills

Patients, 12%
Test Results, 8%
Microbiology, 7%
CLS, 7%
Hematology, 6%
ASCP, 6%

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Clinical Scientist vs Clinical Laboratory Scientist

Updated January 8, 2025

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