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The differences between clinical specialists and clinical nurse specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a clinical specialist and a clinical nurse specialist. Additionally, a clinical nurse specialist has an average salary of $77,086, which is higher than the $67,002 average annual salary of a clinical specialist.
The top three skills for a clinical specialist include patients, excellent interpersonal and patient care. The most important skills for a clinical nurse specialist are patients, BLS, and clinical practice.
| Clinical Specialist | Clinical Nurse Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $67,002 | $77,086 |
| Hourly rate | $32.21 | $37.06 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 55,670 | 268,303 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 45% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A Clinical Specialists role is to assist in the selling of particular medical devices that need more detailed and complex knowledge. They work in laboratories as part of a team of technologists, technicians, and supervisors.
Clinical nurse specialists (CNS) serve as experts in practicing nursing based on evidence in one or more specialty areas. These nurses use their advanced knowledge and experience in assessing, diagnosing, and treating patients. CNS is known to be called nurse educators for being assigned to conduct lectures in educational institutions due to their extensive effort to improve their craft. Additionally, their experience and expertise in a certain medical specialty qualify them to do case research.
Clinical specialists and clinical nurse specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Clinical Specialist | Clinical Nurse Specialist | |
| Average salary | $67,002 | $77,086 |
| Salary range | Between $39,000 And $113,000 | Between $54,000 And $109,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | California |
| Best paying company | Genentech | Mayo Clinic |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Government |
There are a few differences between a clinical specialist and a clinical nurse specialist in terms of educational background:
| Clinical Specialist | Clinical Nurse Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 45% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Duke University |
Here are the differences between clinical specialists' and clinical nurse specialists' demographics:
| Clinical Specialist | Clinical Nurse Specialist | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 29.6% Female, 70.4% | Male, 9.9% Female, 90.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 9.0% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 8.9% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |