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The differences between clinical trials specialists and clinical research 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 trials specialist and a clinical research coordinator. Additionally, a clinical trials specialist has an average salary of $74,910, which is higher than the $52,459 average annual salary of a clinical research coordinator.
The top three skills for a clinical trials specialist include patients, clinical research and clinical trials. The most important skills for a clinical research coordinator are patients, informed consent, and IRB.
| Clinical Trials Specialist | Clinical Research Coordinator | |
| Yearly salary | $74,910 | $52,459 |
| Hourly rate | $36.01 | $25.22 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 57,458 | 102,960 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A Clinical Trials specialist assist in the daily activities involved in clinical trials. This includes gathering facts, information, and observed data and helps analyze and interpret results. Clinic trials are essential in developing new medicines and vaccines needed for the safeguard of human health. Alongside this primary responsibility, it is also the clinical trial specialist's task to organize data, monitor laboratory equipment, and ensure all specimens needed for the trials are according to instructions.
A clinical research coordinator is a healthcare professional responsible for administering clinical trials of drugs or medications. Clinical research coordinators work under the supervision of clinical research managers to collect data and help inform trial participants about the study's objectives. They must ensure that these trials have met all regulations, including drug safety, government regulations, and the organization's code of ethics. Clinical research coordinators must obtain a bachelor's degree in nursing and have at least two years of healthcare experience.
Clinical trials specialists and clinical research coordinators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Clinical Trials Specialist | Clinical Research Coordinator | |
| Average salary | $74,910 | $52,459 |
| Salary range | Between $46,000 And $120,000 | Between $37,000 And $72,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Exelixis | Genentech |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a clinical trials specialist and a clinical research coordinator in terms of educational background:
| Clinical Trials Specialist | Clinical Research Coordinator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Biology | Nursing |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | Duke University |
Here are the differences between clinical trials specialists' and clinical research coordinators' demographics:
| Clinical Trials Specialist | Clinical Research Coordinator | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 27.0% Female, 73.0% | Male, 20.0% Female, 80.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 2.6% Unknown, 7.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.2% Asian, 11.2% White, 62.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 2.5% Unknown, 7.5% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 10.7% White, 64.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |