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The differences between clinical trials specialists and 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 research coordinator. Additionally, a clinical trials specialist has an average salary of $74,910, which is higher than the $48,974 average annual salary of a research coordinator.
The top three skills for a clinical trials specialist include patients, clinical research and clinical trials. The most important skills for a research coordinator are patients, informed consent, and data collection.
| Clinical Trials Specialist | Research Coordinator | |
| Yearly salary | $74,910 | $48,974 |
| Hourly rate | $36.01 | $23.55 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 57,458 | 65,406 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| 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 research coordinator is responsible for assisting the development of research data from clinical trials and laboratory investigations under the supervision of a lead researcher or a research supervisor. In some cases, research coordinators conduct field investigations and analyze existing research materials upon understanding the scope and limitations of the study. They enter their findings and useful resources on the research database for reference to the research team. A research coordinator must have excellent communication skills, both written and oral, especially on gathering data and coordinating with other researchers for the progress and updates of the study.
Clinical trials specialists and research coordinators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Clinical Trials Specialist | Research Coordinator | |
| Average salary | $74,910 | $48,974 |
| Salary range | Between $46,000 And $120,000 | Between $35,000 And $68,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Bothell, WA |
| Highest paying state | California | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Exelixis | BNP Paribas |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a clinical trials specialist and a research coordinator in terms of educational background:
| Clinical Trials Specialist | Research Coordinator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Biology | Psychology |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | Duke University |
Here are the differences between clinical trials specialists' and research coordinators' demographics:
| Clinical Trials Specialist | Research Coordinator | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 27.0% Female, 73.0% | Male, 29.1% Female, 70.9% |
| 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, 2.6% Unknown, 7.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 10.2% White, 64.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |