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The differences between image scientists and medical science liaisons can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an image scientist and a medical science liaison. Additionally, a medical science liaison has an average salary of $145,718, which is higher than the $87,934 average annual salary of an image scientist.
The top three skills for an image scientist include image processing, MATLAB and machine learning. The most important skills for a medical science liaison are patients, medical affairs, and MSL.
| Image Scientist | Medical Science Liaison | |
| Yearly salary | $87,934 | $145,718 |
| Hourly rate | $42.28 | $70.06 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 48,941 | 57,208 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
An imaging scientist specializes in designing and developing imaging systems through extensive image studies. Among their responsibilities include conducting research and analysis, coordinating with staff and other experts, gathering and analyzing data through various scientific procedures, maintaining records, and summarizing findings. They typically develop prototypes and test structure to ensure its imaging quality. Moreover, as an image scientist, it is essential to maintain an active communication line with team members for a smooth and efficient workflow.
A medical science liaison (MSL) is a scientific professional who facilitates a working relationship between healthcare companies and leading physicians, researchers, and clinicians. Also referred to as key opinion leaders (KOL), medical science liaisons represent their company to the decision-makers in the medical community as well as to investors and government regulatory agencies. They analyze clinical trends and monitor the scientific literature for new developments in the medical community. Medical science liaisons also prepare medical samples and data to investigate the causes of chronic diseases, pathogens, and toxicity.
Image scientists and medical science liaisons have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Image Scientist | Medical Science Liaison | |
| Average salary | $87,934 | $145,718 |
| Salary range | Between $54,000 And $141,000 | Between $59,000 And $359,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Jackson, TN |
| Highest paying state | California | Tennessee |
| Best paying company | Saint Luke's Health System | |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between an image scientist and a medical science liaison in terms of educational background:
| Image Scientist | Medical Science Liaison | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Nursing |
| Most common college | Duke University | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between image scientists' and medical science liaisons' demographics:
| Image Scientist | Medical Science Liaison | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.3% Female, 18.7% | Male, 41.6% Female, 58.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 26.3% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 23.4% White, 56.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |