Medical researcher vs postdoctoral scholar

The differences between medical researchers and postdoctoral scholars can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a medical researcher and a postdoctoral scholar. Additionally, a medical researcher has an average salary of $61,177, which is higher than the $57,587 average annual salary of a postdoctoral scholar.

The top three skills for a medical researcher include patients, statistical analysis and vital signs. The most important skills for a postdoctoral scholar are chemistry, python, and patients.

Medical researcher vs postdoctoral scholar overview

	Medical Researcher	Postdoctoral Scholar
Yearly salary	$61,177	$57,587
Hourly rate	$29.41	$27.69
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	51,264	18,983
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	4	4

Medical researcher vs postdoctoral scholar salary

Medical researchers and postdoctoral scholars have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Medical Researcher	Postdoctoral Scholar
Average salary	$61,177	$57,587
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $106,000	Between $41,000 And $79,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	California
Best paying company	Rose Medical Center	Microsoft
Best paying industry	Health Care	Technology

Differences between medical researcher and postdoctoral scholar education

There are a few differences between a medical researcher and a postdoctoral scholar in terms of educational background:

	Medical Researcher	Postdoctoral Scholar
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Most common major	Biology	Chemistry
Most common college	University of Southern California	Duke University

Medical researcher vs postdoctoral scholar demographics

Here are the differences between medical researchers' and postdoctoral scholars' demographics:

	Medical Researcher	Postdoctoral Scholar
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 42.6% Female, 57.4%	Male, 53.0% Female, 47.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.5% 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, 6.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.7% Asian, 26.3% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between medical researcher and postdoctoral scholar duties and responsibilities

Medical researcher example responsibilities.

Create Linux shell scripts to automate common process which severely reduce manual work load and processing time for the entire lab.
Experience in quantifying RNA and protein (BCA method) as well as synthesizing complementary DNA from RNA.
Extract RNA and protein using TRIzol reagent.
Compose PowerPoint presentation providing in-depth explanation for lack of preliminary results, as well as proposed process resolution.
Adhere to strict turn-a-round deadlines and maintain confidential information by following proper ISO procedures.

Postdoctoral scholar example responsibilities.

Lead community-based health projects on and off campus as an Oslerian student scholar.
Lead the in-vitro biophysical and biochemical characterization of homologous recombination and investigate structure-function effects of mutant enzymes.
Utilize basic organic and inorganic chemistry techniques including polymer synthesis and NMR spectroscopy.
Train graduate students on molecular biology techniques- DNA and RNA extraction and qPCR.
Contribute to successful NIH grant proposals.
Develop HPLC analysis method for skin folate.

Medical researcher vs postdoctoral scholar skills

Common medical researcher skills

Patients, 14%
Statistical Analysis, 11%
Vital Signs, 10%
Laboratory Practices, 8%
Clinical Research Studies, 8%
Research Projects, 7%

Common postdoctoral scholar skills

Chemistry, 10%
Python, 8%
Patients, 6%
Data Analysis, 6%
NIH, 5%
C++, 5%

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Medical Researcher vs Postdoctoral Scholar

Updated January 8, 2025

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