Research coordinator vs senior clinical research associate

The differences between research coordinators and senior clinical research associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a research coordinator and a senior clinical research associate. Additionally, a senior clinical research associate has an average salary of $95,878, which is higher than the $48,974 average annual salary of a research coordinator.

The top three skills for a research coordinator include patients, informed consent and data collection. The most important skills for a senior clinical research associate are patients, informed consent, and oncology.

Research coordinator vs senior clinical research associate overview

	Research Coordinator	Senior Clinical Research Associate
Yearly salary	$48,974	$95,878
Hourly rate	$23.55	$46.10
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	65,406	94,045
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	2

What does a research coordinator do?

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.

What does a senior clinical research associate do?

A Senior Clinical Research Associate performs and coordinates all aspects of the clinical monitoring and site management process. They design, implement, and monitor clinical trials.

Research coordinator vs senior clinical research associate salary

Research coordinators and senior clinical research associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Research Coordinator	Senior Clinical Research Associate
Average salary	$48,974	$95,878
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $68,000	Between $64,000 And $142,000
Highest paying City	Bothell, WA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Washington
Best paying company	BNP Paribas	Acorda Therapeutics
Best paying industry	Health Care	Pharmaceutical

Differences between research coordinator and senior clinical research associate education

There are a few differences between a research coordinator and a senior clinical research associate in terms of educational background:

	Research Coordinator	Senior Clinical Research Associate
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Most common major	Psychology	Biology
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Research coordinator vs senior clinical research associate demographics

Here are the differences between research coordinators' and senior clinical research associates' demographics:

	Research Coordinator	Senior Clinical Research Associate
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 29.1% Female, 70.9%	Male, 28.2% Female, 71.8%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 2.6% Unknown, 7.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 11.6% White, 62.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between research coordinator and senior clinical research associate duties and responsibilities

Research coordinator example responsibilities.

Manage participant's records ensuring confidentiality as well as NIH specifications.
Manage all IRB submissions, sponsor communications, participate in monitoring visits, drug reconciliation and dispensing.
Recruit, screen, conduct psychometric examinations and collect data for pharmaceutical clinical trials in patients diagnose with Alzheimer's disease.
Maintain confidential information and appropriate ethical professionalism with highly sensitive personal health information; take part in IRB human subjects training.
Assist in preparation of grants, NIH progress reports, presentations, and manuscripts.
Ensure and maintain confidentiality, privacy and compliance of patient rights in accordance with HIPAA regulations and NVCI policies.

Senior clinical research associate example responsibilities.

Manage a consultant to review scientific support and create dossiers on each product that make health claims in the EU.
Interact with FDA and other regulatory authorities to manage and facilitate approval of regulatory submissions.
Monitor U.S. sites in accordance with ICH and GCP guidelines.
Maintain investigators and subjects files, review investigators files for compliance with GCP and FDA regulations, review drug utilization records.
Verify informed consent procedures and protocol requirements base on applicable regulatory requirements to ensure protection of study patients.
Provide site management for both therapeutic and supportive care oncology protocols that are complex and require knowledge in advance therapeutic areas.

Research coordinator vs senior clinical research associate skills

Common research coordinator skills

Patients, 11%
Informed Consent, 8%
Data Collection, 8%
IRB, 7%
Research Projects, 6%
Patient Care, 4%

Common senior clinical research associate skills

Patients, 11%
Informed Consent, 6%
Oncology, 5%
CRA, 5%
Site Management, 5%
Field Training, 4%

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Research Coordinator vs Senior Clinical Research Associate

Updated January 8, 2025

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