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Research volunteer vs volunteer research assistant

The differences between research volunteers and volunteer research assistants 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 volunteer and a volunteer research assistant. Additionally, a research volunteer has an average salary of $54,668, which is higher than the $52,906 average annual salary of a volunteer research assistant.

The top three skills for a research volunteer include lab procedures, cell culture and laboratory techniques. The most important skills for a volunteer research assistant are lab equipment, DR, and literature reviews.

Research volunteer vs volunteer research assistant overview

Research VolunteerVolunteer Research Assistant
Yearly salary$54,668$52,906
Hourly rate$26.28$25.44
Growth rate19%19%
Number of jobs50,33450,983
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Average age3838
Years of experience22

Research volunteer vs volunteer research assistant salary

Research volunteers and volunteer research assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Research VolunteerVolunteer Research Assistant
Average salary$54,668$52,906
Salary rangeBetween $34,000 And $85,000Between $34,000 And $81,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between research volunteer and volunteer research assistant education

There are a few differences between a research volunteer and a volunteer research assistant in terms of educational background:

Research VolunteerVolunteer Research Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Most common majorBiologyPsychology
Most common collegeHarvard UniversityHarvard University

Research volunteer vs volunteer research assistant demographics

Here are the differences between research volunteers' and volunteer research assistants' demographics:

Research VolunteerVolunteer Research Assistant
Average age3838
Gender ratioMale, 38.7% Female, 61.3%Male, 39.3% Female, 60.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 16.9% White, 52.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 16.4% White, 53.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage8%8%

Differences between research volunteer and volunteer research assistant duties and responsibilities

Research volunteer example responsibilities.

  • Evaluate patients' study eligibility via medical history, obtain informed consent, enroll patients, and achieve enrollment quotas.
  • Assist in monitoring MRI scans.
  • Assist in cloning and expression for RNA research.
  • Analyze cell lysates and purify proteins by SDS-PAGE electrophoresis.
  • Design a PowerPoint presentation to teach senior adults about email accounts.
  • Assist with laboratory experiments, collect data and DNA samples, contribute to lab protocols.
  • Show more

Volunteer research assistant example responsibilities.

  • Evaluate patients' study eligibility via medical history, obtain informed consent, enroll patients, and achieve enrollment quotas.
  • Compile subject questionnaires using SPSS data analysis software.
  • Perform DNA extraction and estimation.
  • Analyze isolated purity of RNA samples with Nanodrop machine.
  • Assist in procedures when need, such as isolating DNA.
  • Perform tissue homogenization, RNA isolation, and Qiagen RNA easy clean up.
  • Show more

Research volunteer vs volunteer research assistant skills

Common research volunteer skills
  • Lab Procedures, 11%
  • Cell Culture, 8%
  • Laboratory Techniques, 7%
  • Data Collection, 6%
  • R, 4%
  • RT-PCR, 4%
Common volunteer research assistant skills
  • Lab Equipment, 14%
  • DR, 12%
  • Literature Reviews, 7%
  • Data Collection, 6%
  • Cell Culture, 5%
  • Research Projects, 5%

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