Clinical Research Coordinators: Career Overview
Plan, direct, or coordinate clinical research projects. Direct the activities of workers engaged in clinical research projects to ensure compliance with protocols and overall clinical objectives. May evaluate and analyze clinical data.
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The Daily Work of Clinical Research Coordinators Perform?
Typical responsibilities of clinical research coordinators span:
- Schedule subjects for appointments, procedures, or inpatient stays as required by study protocols.
- Perform specific protocol procedures such as interviewing subjects, taking vital signs, and performing electrocardiograms.
- Assess eligibility of potential subjects through methods such as screening interviews, reviews of medical records, or discussions with physicians and nurses.
- Prepare study-related documentation, such as protocol worksheets, procedural manuals, adverse event reports, institutional review board documents, or progress reports.
- Inform patients or caregivers about study aspects and outcomes to be expected.
- Record adverse event and side effect data and confer with investigators regarding the reporting of events to oversight agencies.
- Monitor study activities to ensure compliance with protocols and with all relevant local, federal, and state regulatory and institutional polices.
- Oversee subject enrollment to ensure that informed consent is properly obtained and documented.
What Clinical Research Coordinators Need to Know
Successful clinical research coordinators combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Most Important Skills
These are the skills most important for this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Top Knowledge Areas
Other Clinical Research Coordinators Job Titles
People in this occupation may also be known by titles such as:
- Clinical Coordinator
- Clinical Data Coordinator
- Clinical Manager
- Clinical Program Coordinator
- Clinical Program Manager
- Clinical Project Manager
- Clinical Research Administrator
- Clinical Research Coordinator
Job Outlook
There are about 491,897 clinical research coordinators working in the United States today. Demand is forecast to grow by +10.4% over the projection horizon.
Salary for Clinical Research Coordinators
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $110,931 |
| Hourly median | $53.33 |
| 10th percentile | $76,600 |
| 25th percentile | $93,765 |
| 75th percentile | $128,096 |
| 90th percentile | $145,261 |
Compensation varies based on experience, location, and industry.
Pay by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| Massachusetts | $218,800 |
| California | $204,100 |
| New Jersey | $202,310 |
| Connecticut | $179,170 |
| Washington | $178,270 |
| North Carolina | $167,430 |
| District of Columbia | $164,650 |
| Maryland | $162,610 |
| Illinois | $158,690 |
| Kansas | $158,100 |
| Missouri | $143,730 |
| Colorado | $143,150 |
| South Carolina | $143,150 |
| Rhode Island | $141,380 |
| Tennessee | $140,430 |
| Virginia | $139,220 |
| Oregon | $136,840 |
| Pennsylvania | $136,700 |
| New Hampshire | $136,200 |
| Ohio | $135,990 |
| Maine | $135,900 |
| Michigan | $135,180 |
| Arkansas | $134,430 |
| West Virginia | $134,410 |
| North Dakota | $133,540 |
| Kentucky | $131,780 |
| Minnesota | $131,410 |
| New York | $131,180 |
| Texas | $130,140 |
| Alaska | $128,480 |
| Alabama | $127,210 |
| Arizona | $126,320 |
| Wisconsin | $125,050 |
| Idaho | $120,640 |
| South Dakota | $120,310 |
| New Mexico | $118,600 |
| Utah | $117,190 |
| Montana | $117,140 |
| Georgia | $116,560 |
| Puerto Rico | $115,270 |
| Mississippi | $113,730 |
| Nebraska | $113,730 |
| Guam | $111,270 |
| Wyoming | $109,600 |
| Hawaii | $106,580 |
| Nevada | $103,500 |
| Iowa | $102,880 |
| Oklahoma | $100,990 |
| Florida | $100,640 |
| Indiana | $88,610 |
Where Clinical Research Coordinators Earn the Most
Earnings for clinical research coordinators shift depending on where you work. The following regions pay the most:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| New England | $204,301 | 10.9% | 3.20 |
| Far Western US | $188,481 | 20.3% | 1.26 |
| Middle Atlantic | $161,559 | 27.6% | 2.36 |
| Great Lakes | $135,087 | 8.2% | 0.63 |
| Southeast | $134,493 | 16.7% | 1.18 |
| Plains States | $134,244 | 3.4% | 0.62 |
| Southwest | $128,246 | 9.0% | 0.77 |
| Rocky Mountains | $127,754 | 3.7% | 0.92 |
Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Clinical Research Coordinators
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $222,840 | 5,160 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $221,480 | 1,100 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | MA | $219,380 | 7,670 |
| Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR | AR | $211,880 | 100 |
| Worcester, MA | MA | $211,400 | 340 |
| Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT | CT | $210,890 | 140 |
| Kennewick-Richland, WA | WA | $209,260 | 110 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | WA | $208,230 | 2,260 |
Industry Breakdown
Most clinical research coordinators are concentrated in the following sectors:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 49,690 | $180,800 |
| Manufacturing | 8,090 | $176,600 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 6,670 | $101,730 |
| Educational Services | 5,200 | $84,360 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 4,340 | $178,300 |
| Wholesale Trade | 3,930 | $207,590 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 1,200 | $120,890 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 900 | $139,840 |
Clinical Research Coordinators work in the following industries:
Tech Stack
- Analytical or scientific software: IBM SPSS Statistics (hot technology)
- Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
- Project management software: Microsoft Project (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
- Object or component oriented development software: Python (hot technology)
- Object or component oriented development software: R (hot technology)
- Analytical or scientific software: SAS (hot technology)
- Analytical or scientific software: The MathWorks MATLAB (hot technology)
What the Workplace Is Like
The on-the-job environment of clinical research coordinators is shaped by the following characteristics:
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Contact With Others
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
Getting Started in This Career
Typical clinical research coordinators positions require a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry-level education. This career aligns with Considerable Preparation Needed (Job Zone 4), signaling the level of preparation typically expected.
Other Careers to Consider
Similar Occupations
- Medical and Health Services Managers (Primary-Long)
- Natural Sciences Managers (Primary-Long)
- Health Informatics Specialists (Primary-Short)
- Biostatisticians (Primary-Long)
- Data Scientists (Supplemental)
- Clinical Data Managers (Primary-Short)
- Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers (Supplemental)
- Epidemiologists (Supplemental)
Degree Programs
Aspiring clinical research coordinators commonly pursue programs in:
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
22 programs across 20 majors
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services
3 programs across 1 majors
Philosophy and Religious Studies
1 programs across 1 majors
Sources
Data on this page comes from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 11-9121.01 (Natural Sciences Managers).
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