How to become a clinical research coordinator
Official title: Clinical research coordinator
Also called: Clinical trials coordinator, Clinical research physician, Senior study coordinator, Research associate, Health researcher, Research nurse, Nurse researcher
Clinical research coordinators oversee clinical trials and studies. They manage projects, participants and staff, and make sure activities meet industry guidelines.
Main tasks
- Manage clinical trials and research projects
- Make sure health standards are met
- Manage trial activities and timetables
- Report on trial progress and results
- Collect information from trial participants
- Work with health and research teams
- Talk to government and health groups
- Share updates with board members
How to become one
You need a qualification and experience to become a clinical research coordinator. You need University Entrance to do the study or training for this job. Required: a bachelor's degree in nursing, public health, psychology, medical science, biological sciences or similar area; experience in similar work. Other requirements: a Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Research; to be registered; an Annual Practising Certificate of Nursing; a Master of Science (Research); to pass a police check; a driver licence.
Ways in
- University: Nursing & Midwifery degrees, Offered by 6 universities in New Zealand
- University: Health & Public Health degrees, Offered by 6 universities in New Zealand
- University: Psychology degrees, Offered by 6 universities in New Zealand
Pay · Past change
- Most common pay: $78,000 to $122,000 a year (median $101,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
- Lower: $61,000 a year · Upper: $150,000 a year
- TEC's pay figures are estimates only. TEC says they must not be used to set pay, in pay negotiations or in visa applications.
- Change in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses: Strong increase (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
Who does this work
- About 250 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
Related jobs
- Health information systems coordinator
- Clinical data manager
- Health promoter
- Medical transcriptionist
- Health data administrator
- Medical secretary
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Questions people ask
How do I become a clinical research coordinator?
You need a qualification and experience to become a clinical research coordinator. You need University Entrance to do the study or training for this job. Required: a bachelor's degree in nursing, public health, psychology, medical science, biological sciences or similar area; experience in similar work. Other requirements: a Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Research; to be registered; an Annual Practising Certificate of Nursing; a Master of Science (Research); to pass a police check; a driver licence.
How much does a clinical research coordinator earn in New Zealand?
The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $101,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $78,000 to $122,000 a year.
Has the number of people working as a clinical research coordinator grown in New Zealand?
It has grown strongly: TEC records a strong increase in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses. This is past change, not a forecast.
Sources
- Tertiary Education Commission (Tahatu Career Navigator): Tahatu career ideas: descriptions, tasks, pay estimates, people employed, employment change 2018 to 2023, entry requirements, registration, interest scores (Site scrape 2026-10 (816 career ideas, sitemap lastmod 2026-10-01)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
This content is sourced from the Tertiary Education Commission through the Tahatū Career Navigator website (www.tahatu.govt.nz) and used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. All or some of the information has been modified by Peernovo. TEC has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. TEC will not be held accountable for any errors within this content.
Qualification information from NZQA, used under CC BY 3.0 NZ.
This work is based on/includes Stats NZ's data which are licensed by Stats NZ for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. Census data via Figure.NZ.
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.
Sources: Tertiary Education Commission, Tahatū Career Navigator (career ideas, pay estimates, entry requirements and study options, CC BY 4.0, modified by Peernovo); Stats NZ, 2023 Census (via Figure.NZ) and the National Occupation List (CC BY 4.0); NZQA qualification information (CC BY 3.0 NZ); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Links between career ideas and ANZSCO groups, degree fields and broad job groups are Peernovo's.
These results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.
Graduate outcomes: these results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.
Updated 4 October 2026