Will AI replace clinical research coordinators?

Not on current evidence. Less than 30 minutes of a typical shift goes to tasks that AI or robots are doing today. The other 7h 48m (98%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 8.2% more of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

AI shows up regularly in 1 of 33 tasks, about 12m of a typical shift. The biggest ones:

• Code, evaluate, or interpret collected study data. (12m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)

Not in workplaces like this one, based on a 2026 review of robot deployments. 3 more tasks have only been done in factory setups built around the machine, so they stay with people here. For 1 physical task, no robot has shown it can do the work yet.

7h 48m of a typical shift, or 98%, goes to tasks with no AI or robot evidence yet. No AI usage or robot deployment has shown up for these so far. The biggest:

• Maintain required records of study activity including case report forms, drug dispensation records, or regulatory forms. (54m a shift)
• Perform specific protocol procedures such as interviewing subjects, taking vital signs, and performing electrocardiograms. (42m a shift)
• Prepare study-related documentation, such as protocol worksheets, procedural manuals, adverse event reports, institutional review board documents, or progress reports. (42m a shift)
• Assess eligibility of potential subjects through methods such as screening interviews, reviews of medical records, or discussions with physicians and nurses. (30m a shift)
• Schedule subjects for appointments, procedures, or inpatient stays as required by study protocols. (24m a shift)

Part of the answer is the setting, not just the tasks. Work that is in person, hands on or high stakes is where AI and robots have made the least headway so far. In the official O*NET survey of people in this job:

• 89% talk face to face with others every day
• 63% are in constant contact with other people
• 60% say dealing with the public is very or extremely important

For the 1 task in this job where AI shows up and timing data exists, a typical request takes about 6h 54m for a person alone and about 1h 1m with AI. These are Claude's own estimates from real conversations in April and May 2026 (Anthropic Economic Index). They describe single requests, not whole workdays, and time saved on a task doesn't mean jobs are cut. The biggest gaps:

• Code, evaluate, or interpret collected study data (about 6h 54m alone, 1h 1m with AI)

On Indeed, job postings in the Management sector are at 104% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), up 8.3% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 9,200 openings a year in this job through 2035. Across all U.S. postings, 7.3% now mention AI skills. Sector postings cover more than this one job and move for many reasons besides AI.

The median pay is about $167,220 a year ($80.39 an hour), 228% above the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $79,710 and $316,850 or more a year; that range covers the middle 80%. Pay figures are from BLS, May 2025, and vary a lot by state and employer. Pick a state to compare:

BLS projects growth of 8.2% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 122,000 jobs in 2035. It expects about 9,200 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 109,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.07% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 260th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 122,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is a bachelor's degree: about 60% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 4 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: bachelor's degree. Requirements vary by state and employer, especially for licensed work.

These come from the job's official skill ratings and from the tasks that AI and robots touch least today. Building them keeps you strong in the parts of the work that still need a person:

• Skills that matter more here than in most jobs: Coordination, Management of Personnel Resources, Writing, Time Management
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 7h 48m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Excel, IBM SPSS Statistics
• Learn to use AI well on the tasks where it already shows up in this job (listed above)

These use similar skills. Matches come from 109 official ratings of skills, knowledge and work activities, and each needs the same or less preparation unless the official list relates the jobs directly:

• Clinical Data Managers (2h 18m touched, $120k median pay)
• Clinical Nurse Specialists (31m touched, $98k median pay)
• Health Informatics Specialists (1h 37m touched, $106k median pay)
• Social Science Research Assistants (3h 57m touched, $62k median pay)
• Postsecondary Health Specialties Teachers (3h 6m touched, $107k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 1 observed in real AI use, 32 with no AI or robot evidence found. The minutes per task are estimates, not measured hours, and "no evidence" doesn't prove a task is safe.