Associate medical director vs medical science liaison

The differences between associate medical directors and medical science liaisons can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become an associate medical director, becoming a medical science liaison takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an associate medical director has an average salary of $212,257, which is higher than the $145,718 average annual salary of a medical science liaison.

The top three skills for an associate medical director include patients, PET and appeals. The most important skills for a medical science liaison are patients, medical affairs, and MSL.

Associate medical director vs medical science liaison overview

	Associate Medical Director	Medical Science Liaison
Yearly salary	$212,257	$145,718
Hourly rate	$102.05	$70.06
Growth rate	28%	17%
Number of jobs	73,831	57,208
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 37%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age	47	41
Years of experience	6	4

What does an associate medical director do?

It is the job of an associate medical director to support and enforce medical policies for the organization. Associate medical directors make sure to deliver patient care in high quality. They conduct research and evaluate medical innovations and treatments. It is their responsibility to prepare and oversee company finances, deposit checks, and paid office bills. They order supplies, manage payroll, and update organizational policies and standard operating procedures. Also, they are referred to as clinical leaders assisting medical staff in EMR system management and updates.

What does a medical science liaison do?

A medical science liaison (MSL) is a scientific professional who facilitates a working relationship between healthcare companies and leading physicians, researchers, and clinicians. Also referred to as key opinion leaders (KOL), medical science liaisons represent their company to the decision-makers in the medical community as well as to investors and government regulatory agencies. They analyze clinical trends and monitor the scientific literature for new developments in the medical community. Medical science liaisons also prepare medical samples and data to investigate the causes of chronic diseases, pathogens, and toxicity.

Associate medical director vs medical science liaison salary

Associate medical directors and medical science liaisons have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Associate Medical Director	Medical Science Liaison
Average salary	$212,257	$145,718
Salary range	Between $123,000 And $365,000	Between $59,000 And $359,000
Highest paying City	Portland, OR	Jackson, TN
Highest paying state	Alaska	Tennessee
Best paying company	UnitedHealth Group	Saint Luke's Health System
Best paying industry	Pharmaceutical	Manufacturing

Differences between associate medical director and medical science liaison education

There are a few differences between an associate medical director and a medical science liaison in terms of educational background:

	Associate Medical Director	Medical Science Liaison
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 37%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common major	Business	Nursing
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Southern California

Associate medical director vs medical science liaison demographics

Here are the differences between associate medical directors' and medical science liaisons' demographics:

	Associate Medical Director	Medical Science Liaison
Average age	47	41
Gender ratio	Male, 32.4% Female, 67.6%	Male, 41.6% Female, 58.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 8.1% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 23.4% White, 56.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	12%	8%

Differences between associate medical director and medical science liaison duties and responsibilities

Associate medical director example responsibilities.

Lead successful JCAHO accreditation efforts, including audit preparation and follow up.
Establish office protocols and aggressively manage patient A/R to maximize reimbursements.
Manage payroll, order supplies, review and update standard operating procedures and organizational polices.
Perform first aid and CPR as needed.
Perform oncology and internal medicine peer reviews, train and oversee physician quality.
Perform ICD-9 coding and submit insurance claims with attention to detail and a commitment to accuracy.

Medical science liaison example responsibilities.

Supervise and analyze medical necessity review of manage care appeals.
Develop and manage KOLs resulting in presentations to regional, national and international meetings.
Utilize extensive knowledge of medical terminology, ICD-9, HCPCS and CPT coding along with analysis and processing of Medicare claims.
Provide pre-launch field support for a novel diabetes compound.
Provide drug information to medical professionals and sales force within FDA guidelines.
Join Clementine as a trainee BMS and successfully complete training and registration.

Associate medical director vs medical science liaison skills

Common associate medical director skills

Patients, 19%
PET, 12%
Appeals, 11%
Customer Service, 5%
Medical Oncology, 5%
Medical Care, 5%

Common medical science liaison skills

Patients, 11%
Medical Affairs, 9%
MSL, 7%
Medical Science, 6%
Pharmaceutical Industry, 5%
Internal Stakeholders, 4%

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Associate Medical Director
Associate Medical Director vs Medical Science Liaison

Updated January 8, 2025

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