Post job

Cancer registrar vs information management specialist

The differences between cancer registrars and information management specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a cancer registrar and an information management specialist. Additionally, an information management specialist has an average salary of $54,515, which is higher than the $49,393 average annual salary of a cancer registrar.

The top three skills for a cancer registrar include patients, CTR and medical terminology. The most important skills for an information management specialist are patients, customer service, and medical terminology.

Cancer registrar vs information management specialist overview

Cancer RegistrarInformation Management Specialist
Yearly salary$49,393$54,515
Hourly rate$23.75$26.21
Growth rate11%11%
Number of jobs11,722151,152
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 42%Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age4545
Years of experience1212

What does a cancer registrar do?

Cancer registrars collect and report data related to cancer. They gather information like the history, treatment used, diagnosis, and current status of cancer patients. The data collected will be used by cancer treatment facilities, healthcare workers, researchers, and several others to improve the knowledge that every health care department have and to increase the chances of survival of cancer patients. Some of the basic skills that a cancer registrar should have are analytical skills, detail orientation, and critical thinking skills to make sure that all data gathered are documented and stored in a safe place.

What does an information management specialist do?

An information management specialist is responsible for maintaining the security benchmark of all databases across the organization to support business functions and client requirements. Information management specialists sort and file data on the network systems and pull up reports from the storage database. They also analyze project management plans and utilize data tools to identify solutions and collect critical information. An information management specialist handles data management system troubleshooting and provide resolution reports to avoid downtime reoccurrence.

Cancer registrar vs information management specialist salary

Cancer registrars and information management specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Cancer RegistrarInformation Management Specialist
Average salary$49,393$54,515
Salary rangeBetween $33,000 And $72,000Between $28,000 And $105,000
Highest paying City-Greenwich, CT
Highest paying state-Connecticut
Best paying company-McKinsey & Company Inc
Best paying industry-Technology

Differences between cancer registrar and information management specialist education

There are a few differences between a cancer registrar and an information management specialist in terms of educational background:

Cancer RegistrarInformation Management Specialist
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 42%Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common majorHealth Care AdministrationBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of Southern CaliforniaUniversity of Southern California

Cancer registrar vs information management specialist demographics

Here are the differences between cancer registrars' and information management specialists' demographics:

Cancer RegistrarInformation Management Specialist
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 7.8% Female, 92.2%Male, 39.8% Female, 60.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.5% Asian, 8.7% White, 58.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% Asian, 8.9% White, 58.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between cancer registrar and information management specialist duties and responsibilities

Cancer registrar example responsibilities.

  • Process release of information requests according to HIPAA regulations and manage valuables safe for entire facility.
  • Assign TNM and AJCC staging codes to newly diagnose cancer patents.
  • Provide coordination of cancer committee require by ACOS to meet accreditation standards.
  • Work for DHMC for this time period helping DHMC get up to date w cancer abstracts and the NH state cancer registry
  • Obtain patient insurance information and forward to business department for approval of out-patient surgery.
  • Train new employees and registrars.
  • Show more

Information management specialist example responsibilities.

  • Manage a database to track all adverse drug reactions according to FDA guidelines.
  • Manage the IM application and infrastructure to maximize the use of standard applications and processes.
  • Write and modify Perl scripts to automate and streamline daily routines for the Tivoli environment.
  • Manage the current MPI program and patient portal, with direct supervision of data integrity processes and outcomes.
  • Achieve this goal by providing clear policies/justification for initiatives which impact designated FTE's.
  • Test configuration of DNS and DHCP functionality, configure VPN connections with IPSEC and PKI authentication methods.
  • Show more

Cancer registrar vs information management specialist skills

Common cancer registrar skills
  • Patients, 20%
  • CTR, 11%
  • Medical Terminology, 10%
  • Abstracts, 8%
  • Data Collection, 6%
  • COC, 5%
Common information management specialist skills
  • Patients, 19%
  • Customer Service, 11%
  • Medical Terminology, 8%
  • Patient Care, 6%
  • HIPAA, 5%
  • Data Entry, 4%

Browse healthcare practitioner and technical jobs