Clinical laboratory manager vs medical director

The differences between clinical laboratory managers and medical directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a clinical laboratory manager and a medical director. Additionally, a medical director has an average salary of $230,317, which is higher than the $79,359 average annual salary of a clinical laboratory manager.

The top three skills for a clinical laboratory manager include CLIA, patients and test results. The most important skills for a medical director are patients, medical care, and medical services.

Clinical laboratory manager vs medical director overview

	Clinical Laboratory Manager	Medical Director
Yearly salary	$79,359	$230,317
Hourly rate	$38.15	$110.73
Growth rate	28%	28%
Number of jobs	96,325	75,810
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	6

What does a clinical laboratory manager do?

A clinical laboratory manager supervises the work of laboratory technicians and scientists. Clinical laboratory managers develop safety policies of laboratories in line with the international accreditation standards. They oversee administrative and budgetary responsibilities. It is their responsibility to purchase laboratory supplies or prepare ordering lists. They ensure that the employees follow the standards and regulations set by the industry. The managers need to develop include knowledge in solving technical problems, time management, and maintain technical equipment.

What does a medical director do?

A medical director is responsible for handling the overall supervision of different medical departments, managing the coordination between medical teams to ensure smooth operations and achieve high-quality care services for the patients. Medical directors enforce strict guidelines and safety measures for everyone's adherence. They also implement medical care programs, recruit medical staff, inspect the adequacy of medical equipment, respond to patient's inquiries and concerns, and oversee the facilities' procedures. A medical director manages the budget of the department, allocating equal resources to address every need.

Clinical laboratory manager vs medical director salary

Clinical laboratory managers and medical directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Clinical Laboratory Manager	Medical Director
Average salary	$79,359	$230,317
Salary range	Between $55,000 And $114,000	Between $143,000 And $369,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	California	Alaska
Best paying company	Agilent Technologies	UnitedHealth Group
Best paying industry	Health Care	Insurance

Differences between clinical laboratory manager and medical director education

There are a few differences between a clinical laboratory manager and a medical director in terms of educational background:

	Clinical Laboratory Manager	Medical Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Most common major	Medical Technician	Medicine
Most common college	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Clinical laboratory manager vs medical director demographics

Here are the differences between clinical laboratory managers' and medical directors' demographics:

	Clinical Laboratory Manager	Medical Director
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 42.5% Female, 57.5%	Male, 57.0% Female, 43.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 7.8% White, 61.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 7.9% White, 61.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between clinical laboratory manager and medical director duties and responsibilities

Clinical laboratory manager example responsibilities.

Lead and guide in developing quality improvement programs to continue delivering high quality services to physician and patients.
Set up forensic DNA laboratory, train laboratory technicians in advance molecular techniques, and manage day-to-day activities of forensic DNA laboratory
Maintain LIS software updates for CPT procedure codes and ICD-9 coding.
Integrate an LIS system into the laboratory environment.
Facilitate testing of clinical trial samples in the CLIA lab for test waiting FDA clearance.
Set up auto-calculations for calculate results) and a patient means program as an additional QC.

Medical director example responsibilities.

Manage OPD for acute injuries.
Manage patients with diabetes, hypertension and other medical problems.
Manage patients living with HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and other sexually transmit infections.
Manage hypertension and diabetes in elderly patients
Conduct psychiatry evaluations and treatment, manage co-occurring disorders.
Manage budget planning, forecasting and accruals for improve financial management.

Clinical laboratory manager vs medical director skills

Common clinical laboratory manager skills

CLIA, 10%
Patients, 9%
Test Results, 8%
Hematology, 7%
Microbiology, 7%
Customer Service, 6%

Common medical director skills

Patients, 12%
Medical Care, 7%
Medical Services, 6%
Utilization Review, 5%
Appeals, 5%
Internal Medicine, 4%

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Clinical Laboratory Manager
Clinical Laboratory Manager vs Medical Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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