Clinical services director vs medical director

The differences between clinical services directors 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 services director and a medical director. Additionally, a medical director has an average salary of $230,317, which is higher than the $90,816 average annual salary of a clinical services director.

The top three skills for a clinical services director include patients, social work and clinical services. The most important skills for a medical director are patients, medical care, and medical services.

Clinical services director vs medical director overview

	Clinical Services Director	Medical Director
Yearly salary	$90,816	$230,317
Hourly rate	$43.66	$110.73
Growth rate	28%	28%
Number of jobs	127,948	75,810
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	6

What does a clinical services director do?

A Clinical Services Director directs the operations, programs, and activities in a clinical area. They develop and implement methods to ensure the effective and efficient use of staff and facilities.

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 services director vs medical director salary

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

	Clinical Services Director	Medical Director
Average salary	$90,816	$230,317
Salary range	Between $63,000 And $129,000	Between $143,000 And $369,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Alaska
Best paying company	Vertex Pharmaceuticals	UnitedHealth Group
Best paying industry	Technology	Insurance

Differences between clinical services director and medical director education

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

	Clinical Services Director	Medical Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Most common major	Nursing	Medicine
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Clinical services director vs medical director demographics

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

	Clinical Services Director	Medical Director
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 22.8% Female, 77.2%	Male, 57.0% Female, 43.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 7.8% White, 61.0% 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 services director and medical director duties and responsibilities

Clinical services director example responsibilities.

Supervise all clinical staff, participates and leads IDG lmeeting.
Complete comprehensive assessments for all LTC residents which include managing falls, pain, skin integrity, and medications.
Maintain compliance with OSHA, FDA, and HIPAA guidelines.
Maintain compliance with new and existing HIPAA and company client privacy requirements.
Monitor DME, medical supplies and pharmacy costs for budgetary and regulatory guidelines.
Control expenses by negotiating competitive contracts for DME, pharmaceuticals and in-patient care.

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 services director vs medical director skills

Common clinical services director skills

Patients, 14%
Social Work, 8%
Clinical Services, 7%
Mental Health, 7%
Quality Care, 5%
Infection Control, 4%

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 Services Director
Clinical Services Director vs Medical Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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