Department assistant vs department specialist

The differences between department assistants and department specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a department specialist has an average salary of $49,764, which is higher than the $40,698 average annual salary of a department assistant.

The top three skills for a department assistant include patients, customer service and data entry. The most important skills for a department specialist are product knowledge, drive sales, and cleanliness.

Department assistant vs department specialist overview

	Department Assistant	Department Specialist
Yearly salary	$40,698	$49,764
Hourly rate	$19.57	$23.93
Growth rate	-8%	-
Number of jobs	88,268	55,038
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Average age	50	41
Years of experience	2	-

What does a department assistant do?

A department assistant is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to support and ensure the smooth operations of an entire department. Department assistants manage meeting calendars, book travel appointments, assist with company events, respond to clients' inquiries and requests through phone calls or personal visits, update customer records, organize electronic files, create business proposals, and monitor supplies. A department assistant must have excellent organizational and communication skills, as well as the ability to multitask under minimal supervision.

What does a department specialist do?

A department specialist drives the profitable sales growth of a company through proper planning and execution of corporate merchandise direction. Department specialists develop plans and strategies to achieve corporate sales results through action planning, consistent accountability, and effective communication. They initiate and carry out business-wide software and hardware standardization. Also, they coordinate space utilization or facility scheduling optimization for programs focused on members.

Department assistant vs department specialist salary

Department assistants and department specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Department Assistant	Department Specialist
Average salary	$40,698	$49,764
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $67,000	Between $35,000 And $70,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Urban Honolulu, HI
Highest paying state	Rhode Island	Hawaii
Best paying company	Dorsey & Whitney	Springs Charter Schools
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between department assistant and department specialist education

There are a few differences between a department assistant and a department specialist in terms of educational background:

	Department Assistant	Department Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	-

Department assistant vs department specialist demographics

Here are the differences between department assistants' and department specialists' demographics:

	Department Assistant	Department Specialist
Average age	50	41
Gender ratio	Male, 34.0% Female, 66.0%	Male, 37.6% Female, 62.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.6% Asian, 7.7% White, 56.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	6%	7%

Differences between department assistant and department specialist duties and responsibilities

Department assistant example responsibilities.

Manage and develop the daily clinical schedule for the in-patient rehabilitation staff taking into consideration Medicare guidelines and staffing ratios.
Team player/adaptable HIPPA compliant, CPR certify.
Maintain and process Kronos time and attendance records for department employees.
Perform CPR and assist in critical care room with traumas and arrests.
Clean windows, glass partitions, or mirrors, using soapy water or other cleaners.
Prepare and submit time to Kronos system biweekly and Lawson swift maker schedule for staff.

Department specialist example responsibilities.

Manage a high volume of patient information from authorizing diagnostic procedures and scheduling patients.
Conduct continuous inventory evaluation via analysis of POS computer data.
Provide account coverage on government, corporate, and mortgage-backed securities.
Strengthen organizational visibility by leading community outreach initiatives, fulfilling roles as youth mentor and orchestrating event planning and logistics.
Assist with scanning old patient records into EMR, other duties assign.
Communicate all policy and procedure violations to management, prepare detailed memos outlining the issues.

Department assistant vs department specialist skills

Common department assistant skills

Patients, 15%
Customer Service, 15%
Data Entry, 8%
Word Processing, 6%
Purchase Orders, 5%
Payroll, 4%

Common department specialist skills

Product Knowledge, 14%
Drive Sales, 11%
Cleanliness, 11%
Customer Satisfaction, 9%
Customer Service, 9%
Office Equipment, 8%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Department Assistant
Department Assistant vs Department Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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