Department director vs practice administrator

The differences between department directors and practice administrators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a department director and a practice administrator. Additionally, a department director has an average salary of $97,804, which is higher than the $78,493 average annual salary of a practice administrator.

The top three skills for a department director include patient care, patients and healthcare. The most important skills for a practice administrator are patients, patient care, and customer service.

Department director vs practice administrator overview

	Department Director	Practice Administrator
Yearly salary	$97,804	$78,493
Hourly rate	$47.02	$37.74
Growth rate	28%	28%
Number of jobs	73,424	75,986
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	6

What does a department director do?

A Department Director spearheads and oversees the operations of a department, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. Although their responsibilities vary upon the functions of a department, they typically have the power to decide on projects and programs. Their responsibilities include setting goals, establishing budgets and guidelines, representing the department at meetings and media coverages, liaising with external business partners, managing staff, and monitoring the progress of operations. Moreover, a Department Director leads and encourages staff to reach goals while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

What does a practice administrator do?

A Practice Administrator is responsible for the daily activities of a medical facility. They prepare prescriptions for patients, provide leadership in developing and implementing business plans, and oversee the billing and collection processes of departments.

Department director vs practice administrator salary

Department directors and practice administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Department Director	Practice Administrator
Average salary	$97,804	$78,493
Salary range	Between $64,000 And $148,000	Between $56,000 And $109,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	New York, NY
Highest paying state	New Jersey	New York
Best paying company	Anna Jaques Hospital	Osa
Best paying industry	Finance	Professional

Differences between department director and practice administrator education

There are a few differences between a department director and a practice administrator in terms of educational background:

	Department Director	Practice Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Department director vs practice administrator demographics

Here are the differences between department directors' and practice administrators' demographics:

	Department Director	Practice Administrator
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 52.8% Female, 47.2%	Male, 25.0% Female, 75.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 7.9% White, 62.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 12.8% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 7.1% White, 60.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between department director and practice administrator duties and responsibilities

Department director example responsibilities.

Manage and direct bureau operations, and provide oversight of criminal investigations of statewide importance.
Establish and develop relationships with ERP and consulting vendors with the goal of maximizing comparative advantage and cost efficient solution development.
Ensure compliance with all CMS regulations.
Provide public education in the areas of fire department capabilities and history as well as CPR classes.
Follow up and coordination of rehabilitation services.
Cross-Train pre-operative and PACU staff to optimize efficiency.

Practice administrator example responsibilities.

Lead the hospital through a successful CMS validation survey.
Manage multiple SharePoint sites by adding and editing accurate data for each team within the department.
Deploy, configure, and manage enterprise systems; monitoring, windows, linux, aws, vmware.
Manage accounts payable and accounts receivable activities using QuickBooks and online banking applications.
Compose monthly productivity reports, manage payroll; develop and implement policies & procedures.
Manage the overall operations of a large pediatric practice that provide services to a predominantly Medicaid population

Department director vs practice administrator skills

Common department director skills

Patient Care, 15%
Patients, 14%
Healthcare, 13%
Oversight, 8%
Human Resources, 5%
Payroll, 4%

Common practice administrator skills

Patients, 14%
Patient Care, 7%
Customer Service, 6%
Payroll, 5%
Practice Management, 4%
Oversight, 4%

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Department Director
Department Director vs Practice Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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