Document administrator vs document specialist

The differences between document administrators and document specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a document administrator, becoming a document specialist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a document administrator has an average salary of $55,986, which is higher than the $39,044 average annual salary of a document specialist.

The top three skills for a document administrator include booking, bank policies and UCC. The most important skills for a document specialist are clinical documentation, patients, and customer service.

Document administrator vs document specialist overview

	Document Administrator	Document Specialist
Yearly salary	$55,986	$39,044
Hourly rate	$26.92	$18.77
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	53,574	23,728
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Average age	47	44
Years of experience	6	4

What does a document administrator do?

When it comes to the overall control of documents, whether for storage or damage, a document administrator is what you are looking for. Document administrators control the daily ways of documents. They are involved in maintaining document presence in the database as well as modifying it for better use. At times, they can also distribute and share documents with other organizations. They work in different sectors where document processing and storage is of utmost importance.

What does a document specialist do?

Documentation specialists are responsible for managing office documents and developing a long-term storage strategy. They have varied responsibilities, including organizing, storing and retrieving records, and training other staff members on practical documentation usage. It is also their job to proofread and remove obsolete documents, utilizing storage applications and software. There are several requirements needed to be qualified for this position, including a communications degree, excellent organizational and interpersonal skills, and excellent verbal and written communication.

Document administrator vs document specialist salary

Document administrators and document specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Document Administrator	Document Specialist
Average salary	$55,986	$39,044
Salary range	Between $32,000 And $97,000	Between $24,000 And $62,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Adobe
Best paying industry	-	Pharmaceutical

Differences between document administrator and document specialist education

There are a few differences between a document administrator and a document specialist in terms of educational background:

	Document Administrator	Document Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	California State University - Bakersfield	University of Pennsylvania

Document administrator vs document specialist demographics

Here are the differences between document administrators' and document specialists' demographics:

	Document Administrator	Document Specialist
Average age	47	44
Gender ratio	Male, 27.6% Female, 72.4%	Male, 29.0% Female, 71.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 19.2% Asian, 5.3% White, 60.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	8%	11%

Differences between document administrator and document specialist duties and responsibilities

Document administrator example responsibilities.

Assist in the development and implementation of new documentation processes, coordinate workflow and manage credit derivatives documentation backlog.
Prepare all require documents and QA work.
Process UCC searches and filings, business evaluations, appraisals.
Support audit team during site audits by FDA and third party inspectors.
Obtain knowledge of company policies to ensure documents are compliant with FDA.
Review UCC's, lien searches and insurance to protect company's interest in the leased equipment.

Document specialist example responsibilities.

Manage files, medical records and major customers requiring IPRO services.
Manage the migration of the entire documentation set from FrameMaker to DITA.
Lead the transition from paper charts to electronic medical records and the transition to ICD-10.
Manage archiving process of sending all complete clinical studies TMF document to off-site archiving center.
Lead complete overhaul of documentation design, look, and feel using hone FrameMaker templates.
Deploy and manage dynamic training plans, forms, and records, in ERP and paper-base system.

Document administrator vs document specialist skills

Common document administrator skills

Booking, 20%
Bank Policies, 9%
UCC, 8%
PowerPoint, 7%
Data Entry, 7%
Financial Data, 7%

Common document specialist skills

Clinical Documentation, 15%
Patients, 13%
Customer Service, 8%
Data Entry, 7%
DRG, 6%
PowerPoint, 5%

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Document Administrator
Document Administrator vs Document Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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