Health director vs department director

The differences between health directors and department 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 health director and a department director. Additionally, a department director has an average salary of $97,804, which is higher than the $89,244 average annual salary of a health director.

The top three skills for a health director include patients, home health and oversight. The most important skills for a department director are patient care, patients, and healthcare.

Health director vs department director overview

	Health Director	Department Director
Yearly salary	$89,244	$97,804
Hourly rate	$42.91	$47.02
Growth rate	28%	28%
Number of jobs	81,038	73,424
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	6

What does a health director do?

A Health Director is responsible for developing health programs for disease prevention and the promotion of good health practices. They must keep health records and ensure excellent health facility maintenance.

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.

Health director vs department director salary

Health directors and department directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Health Director	Department Director
Average salary	$89,244	$97,804
Salary range	Between $56,000 And $142,000	Between $64,000 And $148,000
Highest paying City	Greenwich, CT	New York, NY
Highest paying state	Connecticut	New Jersey
Best paying company	Amgen	Anna Jaques Hospital
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between health director and department director education

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

	Health Director	Department Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common major	Nursing	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Health director vs department director demographics

Here are the differences between health directors' and department directors' demographics:

	Health Director	Department Director
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 35.3% Female, 64.7%	Male, 52.8% Female, 47.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 7.1% White, 61.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	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%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between health director and department director duties and responsibilities

Health director example responsibilities.

Manage accreditation process with AAHC, JCAHO, Medicare, HIPAA, AOA, ACGME, RRC, and individual payers.
Manage the agency's daily operations to ensure CMS compliance.
Manage EHS activities for manufacturing plants, global sourcing centers, and customer sites.
Initiate sentinel system allowing company to proactively manage reimbursement reductions impose by state Medicaid programs.
Manage multiple patients, assessing ability to continue living independently or moving to higher acuity care.
Conduct staff training regarding first aid, CPR, a.

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.

Health director vs department director skills

Common health director skills

Patients, 13%
Home Health, 9%
Oversight, 8%
Patient Care, 6%
Social Work, 5%
CPR, 4%

Common department director skills

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

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Health Director
Health Director vs Department Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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