Health director vs unit director

The differences between health directors and unit 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 unit director. Additionally, a health director has an average salary of $89,244, which is higher than the $74,346 average annual salary of a unit director.

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

Health director vs unit director overview

	Health Director	Unit Director
Yearly salary	$89,244	$74,346
Hourly rate	$42.91	$35.74
Growth rate	28%	28%
Number of jobs	81,038	41,585
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
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 unit director do?

A unit director is a management professional who is responsible for directing and managing a group of medical professionals in an organization. This director must manage the daily clinical and administrative duties for those professionals involved in the mental health hospitalization programs. The director must assist in recruiting healthcare professionals to maximize the branch and margin profits of the medical establishment. This director should also attend meetings with the OCFS program to discuss the performance and outcome measures of the program.

Health director vs unit director salary

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

	Health Director	Unit Director
Average salary	$89,244	$74,346
Salary range	Between $56,000 And $142,000	Between $42,000 And $131,000
Highest paying City	Greenwich, CT	Fairfield, CT
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Connecticut
Best paying company	Amgen	Palo Alto Networks
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between health director and unit director education

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

	Health Director	Unit Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Health director vs unit director demographics

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

	Health Director	Unit Director
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 35.3% Female, 64.7%	Male, 46.0% Female, 54.0%
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, 12.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 13.8% Asian, 7.5% White, 60.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between health director and unit 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.

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Unit director example responsibilities.

Prepare and manage payroll and purchasing, which include balancing of accounts within budgetary limits; establish daily interaction with clients.
Manage operational organizing of stock and equipment, order supplies and oversee building maintenance, cleanliness and security.
Provide case management services to residents in the Alzheimer's unit.
Migrate all operations to a new ERP and retail system with a successful implementation.
Develop and implement a program which assure quality of life for mid- stage Alzheimer's residents.
Oversee labor, as well as, payroll, purchases, complete work orders, and operating supplies.

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Health director vs unit director skills

Common health director skills

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

Common unit director skills

Patients, 23%
Patient Care, 21%
Customer Service, 14%
Cleanliness, 7%
Staff Development, 6%
Customer Satisfaction, 5%

Health Director vs. similar jobs

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Updated January 8, 2025

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