Hospital director vs department director

The differences between hospital 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 hospital director and a department director. Additionally, a hospital director has an average salary of $127,268, which is higher than the $97,804 average annual salary of a department director.

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

Hospital director vs department director overview

	Hospital Director	Department Director
Yearly salary	$127,268	$97,804
Hourly rate	$61.19	$47.02
Growth rate	28%	28%
Number of jobs	29,738	73,424
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	6

What does a hospital director do?

A hospital director is primarily in charge of coordinating hospital activities and managing medical professionals, ensuring smooth workflow and efficient services to patients. Their responsibilities typically revolve around setting goals and objectives, managing budgets, coordinating medical and non-medical personnel, and developing strategies to optimize hospital operations. They are also responsible for addressing issues and concerns, resolving them promptly and efficiently. Furthermore, as a hospital director, it is their duty to make significant decisions in adherence to the facility's policies, regulations, vision, and mission.

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.

Hospital director vs department director salary

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

	Hospital Director	Department Director
Average salary	$127,268	$97,804
Salary range	Between $67,000 And $239,000	Between $64,000 And $148,000
Highest paying City	Poughkeepsie, NY	New York, NY
Highest paying state	New Hampshire	New Jersey
Best paying company	Community Medical Center	Anna Jaques Hospital
Best paying industry	Retail	Finance

Differences between hospital director and department director education

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

	Hospital Director	Department Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Hospital director vs department director demographics

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

	Hospital Director	Department Director
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 47.0% Female, 53.0%	Male, 52.8% Female, 47.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 7.9% White, 61.2% 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 hospital director and department director duties and responsibilities

Hospital director example responsibilities.

Insure department is JACHO, CMS & TDH compliant, manage professional staff & department productivity.
Manage the staff, schedule, payroll, problems that arise within hospital, reports, etc.
Interact successfully with regulatory and oversight agencies, which lead to more streamline operations of complex healthcare reimbursement programs.
Develop and maintain capital and FTE budget.
Contribute to the successful JCAHO accreditation within the department.
Ensure that all programs meet all local, state and CMS standards.

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.

Hospital director vs department director skills

Common hospital director skills

Patients, 13%
Patient Care, 10%
Oversight, 10%
Customer Service, 9%
Customer Satisfaction, 9%
Acute Care, 5%

Common department director skills

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

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Hospital Director
Hospital Director vs Department Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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