Medical consultant vs clinical director

The differences between medical consultants and clinical 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 medical consultant and a clinical director. Additionally, a medical consultant has an average salary of $194,384, which is higher than the $96,497 average annual salary of a clinical director.

The top three skills for a medical consultant include patients, patient care and surgery. The most important skills for a clinical director are patients, patient care, and physical therapy.

Medical consultant vs clinical director overview

	Medical Consultant	Clinical Director
Yearly salary	$194,384	$96,497
Hourly rate	$93.45	$46.39
Growth rate	28%	28%
Number of jobs	77,013	83,232
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	6

What does a medical consultant do?

A medical consultant assists doctors and other medical staff in running a healthcare facility. They give advice on matters such as salaries, staffing, advertising, safety, patient confidentiality and insurance plan compliance. They are also responsible for gathering and analyzing data, coming up with conclusions, providing recommendations to the employer, helping the institution ensure they are compliant with insurance and safety standards, and offering advice that will help optimize the performance of the health facility.

What does a clinical director do?

A clinical director is a managing professional who manages the work of healthcare providers to ensure quality patient care is achieved. Clinical directors are responsible for organizational tasks such as adjusting staff schedules, explaining insurance benefits to the patients, and managing financial reports. They can work either in small clinics with a smaller workforce or larger hospitals with multiple departments. Clinical directors may also assist in the hiring process of healthcare providers and should establish a positive work environment.

Medical consultant vs clinical director salary

Medical consultants and clinical directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Medical Consultant	Clinical Director
Average salary	$194,384	$96,497
Salary range	Between $100,000 And $374,000	Between $63,000 And $145,000
Highest paying City	Chicago, IL	New York, NY
Highest paying state	Delaware	Rhode Island
Best paying company	Berkshire Hathaway	Sutro Biopharma
Best paying industry	Pharmaceutical	Health Care

Differences between medical consultant and clinical director education

There are a few differences between a medical consultant and a clinical director in terms of educational background:

	Medical Consultant	Clinical Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Medical consultant vs clinical director demographics

Here are the differences between medical consultants' and clinical directors' demographics:

	Medical Consultant	Clinical Director
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 46.4% Female, 53.6%	Male, 35.2% Female, 64.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 8.0% White, 61.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 8.1% White, 60.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between medical consultant and clinical director duties and responsibilities

Medical consultant example responsibilities.

Manage CMS require oversight of in-home, at-risk Medicare member care management programs through chart audit and NCQA on-site visits.
Lead the planning, organization, execution, and analysis of coding, billing, HIPAA, and OSHA audits.
Provide SharePoint development and administration, budget and financial reporting; manage invoicing; and develop training manuals and user guides.
Function as the primary office safety, health, OSHA, HIPPA representative.
Experience in dental CPT and ICD-9, as well as medical CPT and ICD-9 coding.
Demonstrate knowledge of ICD-9-CM and CPT coding guidelines, medical terminology, anatomy, and physiology.

Clinical director example responsibilities.

Develop distinctive ambulatory strategies to achieve and sustain competitive healthcare advantage.
Manage and assist with data collection and input for MDS.
Manage quality of documentation through education and electronic review of clinical processes utilizing HCHB EMR.
Manage front office, marketing, and communication -demonstrated/supervise exercises for patients -Developed instructional packets for home exercise programs
Manage projects and ambulatory system initiatives, and collaborate with system leadership teams to ensure EMR alignment with all regulatory requirements.
Experience in GCP, FDA audits, and regulatory guidance review and implementation.

Medical consultant vs clinical director skills

Common medical consultant skills

Patients, 22%
Patient Care, 10%
Surgery, 8%
Medical Care, 7%
Oncology, 6%
Medical Services, 6%

Common clinical director skills

Patients, 18%
Patient Care, 11%
Physical Therapy, 5%
Social Work, 4%
Rehabilitation, 4%
Clinical Services, 3%

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Medical Consultant
Medical Consultant vs Clinical Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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