Medical consultant vs department director

The differences between medical consultants 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 medical consultant and a department director. Additionally, a medical consultant has an average salary of $194,384, which is higher than the $97,804 average annual salary of a department director.

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

Medical consultant vs department director overview

	Medical Consultant	Department Director
Yearly salary	$194,384	$97,804
Hourly rate	$93.45	$47.02
Growth rate	28%	28%
Number of jobs	77,013	73,424
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
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 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.

Medical consultant vs department director salary

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

	Medical Consultant	Department Director
Average salary	$194,384	$97,804
Salary range	Between $100,000 And $374,000	Between $64,000 And $148,000
Highest paying City	Chicago, IL	New York, NY
Highest paying state	Delaware	New Jersey
Best paying company	Berkshire Hathaway	Anna Jaques Hospital
Best paying industry	Pharmaceutical	Finance

Differences between medical consultant and department director education

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

	Medical Consultant	Department Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common major	Nursing	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Medical consultant vs department director demographics

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

	Medical Consultant	Department Director
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 46.4% Female, 53.6%	Male, 52.8% Female, 47.2%
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, 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 medical consultant and department 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.

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.

Medical consultant vs department director skills

Common medical consultant skills

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

Common department director skills

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

Medical Consultant vs. similar jobs

Medical Consultant related careers

Medical Consultant related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Executive Management Industry
Medical Consultant
Medical Consultant vs Department Director

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse executive management jobs