Medical officer vs doctor

The differences between medical officers and doctors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a doctor has an average salary of $208,582, which is higher than the $90,615 average annual salary of a medical officer.

The top three skills for a medical officer include patients, public health and infectious disease. The most important skills for a doctor are patients, customer service, and emergency medicine.

Medical officer vs doctor overview

	Medical Officer	Doctor
Yearly salary	$90,615	$208,582
Hourly rate	$43.56	$100.28
Growth rate	28%	7%
Number of jobs	103,222	14,571
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Average age	47	48
Years of experience	6	-

What does a medical officer do?

A Medical Officer delivers health and first-aid provisions for patients as well as prepares and maintains the paper and electronic health care records of clients. They ensure that all related equipment and supplies are suitably maintained at all times.

What does a doctor do?

A doctor is a medical expert who diagnoses and treats illnesses and injuries, often specializing in particular areas. Their responsibilities revolve around conducting initial interviews and examinations, studying a patient's medical history and laboratory results, providing consultations and care advice, prescribing medication, and referring patients to specialists when necessary. They must also coordinate and maintain an active communication line with nurses, administrators, and technicians for a smooth workflow. Moreover, a doctor must educate patients about their health conditions, helping them understand their situation better.

Medical officer vs doctor salary

Medical officers and doctors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Medical Officer	Doctor
Average salary	$90,615	$208,582
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $236,000	Between $106,000 And $408,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Green Bay, WI
Highest paying state	Maine	Ohio
Best paying company	FHCB Health System	Saint Luke's Health System
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between medical officer and doctor education

There are a few differences between a medical officer and a doctor in terms of educational background:

	Medical Officer	Doctor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Most common major	Medicine	Medicine
Most common college	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	Duke University

Medical officer vs doctor demographics

Here are the differences between medical officers' and doctors' demographics:

	Medical Officer	Doctor
Average age	47	48
Gender ratio	Male, 60.9% Female, 39.1%	Male, 45.8% Female, 54.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 8.0% White, 60.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 5.1% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 18.6% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	12%	13%

Differences between medical officer and doctor duties and responsibilities

Medical officer example responsibilities.

Lead efforts to support and continually improve the coordination and delivery of oncology services using evidence base guidelines.
Perform emergency and elective surgery for both obstetrics and gynecology cases.
Provide guidance to industry, stakeholders, and other experts within FDA on clinical issues and clinical trial designs.
Enter and scan patient history, current medical conditions, medications, immunizations and labs into the novel EHR system.
Facilitate performance improvement initiatives for CME credit.
Provide physicians with assistance during surgery or complicate medical procedures.

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Doctor example responsibilities.

Manage conditions including diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, hypothyroidism, asthma, and GERD.
Develop personalize treatment plans, rehabilitation plans, exercise plans, report of findings, nutritional plans and narrative reports.
Perform patient x-rays, provide MRI consultations.
Perform x-rays of the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine.
Hire, train, educate and monitor staff in HIPPA policies and procedures.
Create, update, and maintain confidential patient EHRs in compliance with all HIPAA laws and regulations.

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Medical officer vs doctor skills

Common medical officer skills

Patients, 20%
Public Health, 17%
Infectious Disease, 8%
Diagnosis, 7%
Direct Patient Care, 4%
Internal Medicine, 4%

Common doctor skills

Patients, 33%
Customer Service, 12%
Emergency Medicine, 5%
Surgery, 5%
DR, 4%
Cleanliness, 3%

Medical Officer vs. similar jobs

Medical Officer related careers

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Updated January 8, 2025

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