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Medical officer vs specialist

The differences between medical officers and specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a medical officer, becoming a specialist takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a medical officer has an average salary of $90,615, which is higher than the $58,013 average annual salary of a specialist.

The top three skills for a medical officer include patients, public health and infectious disease. The most important skills for a specialist are patients, customer service, and work ethic.

Medical officer vs specialist overview

Medical OfficerSpecialist
Yearly salary$90,615$58,013
Hourly rate$43.56$27.89
Growth rate28%10%
Number of jobs103,222358,433
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 58%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age4742
Years of experience62

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 specialist do?

Specialists are employees who are responsible for specific tasks or activities in the department they are assigned to. The actions or tasks they work on are related to their educational background or work experiences. They are usually highly skilled in specializations related to the work they are assigned to. Specialists are also highly trained on the competencies that are required of their specialty. As such, they are focused on the skills and competencies that are needed to enhance their experience in their specific field further.

Medical officer vs specialist salary

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

Medical OfficerSpecialist
Average salary$90,615$58,013
Salary rangeBetween $34,000 And $236,000Between $32,000 And $104,000
Highest paying CityWashington, DCJersey City, NJ
Highest paying stateMaineNew Jersey
Best paying companyFHCB Health SystemThe Citadel
Best paying industryHealth Care-

Differences between medical officer and specialist education

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

Medical OfficerSpecialist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 58%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common majorMedicineBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of Michigan - Ann ArborStanford University

Medical officer vs specialist demographics

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

Medical OfficerSpecialist
Average age4742
Gender ratioMale, 60.9% Female, 39.1%Male, 47.5% Female, 52.5%
Race ratioBlack 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, 11.4% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 10.5% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage12%11%

Differences between medical officer and specialist 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.
  • Show more

Specialist example responsibilities.

  • Create, manage, and assist users with SharePoint sites.
  • Manage an on-site IRB and company good clinical practice (GCP) inspection.
  • Manage SharePoint sites by creating, editing, and customizing company sites, libraries and security.
  • Manage the building of accounts, assigning of static IP's, and scheduling of business class installations.
  • Convert servers from UNIX to Linux, all hardware diagnostics and repair including printers/plotters/desktops etc.
  • Follow safety procedures such as maintenance of all equipment (Telxon scanners, terminals and ladders).
  • Show more

Medical officer vs specialist skills

Common medical officer skills
  • Patients, 20%
  • Public Health, 17%
  • Infectious Disease, 8%
  • Diagnosis, 7%
  • Direct Patient Care, 4%
  • Internal Medicine, 4%
Common specialist skills
  • Patients, 15%
  • Customer Service, 11%
  • Work Ethic, 5%
  • Patient Care, 4%
  • Exceptional Client, 4%
  • Troubleshoot, 4%

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