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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 | Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $90,615 | $58,013 |
| Hourly rate | $43.56 | $27.89 |
| Growth rate | 28% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 103,222 | 358,433 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 47 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 2 |
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.
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 officers and specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medical Officer | Specialist | |
| Average salary | $90,615 | $58,013 |
| Salary range | Between $34,000 And $236,000 | Between $32,000 And $104,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Maine | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | FHCB Health System | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | - |
There are a few differences between a medical officer and a specialist in terms of educational background:
| Medical Officer | Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Medicine | Business |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between medical officers' and specialists' demographics:
| Medical Officer | Specialist | |
| Average age | 47 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 60.9% Female, 39.1% | Male, 47.5% Female, 52.5% |
| 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, 11.4% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 10.5% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 11% |