Medical supervisor vs medical director

The differences between medical supervisors and medical directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a medical supervisor, becoming a medical director takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a medical director has an average salary of $230,317, which is higher than the $51,487 average annual salary of a medical supervisor.

The top three skills for a medical supervisor include patients, patient care and medical procedures. The most important skills for a medical director are patients, medical care, and medical services.

Medical supervisor vs medical director overview

	Medical Supervisor	Medical Director
Yearly salary	$51,487	$230,317
Hourly rate	$24.75	$110.73
Growth rate	16%	28%
Number of jobs	69,951	75,810
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 39%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Average age	37	47
Years of experience	12	6

What does a medical supervisor do?

A Medical Supervisor oversees medical facilities' daily operations, focusing on the workforce's performance to ensure that patients receive optimal care and services. They are often in charge of establishing employee schedules, coordinating with internal and external parties to facilitate various programs, participating in the recruitment and hiring procedures, and evaluating and training the employees to ensure that they comply with facility and government standards. Moreover, a Medical Supervisor participates in establishing guidelines and budgets, setting daily objectives, and implementing the facility's policies and regulations.

What does a medical director do?

A medical director is responsible for handling the overall supervision of different medical departments, managing the coordination between medical teams to ensure smooth operations and achieve high-quality care services for the patients. Medical directors enforce strict guidelines and safety measures for everyone's adherence. They also implement medical care programs, recruit medical staff, inspect the adequacy of medical equipment, respond to patient's inquiries and concerns, and oversee the facilities' procedures. A medical director manages the budget of the department, allocating equal resources to address every need.

Medical supervisor vs medical director salary

Medical supervisors and medical directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Medical Supervisor	Medical Director
Average salary	$51,487	$230,317
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $89,000	Between $143,000 And $369,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Alaska
Best paying company	University Health	UnitedHealth Group
Best paying industry	Health Care	Insurance

Differences between medical supervisor and medical director education

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

	Medical Supervisor	Medical Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 39%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Most common major	Nursing	Medicine
Most common college	-	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Medical supervisor vs medical director demographics

Here are the differences between medical supervisors' and medical directors' demographics:

	Medical Supervisor	Medical Director
Average age	37	47
Gender ratio	Male, 40.0% Female, 60.0%	Male, 57.0% Female, 43.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 20.0% Asian, 8.9% White, 54.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 7.9% White, 61.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	12%

Differences between medical supervisor and medical director duties and responsibilities

Medical supervisor example responsibilities.

Manage GEMBA projects and maintain supply for general lab, microbiology and molecular departments.
Maintain department charge masters to include annual CPT updates.
Set office up for/scan in all patient documents for EMR.
Review charts and assign CPT and ICD-9-CM codes and claim rejections.
Provide training to medication room staff on the newly introduce EMR system.
Ensure quality and accuracy of labeling content to conform with FDA and MDD regulatory requirements.

Medical director example responsibilities.

Manage OPD for acute injuries.
Manage patients with diabetes, hypertension and other medical problems.
Manage patients living with HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and other sexually transmit infections.
Manage hypertension and diabetes in elderly patients
Conduct psychiatry evaluations and treatment, manage co-occurring disorders.
Manage budget planning, forecasting and accruals for improve financial management.

Medical supervisor vs medical director skills

Common medical supervisor skills

Patients, 25%
Patient Care, 11%
Medical Procedures, 8%
CPT, 6%
Medical Terminology, 5%
Physical Exams, 4%

Common medical director skills

Patients, 12%
Medical Care, 7%
Medical Services, 6%
Utilization Review, 5%
Appeals, 5%
Internal Medicine, 4%

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Medical Supervisor
Medical Supervisor vs Medical Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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