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The differences between nursing home administrators and medical 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 nursing home administrator and a medical director. Additionally, a medical director has an average salary of $230,317, which is higher than the $80,880 average annual salary of a nursing home administrator.
The top three skills for a nursing home administrator include nursing home, long-term care and healthcare. The most important skills for a medical director are patients, medical care, and medical services.
| Nursing Home Administrator | Medical Director | |
| Yearly salary | $80,880 | $230,317 |
| Hourly rate | $38.88 | $110.73 |
| Growth rate | 28% | 28% |
| Number of jobs | 137,786 | 75,810 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 32% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A nursing home administrator is responsible for managing and running a nursing home facility and supervising staff. Your typical duties will include managing the budget and making critical decisions, overseeing the recruitment, training, and dismissal of staff members, conducting employee performance reviews, and communicating with prospective and existing residents and their families. Additionally, you are expected to advocate for nursing home residents, develop rules, procedures, and policies for the facility, and oversee residents' billings for services. As a nursing home administrator, you are also responsible for conducting safety training for all staff.
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.
Nursing home administrators and medical directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Nursing Home Administrator | Medical Director | |
| Average salary | $80,880 | $230,317 |
| Salary range | Between $56,000 And $116,000 | Between $143,000 And $369,000 |
| Highest paying City | Wilmington, DE | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Senior Living Properties | UnitedHealth Group |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Insurance |
There are a few differences between a nursing home administrator and a medical director in terms of educational background:
| Nursing Home Administrator | Medical Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 32% |
| Most common major | Business | Medicine |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor |
Here are the differences between nursing home administrators' and medical directors' demographics:
| Nursing Home Administrator | Medical Director | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 39.1% Female, 60.9% | Male, 57.0% Female, 43.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 7.6% White, 61.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | 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 | 12% | 12% |