Physician specialist vs unit coordinator

The differences between physician specialists and unit coordinators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a physician specialist and a unit coordinator. Additionally, a physician specialist has an average salary of $210,219, which is higher than the $43,688 average annual salary of a unit coordinator.

The top three skills for a physician specialist include patients, patient care and surgery. The most important skills for a unit coordinator are patients, customer service, and medical terminology.

Physician specialist vs unit coordinator overview

	Physician Specialist	Unit Coordinator
Yearly salary	$210,219	$43,688
Hourly rate	$101.07	$21.00
Growth rate	-8%	-8%
Number of jobs	63,020	85,294
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age	49	49
Years of experience	2	2

What does a physician specialist do?

A Physician Specialist is a doctor who specializes in a particular field of medicine, such as pediatrics, urology, psychiatry, and more. Their responsibilities revolve around studying the patients' medical history, conducting assessments and evaluations, developing care and treatment plans, prescribing medication, and helping patients understand their conditions and symptoms. In some cases, a Physician Specialist may recommend patients to undergo surgeries and other procedures. Moreover, aside from treating and diagnosing medical conditions, a Physician Specialist maintains an active communication line with nurses and technicians for a smooth and efficient workflow.

What does a unit coordinator do?

A unit coordinator is responsible for providing quality care services to patients by supporting the daily operations of a health care facility under the supervision of medical professionals. Unit coordinators perform administrative and clerical tasks as needed, including responding to patients' inquiries and concerns, scheduling appointments, sorting medical records, verifying insurance details, and assisting the physician on the care plans and patients' activities. They also monitor the medical supply inventory, coordinate with suppliers, and ensure the cleanliness and orderliness of the facility by adhering to safety standards and protocols.

Physician specialist vs unit coordinator salary

Physician specialists and unit coordinators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Physician Specialist	Unit Coordinator
Average salary	$210,219	$43,688
Salary range	Between $111,000 And $396,000	Between $29,000 And $65,000
Highest paying City	Bradenton, FL	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Delaware	California
Best paying company	Saint Luke's Health System	Ohio's Hospice
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between physician specialist and unit coordinator education

There are a few differences between a physician specialist and a unit coordinator in terms of educational background:

	Physician Specialist	Unit Coordinator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Business	Nursing
Most common college	-	-

Physician specialist vs unit coordinator demographics

Here are the differences between physician specialists' and unit coordinators' demographics:

	Physician Specialist	Unit Coordinator
Average age	49	49
Gender ratio	Male, 25.0% Female, 75.0%	Male, 20.7% Female, 79.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 3.8% White, 70.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 3.8% White, 70.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between physician specialist and unit coordinator duties and responsibilities

Physician specialist example responsibilities.

Manage providers' office and call schedules, outlook calendars and assist with surgery scheduling.
Generate referral letters for physicians, manage and sort medical documents within the EHR system, and assist with e-prescribing.
Review complete ultrasound and non-stress testing reports and assign appropriate ICD-10 and CPT codes.
Train in AllScripts EMR system.
Retrieve medical records from EMR and save to flash drive.
File written letters of appeal on claims deny by the Medicaid.

Unit coordinator example responsibilities.

Manage inpatient transfers to rehabilitation and medical facilities, along with preparing and monitoring outpatient billings insurance verification and referrals.
Demonstrate care and compassion toward all patients and family members at all times.
Receive all incoming phone calls; triage calls from the hospital emergency room.
Display ability to identify and prioritize degree of urgency via assignment of triage.
Review all patients EMR to ensure all appropriate power plans and quality measure consoles have been initiate.
Coordinate the daily events in an ICU setting and all other secretarial duties, including but not limit to maintaining equipment.

Physician specialist vs unit coordinator skills

Common physician specialist skills

Patients, 39%
Patient Care, 23%
Surgery, 18%
Internal Medicine, 3%
Excellent Interpersonal, 2%
Patient Registration, 2%

Common unit coordinator skills

Patients, 26%
Customer Service, 12%
Medical Terminology, 8%
CPR, 3%
Patient Flow, 3%
Physician Orders, 3%

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Physician Specialist
Physician Specialist vs Unit Coordinator

Updated January 8, 2025

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