Quality control vs quality improvement specialist

The differences between quality controls and quality improvement specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a quality improvement specialist has an average salary of $67,474, which is higher than the $32,824 average annual salary of a quality control.

The top three skills for a quality control include quality checks, product quality and safety standards. The most important skills for a quality improvement specialist are performance improvement, quality improvement, and data collection.

Quality control vs quality improvement specialist overview

	Quality Control	Quality Improvement Specialist
Yearly salary	$32,824	$67,474
Hourly rate	$15.78	$32.44
Growth rate	3%	28%
Number of jobs	83,496	80,504
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Average age	38	44
Years of experience	-	-

What does a quality control do?

As the name entails, the job of a quality control inspector is to inspect, maintain, and improve the quality and standard of products. They are responsible for ensuring the company's reputation is not damaged due to defective products or inferior manufacturing processes. This can be done by detecting and resolving the problem early on, and returning the product for repair. A quality control inspector should also notify the supervisors immediately when issues arise and coordinate with them to address the problem.

What does a quality improvement specialist do?

A Quality Improvement Specialist in the healthcare system ensures all data and information from patients are correctly handled and coordinates care to the patient. It is the quality improvement specialist's job to ensure that patients get the quality care they needed by creating, developing, and implementing policies set in a medical facility to help patients. A quality improvement specialist must know how to use office-related computer programs, preferably have a degree in the health or medical field, and have good organizational skills.

Quality control vs quality improvement specialist salary

Quality controls and quality improvement specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Quality Control	Quality Improvement Specialist
Average salary	$32,824	$67,474
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $45,000	Between $47,000 And $96,000
Highest paying City	Fremont, CA	Santa Rosa, CA
Highest paying state	Nevada	Massachusetts
Best paying company	BD	TechnipFMC
Best paying industry	Technology	Automotive

Differences between quality control and quality improvement specialist education

There are a few differences between a quality control and a quality improvement specialist in terms of educational background:

	Quality Control	Quality Improvement Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common major	Business	Nursing
Most common college	Stanford University	Western Carolina University

Quality control vs quality improvement specialist demographics

Here are the differences between quality controls' and quality improvement specialists' demographics:

	Quality Control	Quality Improvement Specialist
Average age	38	44
Gender ratio	Male, 54.5% Female, 45.5%	Male, 24.8% Female, 75.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 10.4% White, 56.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 8.8% White, 70.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	8%	11%

Differences between quality control and quality improvement specialist duties and responsibilities

Quality control example responsibilities.

Develop procedures for testing equipment for safety and compliance to achieve FDA regulations for safety and manufacturing.
Develop and enhance environmental monitoring and testing procedures to insure ~~~~~~~~~compliance through risk assessment utilizing HAACP, USP and EP guidance.
Perform quality control check for all video and audio DVD data streams.
Used extensive use of SQL queries for back end testing using API and XML.
Perform procedural calibrations and maintenance on instruments such as Olympus AU5400, ELISA, and GC-MS.
Embed AFD (active format descriptor), AMOL, close captions, subtitles, watermarking, etc.

Quality improvement specialist example responsibilities.

Manage action planning as it relates to the RCA process.
Design, run, and manage the HEDIS data review process/claim encounters to ensure accuracy and integrity of data.
Lead company-wide preparation for NCQA accreditation.
Assist organization in achieving strategic quality/resource consumption goals and JCAHO accreditation.
Design and manage an internal SharePoint site utilize compliance with RESPA guidelines
Manage investigations using applicable methodology focuse on root cause analysis and CAPA identification / implementation.

Quality control vs quality improvement specialist skills

Common quality control skills

Quality Checks, 22%
Product Quality, 13%
Safety Standards, 7%
Laboratory Equipment, 6%
Quality Standards, 4%
R, 3%

Common quality improvement specialist skills

Performance Improvement, 8%
Quality Improvement, 7%
Data Collection, 7%
Patients, 5%
Patient Safety, 5%
Process Improvement, 4%

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Quality Control vs Quality Improvement Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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