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What is a quality improvement specialist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read

If you are a Quality Improvement Specialist you help staffs and teams improve their performance to deliver better quality patient and healthcare. Usually, Quality Improvement Specialists work in healthcare and non-profit industries.

As a Quality Improvement Specialist, you ensure that your company adheres to NCQA accreditation and complies with RESPA guidelines. You have a detail-oriented mindset that helps you work with, manage, and redesign the company's existing review process for strategic quality care. You ensure accurate reports and lead companywide preparation for accreditations. You also design and manage internal SharePoint sites to comply with RESPA guidelines.

You need analytical and communication skills on the job. You must have a bachelor's degree in nursing, business, or healthcare administration. You can make an annual salary of $58,000.

ScoreQuality Improvement SpecialistUS Average
Salary
5.3

Avg. Salary $67,474

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
7.1

Growth rate 28%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
4.3
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.43%

Asian 8.83%

Black or African American 6.36%

Hispanic or Latino 9.39%

Unknown 4.56%

White 70.43%

Gender

female 75.21%

male 24.79%

Age - 43
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43
Stress level
7.1

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.8

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
4.9

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Quality improvement specialist career paths

Key steps to become a quality improvement specialist

  1. Explore quality improvement specialist education requirements

    Most common quality improvement specialist degrees

    Bachelor's

    56.7 %

    Master's

    22.1 %

    Associate

    13.6 %
  2. Start to develop specific quality improvement specialist skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Performance Improvement7.83%
    Quality Improvement7.31%
    Data Collection6.52%
    Patients5.18%
    Patient Safety4.54%
  3. Research quality improvement specialist duties and 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.
  4. Prepare your quality improvement specialist resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your quality improvement specialist resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a quality improvement specialist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable quality improvement specialist resume templates

    Build a professional quality improvement specialist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your quality improvement specialist resume.
    Quality Improvement Specialist Resume
    Quality Improvement Specialist Resume
    Quality Improvement Specialist Resume
    Quality Improvement Specialist Resume
    Quality Improvement Specialist Resume
    Quality Improvement Specialist Resume
    Quality Improvement Specialist Resume
    Quality Improvement Specialist Resume
    Quality Improvement Specialist Resume
  5. Apply for quality improvement specialist jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a quality improvement specialist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first quality improvement specialist job

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Average quality improvement specialist salary

The average quality improvement specialist salary in the United States is $67,474 per year or $32 per hour. Quality improvement specialist salaries range between $47,000 and $96,000 per year.

Average quality improvement specialist salary
$67,474 Yearly
$32.44 hourly

What am I worth?

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How do quality improvement specialists rate their job?

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Quality improvement specialist reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on May 2020
Pros

Being an important COG into the system. The dynamic work flow ensures that you are always well vested into the multiple projects you will assist in facilitating resources too.


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A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2020
Pros

I love the people I work with, the ability my job give me to think critically, and being challenged to problem solve.


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A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2019
Pros

Your sole goal is to achieve operational excellence. Your job description grows with you. It's flexible in terms on variety of subjects you can work with but at the end it comes to the same goal, evaluation methods.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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