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The differences between quality improvement specialists and contractor/consultants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a contractor/consultant has an average salary of $84,811, which is higher than the $67,474 average annual salary of a quality improvement specialist.
The top three skills for a quality improvement specialist include performance improvement, quality improvement and data collection. The most important skills for a contractor/consultant are healthcare, post implementation, and data analysis.
| Quality Improvement Specialist | Contractor/Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $67,474 | $84,811 |
| Hourly rate | $32.44 | $40.77 |
| Growth rate | 28% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 80,504 | 64,573 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
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.
A contractor is a self-employed businessperson who agrees to work for a fixed price. His/her job involves the evaluation of clients' needs and actual performance of work. On the other hand, a consultant is a skilled independent businessperson who provides expert teaching and training in a specific market by assisting existing staff for the improvement of operations, problem-solving, and development of strategies. His/her role is to assess clients' needs and provide expert advice and opinion. However, both individuals are not employees, since they came from outside of the organization to perform such services.
Quality improvement specialists and contractor/consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Quality Improvement Specialist | Contractor/Consultant | |
| Average salary | $67,474 | $84,811 |
| Salary range | Between $47,000 And $96,000 | Between $58,000 And $123,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Rosa, CA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | TechnipFMC | Cerner |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Technology |
There are a few differences between a quality improvement specialist and a contractor/consultant in terms of educational background:
| Quality Improvement Specialist | Contractor/Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between quality improvement specialists' and contractor/consultants' demographics:
| Quality Improvement Specialist | Contractor/Consultant | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 24.8% Female, 75.2% | Male, 66.2% Female, 33.8% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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 | 11% | 11% |