The following article discusses the career path of Medical Director. Learn about how to become one, education requirements, job duties, traits and qualities, national salary outlook as well as top national employers of Medical Directors.
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Job Duties
Medical directors ensure the health care organization’s medical model is aligned with all relevant requirements. They also make sure that patients receive the best possible care. To achieve this, they hold responsibility for the selection of medical providers, supervise the health care setting’s medical staff including setting their schedules, giving advice on medical purchases, mentoring clinical students, reviewing staff performance, giving guidance on new medical policies and procedures and approving them if relevant, meeting with various other medical providers and the medical administration, and liaising between medical administration and medical staff.
Generally, medical directors will work indoors from an office. However, they regularly attend meetings and there is an expectation that they have a regular visible presence on the floor as well. Most medical directors work in hospitals. This means that they must be aware of the risk of contamination with bodily fluids and blood as well. They work directly with various medical providers, with patients and their families, with the hospital’s administration, and with medical staff.
Other job duties of a medical director include:
– Being responsible for the medical setting’s fiscal operations, including financial relationships, accounting, and setting rates.
- Taking part in, mentoring, and representing the various teams within a medical setting in an effort to achieve the goals as set by the organization as a whole.
- Working strategically on setting acceptable standards of practice, and developing methods to track how well goals have been achieved through a range of metrics.
- Holding responsibility for all relevant regulatory activities, including FDA submissions, audits, crises, and inspections.
- Being responsible for the recruitment and supervision of medical, maintenance, nursing, technical, and other relevant staff.
Where We Work
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 352,200 medical and health services managers in 2016. The largest employers of these professionals were:
- Hospitals; state, local, and private: 36%
- Offices of physicians: 11%
- Nursing and residential care facilities: 10%
- Government: 8%
- Outpatient care centers: 7%
How to Become
A medical director is expected to hold a master’s degree as a minimum. However, most have a doctorate degree, with some being medical professionals themselves.
Education Requirements
As a minimum, a medical director will be expected to hold a master’s degree. However, it is becoming increasingly common for them to hold a doctorate degree, not in the least because hospitals will expect them to have a medical background. They usually also have to be board certified and have a medical license in the state. Furthermore, those with clinical teaching experience are generally in the greatest demand.
Traits & Qualities
The most effective medical directors have the following traits to some degree or other:
- Extensive knowledge of the relevant medical laws
- Commitment to continuous education
- Strong leadership skills
- Excellent organizational skills
- Strong communicator, both verbal and written
- Keen eye for detail
- Ability to show empathy
Minimum Education
Master’s Degree
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- Most Reported
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$54,000
$392,000
The following section lists Medical Director salaries in each state around the country. The figures are based on the total number of job postings through Indeed.com. For example, Hawaii had the largest quoted salary of $246,593 while Kentucky had the smallest quoted salary of $51,072.
According to Indeed.com, the following states had employers looking to hire a Medical Director. The quoted salary figure represents the average salary from all job postings by this employer.
| Employer Name | Location | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Elevate Healthcare Consultants | Tennessee | $325,000 |
| Fidelis Partners | Pennsylvania | $325,000 |
| Sierra Providence Urgent Care Center Sunland – EM | Texas | $320,000 |
| Sierra Providence Urgent Care Center | Texas | $320,000 |
| Envision Physician Services | Texas | $320,000 |
| Innovative Management Solutions | Maryland | $310,000 |
| iPlace | Arizona | $302,200 |
| The Atlantic Group | New Hampshire | $300,000 |
| Enterprise Medical Recruiting | Washington | $300,000 |
| ANTHC | Alaska | $300,000 |
| Northeast Healthcare Recruitment, Inc. | Massachusetts | $300,000 |
| Staff Physician Recruiter | New York | $300,000 |
| Marsh Group | New York | $300,000 |
| Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services | Michigan | $300,000 |
| Alpha Medical Group | Indiana | $300,000 |
| New England Physician Recruitment | Connecticut | $288,928 |
| CRS Recruiting | Washington | $287,833 |
Learn More
- Medical director – Wikipedia
- The Function of a Medical Director in Healthcare …
- Medical Director | Rowan County
| Career Name | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Chief Medical Officer | $185,835 |
| Chief Technology Officer | $147,424 |
| Director of Engineering | $138,182 |
| Director of Pharmacy | $136,890 |
| Chief Marketing Officer | $136,769 |
| Data Scientist | $130,297 |
| Chief Financial Officer | $130,123 |
| Quantitative Analyst | $127,870 |
| Investment Banker | $125,041 |
| Network Architect | $123,709 |
