Imaging, Lab, Rehab & Diagnostic Services Leadership salary guide

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Published BLS wages for this family. BLS OEWS May 2025.

Director of Imaging (Radiology Director) SOC 11-9111, Medical and Health Services Managers. broader match.
Radiology / Imaging Manager SOC 11-9111, Medical and Health Services Managers. broader match.
Outpatient Imaging Center Manager SOC 11-9111, Medical and Health Services Managers. broader match.
Breast Center Manager SOC 11-9111, Medical and Health Services Managers. broader match.
Medical Physicist SOC 19-2012, Physicists. broader match.
Medical Dosimetrist SOC 29-2036, Medical Dosimetrists. direct match.
Director of Radiation Oncology Services SOC 11-9111, Medical and Health Services Managers. broader match.
Director of Laboratory Services SOC 11-9111, Medical and Health Services Managers. broader match.
Laboratory Manager SOC 11-9111, Medical and Health Services Managers. broader match.
Blood Bank / Transfusion Service Supervisor SOC 29-2010, Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians. broader match.
Pathologists' Assistant SOC 29-9099, Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Workers, All Other. proxy match.
Director of Rehabilitation Services SOC 11-9111, Medical and Health Services Managers. broader match.
Outpatient Therapy Clinic Director SOC 11-9111, Medical and Health Services Managers. broader match.
Director of Respiratory Care SOC 11-9111, Medical and Health Services Managers. broader match.
Perfusionist / Chief Perfusionist SOC 29-9099, Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Workers, All Other. proxy match.
Sterile Processing Manager SOC 11-9111, Medical and Health Services Managers. broader match.
Imaging Supervisor SOC 11-9111, Medical and Health Services Managers. broader match.

What does a normal day look like for these leaders?

These leaders spend the day keeping the department moving. They review schedules, staffing gaps, equipment issues, quality reports, and physician concerns. They answer to service line goals and make local decisions on workflow, handoffs, and staff coverage.

They also talk with referring providers, vendors, and finance staff. In smaller groups, one leader may cover several sites or modalities. In larger systems, the role often narrows to one service line and a tighter set of daily decisions.

How does imaging leadership differ from lab leadership?

Imaging leaders manage room flow, scanner downtime, contrast safety, technologist coverage, and patient movement through the day. Lab leaders focus more on specimen handling, instrument downtime, blood bank coverage, and delayed results. Both roles need steady judgment when work backs up or systems fail.

When we speak with a hiring manager, we ask who owns final decisions. We also ask what the leader controls directly and what stays with administration, pathology, radiology physicians, or shared services.

Where do rehab, respiratory care, and sterile processing fit in?

Rehab and outpatient therapy leaders spend much of the day on schedules, therapist coverage, referral patterns, and documentation follow-up. Respiratory care leaders handle shift coverage, treatment delivery, and coordination with nursing and medicine. Sterile processing leaders work closely with OR schedules, tray readiness, and missing instruments.

These settings often call for hands-on leaders. We look at how much time the person spends on the floor, in clinics, or in the work room. We also ask whether the leader coaches staff directly or mainly reports issues upward.

What changes pay from one role to another?

Pay shifts with service line size, after-hours coverage, budget ownership, and how many sites report to the role. A director who owns several departments usually carries more financial and staffing work than a single-site manager. That usually changes the market level.

Credentials also matter. A medical physicist, medical dosimetrist, pathologists' assistant, or perfusionist brings a different scope than a general manager. We compare the daily work, not only the title, because the title often hides the real span of control.

What do we ask before a search starts?

We ask who the role serves, which providers depend on it, and what problems need fixing first. We also ask about call, weekend coverage, multi-site travel, vendor contact, and budget authority. Those details change who is a real fit.

We want the daily picture, not just the org chart. That helps us sort out whether the opening is a true department director, a working supervisor, or a service line administrator with broader responsibility.

How should you use this guide when making a hiring decision?

Use the guide to compare one role against another before you post. A radiology manager, laboratory manager, and outpatient therapy director may all sound similar. Their day can look very different, and compensation often follows that difference in scope and pressure.

If you are hiring now, start with the work that cannot be left out. Then decide which decisions stay with you and which move to the new leader. That gives us a cleaner search and fewer mismatched interviews.

What else should you ask about this edition?

What should I define first when hiring an imaging or lab leader?

Start with the work that will land on the new hire each day. Spell out staffing, schedule ownership, vendor contact, quality review, and who handles urgent issues. That keeps the search focused on people who have done that exact kind of work.

How do I decide between a manager and a director title?

Look at what the person controls, not the title alone. If the role owns budget input, several sites, and other managers, director often fits better. If the role mainly runs one department and reports upward, manager may be the cleaner match.

What if the role covers more than one service line?

Tell us which line comes first when conflicts appear. A leader who covers imaging and breast center work may need different experience than someone who only runs diagnostics. Shared roles often need stronger coordination and clearer authority lines.

How do specialty credentials affect the search?

They change who we should speak with and how we frame the opening. A medical physicist, medical dosimetrist, perfusionist, or pathologists' assistant brings a different daily scope than a general department leader. We sort the search around the actual work, not just the department name.