Whether they’re working in small, local operations or large-scale medical facilities, clinical managers help clinics run efficiently and seamlessly. Learn more about this administrative health care career.
Clinical managers oversee the administrative responsibilities of running a medical clinic. While they get little face time with patients, the work that clinical managers do ensures that all health care staff are adequately supported and can provide the best possible care.
If you’re someone who wants to enter the health care field but prefers a behind-the-scenes position, then you might be well-suited to a career as a clinical manager.
In this article, you’ll learn more about what a clinical manager is, what their responsibilities are, and how you can become one. You’ll also find the job outlook, salary expectations, and required skills you should possess to thrive in the role. In the end, you’ll even find some suggested courses to help you get started today.
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Learn About Value-Based Care. Learn the fundamentals and real-world application of value-based care that has become integral to improving outcomes in health care. Explore the power of effective communication between healthcare professionals and patients that leads to a partnership focused on quality care.
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healthcare, Leadership, value-based care, social determinants of health, Population Health, Health Education, Patient Care, Public Health, Health Care, value-based healthcare, Quality Improvement, Communication, Reflective Practice, Receiving feedback, interviewing, Office Processes, Healthcare Quality, Healthcare Management, Organizational Structure, Health Insurance, Quality Measures
A clinical manager is a health care administrator who oversees the daily operations of a medical clinic. While most of a clinic’s staff are typically tasked with providing health care services to out-patients, a clinical manager is specifically tasked with managing the operations of the clinic itself. On any given day, a clinical manager might do everything from hiring and training employees to creating budgets and working with executives.
The job outlook for clinical managers is very positive.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), medical and health services managers—the job category under which clinical managers fall—are projected to see a 29 percent increase in job openings between 2023 and 2033. As a result, the BLS predicts that an average of 61,400 jobs will open for medical and health services managers every year throughout the decade [1].
Like its job outlook, the expected salary for a clinical manager is positive.
According to the BLS, the median annual salary for medical and health services managers was $110,680 as of 2023 ]. Glassdoor, meanwhile, pegs the average annual base salary for clinical managers at $83,996 [2].
The exact amount that you can expect to earn, however, will largely depend on your geographic location, prior experience, educational credentials, and employer.
It depends on the type of clinical manager you strive to become. To pursue a specialized role like clinical nurse manager, you’ll need to become a registered nurse. Other areas of study include health services management or health care administration, which could open the door to more general clinical manager positions, which typically require a bachelor’s degree and some professional experience.
In this section, you’ll learn about the responsibilities a clinic manager can expect when managing a health care facility and the skills required to do the job well
Although they spend their days working in a clinic, clinical managers usually have very little face time with patients. Instead, they focus their attention on clinic operations. Some of their most common responsibilities include:
Hiring staff. Clinical managers are often responsible for hiring qualified staff to fill vacant or new positions.
Setting budgets. As a particularly business-focused role, clinical managers must often set annual, quarterly, and project budgets to ensure that the health care facility runs efficiently and smoothly.
Managing daily operations. Health care settings can often be hectic work environments due to the time-sensitive and critical nature of their work. Clinical managers ensure clinics run smoothly by supervising day-to-day operations, so health care professionals can focus on providing patient care.
Onboarding new employees and training staff. In addition to hiring new staff, clinical managers usually must also supervise the onboarding of new employees, so that they can efficiently maneuver their new workplace and perform their jobs to the best of their abilities. Clinical managers may also occasionally provide training to current employees.
Clinical managers must ensure the efficient daily operations of health care facilities in order to support medical professionals attending to patient needs. They must combine a variety of both technical and human skills to do their best job. Some of these skills include:
Project management
Attention to detail
Organization
Empathy
Knowledge of health care systems
As their title implies, clinical managers work in medical clinics, which can range in size from small walk-in clinics to large clinical institutions affiliated with hospitals or medical schools.
Unlike hospitals, however, medical clinics are mainly focused on providing care to out-patients, those who don’t require extended or overnight stays in a medical facility (in-patient care).
specialization
Advance your career in health care management. Develop business skills and understand the American health care system to improve cost and quality.
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Average time: 1 month(s)
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Insurance, Health Economics
The path to becoming a clinical manager is filled with education, training, and work experience. Here are some steps you should take to join the profession:
To qualify for a job as a clinical manager, you will need a bachelor’s degree in a related subject, such as health administration or health management, from an accredited university. Some other subjects that could prepare you for a career in clinical management include nursing, business administration, and health science.
Note, however, that some employers may prefer candidates with a master’s degree.
Read more: Bachelor of Science (BS) Degree: What It Is and How to Earn One
Whether in the health care field or elsewhere, managerial positions typically require that qualified candidates have prior related experience before jumping into an administrative role. Some common jobs that can prepare you for the role include registered nurse (RN), clinical administrative assistant, and clinical coordinator.
Some employers may prefer candidates with more advanced degrees, such as a master’s in health administration, public health administration, business, or clinical operations and health management. A master’s degree has the potential to show that you have the skills you’ll need to start managing a clinic on your own.
To be successful, clinical managers must have a unique mix of business, management, and health care knowledge. To prepare for your career, consider taking an online, flexible course to better acquaint yourself with the skills you’ll need to succeed.
In Johns Hopkins' Medical Office Manager Professional Certificate, you'll build essential skills needed to manage health care practices. In as little as six months, you'll learn how to apply effective HR practices to manage and lead health care organizations, implement quality and safety programs for high-quality health care delivery, and use health care data to support decision-making.
Rutgers’ Healthcare Organization Operations Specialization helps course takers contribute to the effective administration of the health care organization’s operations
professional certificate
Learn About Value-Based Care. Learn the fundamentals and real-world application of value-based care that has become integral to improving outcomes in health care. Explore the power of effective communication between healthcare professionals and patients that leads to a partnership focused on quality care.
4.7
(214 ratings)
8,290 already enrolled
Beginner level
Average time: 1 month(s)
Learn at your own pace
Skills you'll build:
healthcare, Leadership, value-based care, social determinants of health, Population Health, Health Education, Patient Care, Public Health, Health Care, value-based healthcare, Quality Improvement, Communication, Reflective Practice, Receiving feedback, interviewing, Office Processes, Healthcare Quality, Healthcare Management, Organizational Structure, Health Insurance, Quality Measures
specialization
Advance your career in health care management. Develop business skills and understand the American health care system to improve cost and quality.
4.7
(1,406 ratings)
23,617 already enrolled
Beginner level
Average time: 1 month(s)
Learn at your own pace
Skills you'll build:
Insurance, Health Economics
US Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Occupational Outlook Handbook: Medical and Health Service Managers, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/medical-and-health-services-managers.htm.” Accessed January 2, 2025.
Glassdoor. “How much does a Clinical Manager make?, https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/us-clinical-manager-salary-SRCH_IL.0,2_IN1_KO3,19.htm?clickSource=searchBtn.” Accessed January 2, 2025.
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