Clinical Managers: What They Do + How to Become One

Key takeaways

Clinical managers oversee the administrative responsibilities of running a medical clinic. Explore important information about this career:

• Medical and health service managers, a category in which clinical managers fall under, have a positive job outlook of 23 percent between 2024 and 2034 [1].

• Clinical managers typically hire employees, develop and maintain budgets, and oversee the day-to-day operations at a health care facility.

• You can become a clinical manager by continuing your education to earn a bachelor’s degree or a master’s degree, or by gaining work experience in the health care industry.

Learn more about what a clinical manager is, what their responsibilities are, and how you can become one. Afterward, consider enrolling in the Johns Hopkins Medical Office Manager Professional Certificate. In as little as six months, you’ll have the opportunity to implement quality and safety programs to ensure high-quality health care delivery and promote a culture of safety. Upon completion, add this shareable credential to your resume or LinkedIn profile.

What is a clinical manager? 

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 outpatients, 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. 

Clinical manager job outlook

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 23 percent increase in job openings between 2024 and 2034 [1]. As a result, the BLS predicts an average of 62,100 job openings for medical and health services managers every year throughout the decade [1]. 

Clinical manager salary 

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 $117,960 as of 2024 [1]. Glassdoor, meanwhile, pegs the average median total salary for clinical managers at $98,000 [2]. This figure includes base salary and additional pay, which may represent profit-sharing, commissions, bonuses, or other compensation.

The exact amount that you can expect to earn, however, will largely depend on your geographic location, prior experience, educational credentials, and employer. 

Do you have to be an RN to be a clinical manager?

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.

What is the role of a clinical practice manager? 

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. 

Health care administration responsibilities 

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 that 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. 

Skills

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

• Business management

• Attention to detail

• Organization 

• Empathy

• Knowledge of health care systems

Where do clinical managers work? 

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 outpatients, those who don’t require extended or overnight stays in a medical facility (inpatient care).

How to become a clinical manager 

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: 

1. Get a bachelor’s degree.

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

2. Gain work experience.

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. 

3. Consider a relevant master’s degree. 

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. 

No-fluff help for when you’re stuck

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