What does a cancer center director do?
Cancer Center Directors provide direction and strategic leadership for the cancer center. The directors lead daily operations in the organization such as planning, organizing, resource management, and staffing. They take part in the recruitment and evaluation processes for clinic or hospital positions. Part of their job is to coordinate programs for the cancer center. Among their other responsibilities are the creation of new treatment program methods, a delegation of responsibilities, and set-up goals for the clinic's departments.
Cancer center director responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real cancer center director resumes:
- Manage outpatient cancer center services including oncology sub-specialty clinic, outpatient infusion center, and radiation therapy department.
- Manage delivery of quality early childhood education programs by establishing an environment of learning and maintaining the integrity of the programs.
- Prep and mail radiology films.
- Work with MDS to insure patient care and needs are met and max reimbursement obtain.
- Download CDs of images from previous radiology exams for comparison for physicians into PACs imaging system and interpretation of outside exams.
- Adjust chemotherapeutic drug dosing for patients with renal or hepatic impairment.
- Conduct in-depth interviews and genealogies on colon cancer patients and extend family members.
- Develop knowledge base regarding chemotherapy regimens, experientialdrug therapy, and protocol development.
- Collaborate with radiation oncology department to develop ways to promote the utilization of prostate implant therapy.
- Manage delivery of quality early childhood education programs by establishing an environment of learning and maintaining the integrity of the programs.
- Encourage participants to develop their own activities and leadership skills through group discussions.
Cancer center director skills and personality traits
We calculated that 32% of Cancer Center Directors are proficient in Patients, Oncology, and Patient Care. They’re also known for soft skills such as Detail oriented, Technical skills, and Analytical skills.
We break down the percentage of Cancer Center Directors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 32%
Carol Simon Cancer Center: Received patients upon their arrival and directed chemotherapy services
- Oncology, 14%
Managed outpatient cancer center services including oncology sub-specialty clinic, outpatient infusion center, and radiation therapy department.
- Patient Care, 12%
Collaborated with architects, designers and hospital administration to ensure physical structure would maximize patient care needs and enhance patient/family satisfaction.
- Clinical Trials, 5%
Assist in gathering and recording follow up information with national clinical trials.
- Customer Service, 5%
Implemented computerized appointment scheduler - enhancing customer service.
- Chemotherapy, 2%
Provided comprehensive care for sister during and following complex treatment regimens that included Chemotherapy and a Stem Cell Transplant at M.D.
Most cancer center directors use their skills in "patients," "oncology," and "patient care" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential cancer center director responsibilities here:
Detail oriented. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a cancer center director to have is detail oriented. Their role and responsibilities require that "medical and health services managers must pay attention to detail." Cancer center directors often use detail oriented in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "oriented visitors and patients to the cancer resource center and offered resources to meet their needs. "
Technical skills. Another essential skill to perform cancer center director duties is technical skills. Cancer center directors responsibilities require that "medical and health services managers must stay up to date with advances in healthcare technology, such as the coding and electronic health record (ehr) systems their facility adopts." Cancer center directors also use technical skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "enter technical charges for all patient appointments. "
Analytical skills. This is an important skill for cancer center directors to perform their duties. For an example of how cancer center director responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "medical and health services managers review and evaluate healthcare metrics for ways to improve efficiency and meet goals." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a cancer center director: "research data coordinator leukemia research dept. ".
Leadership skills. A commonly-found skill in cancer center director job descriptions, "leadership skills" is essential to what cancer center directors do. Cancer center director responsibilities rely on this skill because "medical and health services managers hire, train, and direct staff." You can also see how cancer center director duties rely on leadership skills in this resume example: "provide visionary leadership within a team of talented professionals for all cancer care services. "
Communication skills. While "communication skills" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to cancer center director responsibilities. Much of what a cancer center director does relies on this skill, seeing as "medical and health services managers must convey information to their staff, other healthcare workers, and, sometimes, patients and insurance agents." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of cancer center directors: "document communication with payers, patients. "
The three companies that hire the most cancer center directors are:
- Duke University Health System9 cancer center directors jobs
- RWJBarnabas Health9 cancer center directors jobs
- NYU Lutheran Medical Center8 cancer center directors jobs
Compare different cancer center directors
Cancer center director vs. Practice manager
A practice manager is responsible for supervising daily operations, especially on the side of the medical industry. Practice managers monitor staffing needs, train new employees, and evaluate the employees' productivity and performance. They also enforce strict guidelines and procedures, ensuring that the processes adhere to the legal standards and regulatory requirements. Practice managers also maintain budget goals, creating cost estimates and expense reports. A practice manager must have strong communication, analytical, and critical-thinking skills, as well as comprehensive knowledge of the medical industry practices.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a cancer center director are more likely to require skills like "oncology," "clinical trials," "chemotherapy," and "irb." On the other hand, a job as a practice manager requires skills like "practice management," "payroll," "oversight," and "patient flow." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Practice managers tend to make the most money working in the technology industry, where they earn an average salary of $97,698. In contrast, cancer center directors make the biggest average salary, $62,386, in the education industry.The education levels that practice managers earn slightly differ from cancer center directors. In particular, practice managers are 2.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a cancer center director. Additionally, they're 7.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Cancer center director vs. Medical manager
A medical manager is a health care expert primarily in charge of overseeing a particular department or office, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. Their responsibilities typically revolve around performing administrative tasks such as arranging schedules and appointments, handling calls and correspondence, maintaining personal records of patients, updating medical histories, and liaising with insurance companies for updates and verification. There are also instances where they must produce progress reports, delegate tasks, and train new staff, all while adhering to the hospital's policies and regulations.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real cancer center director resumes. While cancer center director responsibilities can utilize skills like "customer service," "surgery," "irb," and "cancer care," medical managers use skills like "healthcare," "quality care," "oversight," and "medication administration."
On average, medical managers earn a higher salary than cancer center directors. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, medical managers earn the most pay in the pharmaceutical industry with an average salary of $166,924. Whereas cancer center directors have higher pay in the education industry, with an average salary of $62,386.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Medical managers tend to reach similar levels of education than cancer center directors. In fact, they're 1.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 7.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Cancer center director vs. Nurse manager
The primary role of nurse managers is to supervise the nursing staff in a clinical or hospital setting. They are the ones who are in charge of patient care, setting work schedules, and making budgetary and management decisions. They are also responsible for making personnel decisions, coordinating meetings, and creating safe environments that promote patient engagement and aid the healthcare team's work. Their role is vital in promoting a culture in which team members contribute to professional growth and patient outcomes.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, cancer center directors are more likely to have skills like "patient care," "clinical trials," "irb," and "cancer care." But a nurse manager is more likely to have skills like "cpr," "performance improvement," "quality patient care," and "oversight."
Nurse managers earn the highest salary when working in the health care industry, where they receive an average salary of $90,775. Comparatively, cancer center directors have the highest earning potential in the education industry, with an average salary of $62,386.When it comes to education, nurse managers tend to earn similar degree levels compared to cancer center directors. In fact, they're 2.9% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 7.6% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Cancer center director vs. Clinical manager
A clinical manager is responsible for monitoring medical procedures and administrative duties to ensure the smooth flow of operations in a healthcare facility. Clinical managers manage the facility's staffing needs, evaluate budget reports, assist healthcare professionals on administering medical duties, and develop strategic procedures to optimize treatments and maximize productivity. A clinical manager enforces strict sanitary and safety regulations for everyone's strict compliance. They also need to have excellent knowledge of the medical industry to promote medical processes and provide the highest quality care.
Types of cancer center director
Updated January 8, 2025