How to hire a clinical associate

How to hire a clinical associate, step by step

Here's a step-by-step clinical associate hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a clinical associate job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new clinical associate
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a clinical associate do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a clinical associate, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

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   Hiring the perfect clinical associate also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list shows salaries for various types of clinical associates.

   Type of Clinical Associate	Description	Hourly rate
   Clinical Associate	Natural sciences managers supervise the work of scientists, including chemists, physicists, and biologists. They direct activities related to research and development, and coordinate activities such as testing, quality control, and production.	$18-100
   Study Director	Technically, a study director carries out scientific responsibilities for protocol design or study plan and approval. Study directors supervise the gathering, analysis, interpretation, documentation, and reporting of data results... Show more	$26-56
   Research Project Coordinator	Research Project Coordinators take on a lead role in maintaining and creating processes that support the execution of a research project. Their duties include researching governance requirements, preparing for contract bidding, manage budgeting of a project to meet a specified timeline, and present findings of a project to all stakeholders involved... Show more	$17-31

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Rehabilitation
   • Home Health
   • Vital Signs
   • CPR
   • Excellent Interpersonal
   • Oncology
   • Phlebotomy
   • EMR
   • Direct Patient Care
   • Compassion
   • Clinical Operations
   • Cleanliness
   • Clinical Trials

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Perform EKG's, placement of cardiac leads and telemetry unit (critical care only).
   • Manage patient caseload with emphasis in occupational rehabilitation
   • Assist nurses and doctors with procedures, EKG monitoring, clinical duties, clerical duties.
   • Assist with project plan management, FDA submission paperwork, and tracking of contingency plans / appropriate triggers.
   • Experience with communication with professional staff regarding pertinent observations concerning conditions of patients.
   • Participate in disease diagnosis and treatment in the department of internal medicine and pediatrics

   More clinical associate duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your clinical associate job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A clinical associate can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, clinical associates' average salary in alaska is 69% less than in connecticut.
   • Seniority. Entry-level clinical associates 81% less than senior-level clinical associates.
   • Certifications. A clinical associate with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a clinical associate's salary.

   Average clinical associate salary

   $91,027yearly

   $43.76 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level clinical associate salary

   $39,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 30, 2026

   Average clinical associate salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Maryland	$120,212	$58
   2	Florida	$116,475	$56
   3	Massachusetts	$105,269	$51
   4	District of Columbia	$104,585	$50
   5	Ohio	$99,858	$48
   6	New York	$94,507	$45
   7	Michigan	$92,681	$45
   8	New Jersey	$91,803	$44
   9	Pennsylvania	$91,251	$44
   10	North Carolina	$90,531	$44
   11	Virginia	$86,311	$42
   12	Georgia	$86,177	$41
   13	Illinois	$85,639	$41
   14	Alabama	$79,009	$38
   15	Iowa	$78,260	$38
   16	Indiana	$76,062	$37
   17	Texas	$75,475	$36
   18	California	$65,530	$32
   19	Wisconsin	$62,112	$30
   20	Arizona	$61,555	$30

   Average clinical associate salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	University of Iowa Center for Advancement	$193,794	$93.17	149
   2	University of Florida	$189,736	$91.22	72
   3	University of North Carolina	$179,973	$86.53	18
   4	University of Pittsburgh	$175,079	$84.17	20
   5	Cleveland Clinic	$174,753	$84.02	210
   6	University of Massachusetts Medical School	$173,572	$83.45	9
   7	University of Texas System	$171,054	$82.24	32
   8	The University System of Maryland Foundation	$167,462	$80.51
   9	Nebraska Medicine	$165,434	$79.54	21
   10	Presbyterian	$163,972	$78.83	6
   11	University of Michigan	$163,015	$78.37	49
   12	Northwestern University	$162,480	$78.12	12
   13	University of Rochester	$162,200	$77.98	53
   14	Arizona State University	$160,631	$77.23
   15	Oregon Health & Science University	$159,216	$76.55	30
   16	The University of Chicago	$157,207	$75.58	87
   17	University of Illinois System	$154,432	$74.25
   18	University at Buffalo	$153,306	$73.70	47
   19	Stanford University	$152,183	$73.16	59
   20	University of Southern California	$149,892	$72.06	31

4. Writing a clinical associate job description

   A clinical associate job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a clinical associate job description:

   Clinical associate job description example

   Are you looking for an exciting opportunity in a fast-growing industry? Do you want to make a difference in people's lives while you grow your career and learn the business? We're BAYADA Home Health Care and we believe that our clients and their families deserve home health care delivered with compassion, excellence, and reliability. We want you to apply your energy and skills to this dynamic and entrepreneurial environment and become an integral part of a caring, professional team that is instrumental in providing the highest quality care to our clients.
   
   We are currently seeking a full time Clinical Associate for the Winter Park Assistive Care office.
   
   Clinical Associates at BAYADA learn to lead field staff in delivering exceptional client service and quality clinical care while ensuring adherence to policies and procedures. As part of the team, your role would consist of visiting clients in their homes and supervising field clinicians. You will also be accountable for internal case management and evaluation and development of field staff. Responsibilities will also include assisting with in-home client assessments and completing the care planning process by providing clinical insight and support for your team. This position is a combination of being able to work both with patients and office staff.
   * Base Salary
   * BAYADA offers a comprehensive benefits plan that includes the following: Paid holidays, vacation and sick leave, vision, dental and medical health plans, employer paid life insurance, 401k with company match, direct deposit and employee assistance program
   * To learn more about BAYADA Benefits, click here
   
   Qualifications include:
   
   * Current RN license in good standing
   * BSN/MSN preferred
   * Have a minimum of two (2) years of recent, verifiable, related adult clinical experience as an RN, including at least one (1) year preferably in home care.
   * Strong assessment and organizational skills
   * Prior supervisory experience with field staff, and experience with clinical oversight, monitoring quality assurance, and overall case management
   * Demonstrated successful track record of working independently while taking on increased or diverse responsibilities
   * Ambition to grow and advance beyond current position
   * Solid communication and PC skills
   
   As an accredited, regulated, certified, and licensed home health care provider, BAYADA complies with all state/local mandates.
   
   BAYADA Home Health Care, Inc., and its associated entities and joint venture partners, are Equal Opportunity Employers. All employment decisions are made on a non-discriminatory basis without regard to sex, race, color, age, disability, pregnancy or maternity, sexual orientation, gender identity, citizenship status, military status, or any other similarly protected status in accordance with federal, state and local laws. Hence, we strongly encourage applications from people with these identities or who are members of other marginalized communities.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right clinical associate for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your clinical associate job on Zippia to find and recruit clinical associate candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit clinical associates, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new clinical associate

   Once you've selected the best clinical associate candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a clinical associate?