How To Become A Clinical Business Manager: What It Is and Career Path

What is a clinical business manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Pawn Johnson-Hunter MS, RN, AGPCNP-BC, GERO- BC, CM/DN

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a clinical business manager. For example, did you know that they make an average of $36.27 an hour? That's $75,449 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 28% and produce 136,200 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a clinical business manager?

Pawn Johnson-Hunter MS, RN, AGPCNP-BC, GERO- BC, CM/DN

Nurse Educator, Nclex Mentor/Coach

A few ways to maximize earning potential as a new graduate nurse is through skillful negotiations and previous experience in healthcare, such as degree level, nurse externships, phlebotomy skills, or certifications. Many, if not all, employers appreciate that new graduates are equipped with clinical skills that are strongly recommended for the practice area. While many nurse certifications require experience, some are for entry-level, such as advanced life support (ACLS and PALS) and IV insertion. There are also some specialty practice certifications that new grads can obtain without years of experience; although they may recommend the experience at times, this is optional. All of this demonstrates the applicant's commitment to the profession and interest. Other ways are to work overtime hours, learn about clinical career ladders, or continue formal education.

ScoreClinical Business ManagerUS Average

Salary

5.9

Avg. Salary $75,449

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.1

Growth rate 28%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.71%

Asian 7.65%

Black or African American 13.20%

Hispanic or Latino 13.67%

Unknown 4.24%

White 60.52%

Gender

female 65.78%

male 34.22%

Age - 47

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 47

Stress level

7.1

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.8

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.9

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a clinical business manager

Explore clinical business manager education requirements

Most common clinical business manager degrees

Bachelor's

64.0 %

Master's

17.3 %

Associate

9.8 %

Start to develop specific clinical business manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	33.00%
EMR	17.11%
Data Entry	11.49%
Clinical Operations	4.51%
Financial Analysis	4.28%

Complete relevant clinical business manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New clinical business managers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a clinical business manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real clinical business manager resumes.

Research clinical business manager duties and responsibilities

Manage accounts payable and receivable, payroll, census, scheduling, etc.
Manage major transformation by creating/designing and implementing new EHR operating system providing communications, training and technical support throughout the process.
Update and assignment of ICD-9 codes for therapist.
Support oversight of billing, coding, and cash collections.

Apply for clinical business manager jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a clinical business manager job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do clinical business managers rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Clinical business manager reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2020

Cons

Unnecessary complications that could have been avoided by staff and/or physicians.