How to hire a clinical consultant

How to hire a clinical consultant, step by step

Here's a step-by-step clinical consultant 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 consultant job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new clinical consultant
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a clinical consultant do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your clinical consultant job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a clinical consultant for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a clinical consultant to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a clinical consultant that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of clinical consultants.

   Type of Clinical Consultant	Description	Hourly rate
   Clinical Consultant	Registered nurses (RNs) provide and coordinate patient care, educate patients and the public about various health conditions, and provide advice and emotional support to patients and their family members.	$27-45
   Registered Nurse Supervisor	A Registered Nurse Supervisor oversees a team of registered nurses in a hospital or clinic, making sure that all operations are efficient and up to standard. Moreover, they are responsible for the daily management of nurses, such as when it comes to evaluation, development, and assigning schedules and patients... Show more	$25-49
   Registered Nurse Charge Nurse	A registered charge nurse is responsible for supervising nurses' workflow in a particular department or area, ensuring every patient gets the proper care that they need. A registered charge nurse has the discretion to direct tasks, arrange schedules, and monitor patients, such as in the aspects of admission and discharge... Show more	$22-52

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Patient Care
   • Customer Service
   • Critical Care
   • Home Health
   • Patient Outcomes
   • ICU
   • Clinical Education
   • Clinical Support
   • Process Improvement
   • Oncology
   • MDS
   • Mental Health
   • Medicaid

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage communications with referral source, medical providers, injure worker and other parties involve in the rehabilitation process.
   • Communicate by telephone with patients and patient family members to ensure attaining appropriate resource utilization require to achieve a quality outcome.
   • Conduct ACLS and BLS certification classes.
   • Act as lead instructor for ACLS, arrythmia monitoring and critical care course.
   • Appropriate level of care in ICU.
   • Implement and instruct all staff to successfully use and operate EMR computer system.

   More clinical consultant duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, clinical consultants' average salary in south dakota is 43% less than in district of columbia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level clinical consultants 40% less than senior-level clinical consultants.
   • Certifications. A clinical consultant 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 consultant's salary.

   Average clinical consultant salary

   $74,263yearly

   $35.70 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level clinical consultant salary

   $57,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

   Average clinical consultant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$111,110	$53
   2	Alaska	$99,411	$48
   3	New York	$98,624	$47
   4	Washington	$95,582	$46
   5	Oregon	$94,162	$45
   6	Massachusetts	$93,408	$45
   7	Pennsylvania	$91,290	$44
   8	New Jersey	$86,782	$42
   9	Ohio	$86,326	$42
   10	Connecticut	$80,644	$39
   11	Wisconsin	$76,696	$37
   12	Minnesota	$76,626	$37
   13	Michigan	$76,208	$37
   14	Maryland	$76,066	$37
   15	Texas	$72,614	$35
   16	Georgia	$71,919	$35
   17	Arizona	$71,306	$34
   18	Illinois	$70,399	$34
   19	Maine	$69,823	$34
   20	Colorado	$69,570	$33

   Average clinical consultant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Eli Lilly and Company	$93,340	$44.88	12
   2	Bristol-Myers Squibb	$93,070	$44.75	13
   3	Cerner	$92,132	$44.29
   4	Boehringer Ingelheim	$91,592	$44.03	8
   5	Abiomed	$90,426	$43.47
   6	Conviva	$87,568	$42.10
   7	Tufts Health Plan	$86,931	$41.79
   8	ICU Medical	$86,364	$41.52	4
   9	Varian Medical Systems	$86,278	$41.48
   10	FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies	$85,150	$40.94	1
   11	Aetna	$84,843	$40.79
   12	HCSC	$84,532	$40.64
   13	Sutter Health	$84,262	$40.51	121
   14	The Computer Merchant	$84,111	$40.44
   15	Excellus BCBS	$83,764	$40.27
   16	Unum	$83,446	$40.12	86
   17	Thermo Fisher Scientific	$81,996	$39.42	40
   18	UT Southwestern Medical Center	$81,504	$39.18	92
   19	Student Conservation Association	$81,348	$39.11
   20	Medtronic	$81,223	$39.05	250

4. Writing a clinical consultant job description

   A clinical consultant 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 consultant job description:

   Clinical consultant job description example

   This position will be dedicated to the USPS EAP Program. The EAP Consultant serves as the primary point of contact for key stakeholders within the USPS. As such, providing expert level consultation will be one of the primary responsibilities. The EAP Consultant will provide EAP services including short-term counseling/problem solving, educational and training activities, referral, monitoring, behavioral health consultation, and follow-up. The EAP Consultant is responsible for providing both counseling and consultation activities, either in-person, telephonically or via video.
   
   **Position located in Portland, OR. Must reside and be licensed in OR. Will consider applicants w/ LCSW, LPC, or LMFT license.**
   ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS Provides consultation, training of, and assistance to USPS and union leadership. Actively promotes the EAP program and services. Provides counseling and coaching through one-on-one interactions, either in-person or telephonically. Provides critical incident response and psychological first aid for events that impact the workforce. Provides telephonic consultation, triage and referrals to callers through the virtual call center/Service Center. Adheres to New Directions Behavioral Health Mission Statement, Core Values, Code of Business Conduct and Compliance Program Complies with all Federal and applicable State laws and New Directions Behavioral Health policies regarding privacy, confidentiality and security of health information and other designated information
   This list of duties and responsibilities is not intended to be all-inclusive and can be expanded to include other duties or responsibilities as deemed necessary. JOB QUALIFICATIONS:
   
   EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE
   REQUIRED A master's and/or doctorate degree from an accredited college or university recognized by the corresponding professional association(s) in a clinical mental health field A minimum of 5 Years of clinical experience after receiving a graduate degree. A current state license or state certification to practice as a mental health practitioner (e.g., social worker, clinical psychologist, marriage and family counselor and professional counselor) in the state(s) where practice takes place. If such licensure/certification is not available in that state, the individual will hold appropriate certification from a recognized national certification organization or board. Authority to practice at the independent level without requiring state-mandated clinical supervision. Demonstrated capability to complete accurate bio-psychosocial assessments, including substance abuse assessments. Specialized experience and/or training in phone and video counseling The EAP Consultant will be knowledgeable about federal and state laws governing privacy, confidentiality, duty to warn and child and elder abuse reporting requirements The EAP Consultant will be bound by the laws of confidentiality and will discuss no specific clinical information with the referring supervisor unless the client has signed an authorization to use and disclose form authorizing the disclosure of specific information PREFERRED Preferred Certified Employee Assistance Professionals (CEAP) and or knowledge and experience in EAP Practice KEY ATTRIBUTES Self-motivated and ability to lead team to achieve NDBH goals Ability to engage a wide variety of individuals, and excellent organizational skills Passion for improving lives through behavioral change and wellness Proven interest in professional development through specialization, certification, and/or advance degree Maintains curiosity and an eagerness to explore new knowledge and try new ideas and approached to case management Demonstrates consistency in professional demeanor in response to all situations regardless of the nature or circumstances of the situation Ability to manage multiple tasks in a fast-paced, changing environment Ability to assume a lead role in ensuring that all objectives are met Ability to work within a collaborative, team-oriented environment PHYSICAL/MENTAL DEMANDS Physical
   Constant:
   must be able to remain in a stationary position must be able to move about inside the office must be able to communicate and exchange information with others must be able to inspect information must be able to perform repetitive motion with arms and fingers must be able to lift 20 pounds as required Mental
   Constant:
   must be able to interpret data must be able to problem solve must be able to make decisions must be able to organize and plan WORKING CONDITIONS/EQUIPMENT USE Work is performed indoors in a typical office environment- not substantially exposed to adverse environmental conditions Frequent exposure to VDT screen Frequent use of office machines to include telephone, copier, computer and fax machine
   
   Job Posted by ApplicantPro

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find clinical consultants for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any clinical consultants they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level clinical consultants with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your clinical consultant job on Zippia to find and recruit clinical consultant candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit clinical consultants, 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 consultant

   Once you have selected a candidate for the clinical consultant position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize 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.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new clinical consultant. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are 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 consultant?