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What does a clinical consultant do?

Updated January 8, 2025
8 min read
What does a clinical consultant do

A Clinical Consultant ensures that proper patient care is delivered through performing work flow analysis of the services provided. They consult and work directly with clinical, non-clinical, and vendor support personnel.

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Clinical consultant responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real clinical consultant resumes:

  • 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.
  • Train paralegal staff on updates to ICD-9 physician coding diagnoses and HIPAA regulations.
  • Enable post-discharge providers access to reliable summaries of care regardless of their EMR compatibility.
  • Validate appropriate codes to the highest accuracy using ICD-9, CPT4, modifiers and HCPCS codes.
  • Implement CDM corporate standardization projects for hospitals' revenue cycle teams, incorporating annual CMS changes and updates.
  • Develop SAS reports for data co-coordinators in data management.
  • Develop and institute numerous policies to insure compliance with CMS regulations.
  • Prioritize patient flow through comprehensive clinical knowledge of case types and interventional radiology resources.
  • Base SAS, SAS/Stat and SAS/Macro implementation producing statistical analysis procedures and generating reports.
  • Provide technical appeals for outpatient diagnosis and radiology services that do not receive prior authorization.

Clinical consultant skills and personality traits

We calculated that 16% of Clinical Consultants are proficient in Patients, Patient Care, and Customer Service. They’re also known for soft skills such as Compassion, Emotional stability, and Organizational skills.

We break down the percentage of Clinical Consultants that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Patients, 16%

    Communicated by telephone with patients and patient family members to ensure attaining appropriate resource utilization required to achieve a quality outcome.

  • Patient Care, 8%

    Performed Medication Therapy Management, Comprehensive Medication Reviews, Medication Management Reviews enhancing patient care.

  • Customer Service, 5%

    Maintained effective levels of communication between clients and software vendor in a commitment to excellent customer service

  • Critical Care, 4%

    Educated and trained clinicians and physicians on electronic medical records, including medical surgeries and critical care.

  • Home Health, 4%

    Established JCAHO certification program allowing home health agency to obtain certification.

  • Patient Outcomes, 3%

    Collaborated with Quality Outcome Managers for the various dialysis chains and independent dialysis centers to improve patient outcomes/increase sales.

Most clinical consultants use their skills in "patients," "patient care," and "customer service" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential clinical consultant responsibilities here:

Compassion. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a clinical consultant to have is compassion. Their role and responsibilities require that "registered nurses should be caring and empathetic when working with patients." Clinical consultants often use compassion in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "presented options of donation to the legal next of kin with compassion and care. "

Emotional stability. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling clinical consultant duties is emotional stability. The role rewards competence in this skill because "registered nurses need emotional resilience and the ability to cope with human suffering, emergencies, and other stressors." According to a clinical consultant resume, here's how clinical consultants can utilize emotional stability in their job responsibilities: "advise patients and md's personels on meds storage and drug stability. "

Organizational skills. This is an important skill for clinical consultants to perform their duties. For an example of how clinical consultant responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "nurses often work with multiple patients who have a variety of health needs." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a clinical consultant: "review and edit all organizational policies and training materials for accuracy and policy compliance. ".

Physical stamina. For certain clinical consultant responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "physical stamina." The day-to-day duties of a clinical consultant rely on this skill, as "nurses should be comfortable performing physical tasks, such as lifting patients." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what clinical consultants do: "home health; physical rehabilitation, etc.). "

Detail oriented. A commonly-found skill in clinical consultant job descriptions, "detail oriented" is essential to what clinical consultants do. Clinical consultant responsibilities rely on this skill because "registered nurses must be precise because they must ensure that patients get the correct treatments and medicines at the right time." You can also see how clinical consultant duties rely on detail oriented in this resume example: "performed detailed chart assessments and data compilations related to hedis measures. "

Communication skills. While "communication skills" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to clinical consultant responsibilities. Much of what a clinical consultant does relies on this skill, seeing as "registered nurses must be able to communicate effectively with patients in order to understand their concerns and evaluate their health conditions." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of clinical consultants: "provided education for patient care assistants with the goal of improving sensitivity to patient needs and communication with facility residents. "

Most common clinical consultant skills

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Compare different clinical consultants

Clinical consultant vs. 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. Aside from supervising and ensuring that everything is running smoothly in their field, they also have to communicate and coordinate with physicians and even families of patients. The responsibilities of a Nurse Supervisor is challenging; this is why they must be proactive and excellent at communication.

If we compare the average clinical consultant annual salary with that of a registered nurse supervisor, we find that registered nurse supervisors typically earn a $89 lower salary than clinical consultants make annually.Even though clinical consultants and registered nurse supervisors are distinct careers, a few of the skills required for both jobs are similar. For example, both careers require patients, patient care, and customer service in the day-to-day roles and responsibilities.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between clinical consultants and registered nurse supervisor. For instance, clinical consultant responsibilities require skills such as "critical care," "patient outcomes," "clinical education," and "client facing." Whereas a registered nurse supervisor is skilled in "cpr," "acute care," "resident care," and "acls." This is part of what separates the two careers.

Registered nurse supervisors really shine in the professional industry with an average salary of $78,568. Comparatively, clinical consultants tend to make the most money in the pharmaceutical industry with an average salary of $85,773.registered nurse supervisors tend to reach lower levels of education than clinical consultants. In fact, registered nurse supervisors are 16.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 5.9% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Clinical consultant vs. 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. Furthermore, a registered charge nurse must maintain an active line of communication and coordination among nurses, physicians, and other personnel involved as the conditions in a hospital can be unpredictable.

A career as a registered nurse charge nurse brings a lower average salary when compared to the average annual salary of a clinical consultant. In fact, registered nurses charge nurses salary is $2,921 lower than the salary of clinical consultants per year.A few skills overlap for clinical consultants and registered nurses charge nurses. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "patients," "patient care," and "critical care. "

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, clinical consultant responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "customer service," "home health," "patient outcomes," and "clinical education." Meanwhile, a registered nurse charge nurse has duties that require skills in areas such as "bls," "cpr," "acls," and "direct patient care." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

Registered nurses charge nurses may earn a lower salary than clinical consultants, but registered nurses charge nurses earn the most pay in the health care industry with an average salary of $68,929. On the other hand, clinical consultants receive higher pay in the pharmaceutical industry, where they earn an average salary of $85,773.registered nurses charge nurses earn lower levels of education than clinical consultants in general. They're 17.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 5.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Clinical consultant vs. Registered nurse

The primary responsibilities of a registered nurse involve caring for a variety of patients, from ill and injured to those who are healthy and wanting to stay that way. Nurses have different specialization and work with particular patients, such as newborn babies or those who are suffering from particular medical conditions. They work on different settings which includes hospital, outpatient facility, rehabilitation center, nursing home, dialysis center, home healthcare agency, and other offices. They can administer medications, wound care, and other aids or treatment plan. They also conduct medical tests, interpret the results, and monitor patients' recovery and progress.

An average registered nurse eans a lower salary compared to the average salary of clinical consultants. The difference in salaries amounts to registered nurses earning a $914 lower average salary than clinical consultants.clinical consultants and registered nurses both have job responsibilities that require similar skill sets. These similarities include skills such as "patients," "patient care," and "critical care," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, clinical consultants are more likely to have skills like "customer service," "patient outcomes," "clinical education," and "client facing." But a registered nurse is more likely to have skills like "bls," "cpr," "acute care," and "acls."

Registered nurses earn the best pay in the health care industry, where they command an average salary of $64,500. Clinical consultants earn the highest pay from the pharmaceutical industry, with an average salary of $85,773.Most registered nurses achieve a lower degree level compared to clinical consultants. For example, they're 18.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 6.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Clinical consultant vs. Telemetry registered nurse

A telemetry registered nurse is a healthcare professional who specializes in caring for patients with heart disease or other medical issues that require continuous telemetry monitoring. Telemetry registered nurses are required to read and monitor the output of electrocardiograms (EKGs), which translate the heart's electrical impulses into a readable rhythm. They must respond to patients who are experiencing cardiac pain and perform various diagnostic tests. Telemetry registered nurses must also assist doctors with different procedures and treatments for cardiac issues.

Telemetry registered nurses typically earn higher pay than clinical consultants. On average, telemetry registered nurses earn a $17,153 higher salary per year.While both clinical consultants and telemetry registered nurses complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like patients, patient care, and critical care, the two careers vary in some skills.

Even though a few skill sets overlap between clinical consultants and telemetry registered nurses, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a clinical consultant might have more use for skills like "customer service," "patient outcomes," "clinical education," and "client facing." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of telemetry registered nurses require skills like "bls," "acls," "acute care," and "quality care. "

In general, telemetry registered nurses earn the most working in the health care industry, with an average salary of $78,819. The highest-paying industry for a clinical consultant is the pharmaceutical industry.The average resume of telemetry registered nurses showed that they earn lower levels of education compared to clinical consultants. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 17.8% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 6.1%.

Types of clinical consultant

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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