What does a Clinical Director do?
A clinical director is a managing professional who manages the work of healthcare providers to ensure quality patient care is achieved. Clinical directors are responsible for organizational tasks such as adjusting staff schedules, explaining insurance benefits to the patients, and managing financial reports. They can work either in small clinics with a smaller workforce or larger hospitals with multiple departments. Clinical directors may also assist in the hiring process of healthcare providers and should establish a positive work environment.
Clinical director responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real clinical director resumes:
- Develop distinctive ambulatory strategies to achieve and sustain competitive healthcare advantage.
- Manage and assist with data collection and input for MDS.
- Manage quality of documentation through education and electronic review of clinical processes utilizing HCHB EMR.
- Manage front office, marketing, and communication -demonstrated/supervise exercises for patients -Developed instructional packets for home exercise programs
- Manage projects and ambulatory system initiatives, and collaborate with system leadership teams to ensure EMR alignment with all regulatory requirements.
- Experience in GCP, FDA audits, and regulatory guidance review and implementation.
- Plan and oversee radiation oncology performance improvement initiatives.
- Provide referrals base on family needs: medical, psychological assessments, housing aid and rehabilitation referrals for substance abuse.
- Develop and implement IOP services.
- Maintain all confidential personnel files, licenses and CPR compliance records.
- Ensure OSHA standards meet by maintaining stringent quality standards and safety precautions.
- Skil in providing excellent patient care with pride and compassion in every situation.
- Develop all aspects of the IOP program from fiscal to operational through clinical.
- Lead and implement alternative therapeutic activities such as pet therapy, music therapy etc.
- Result in a reduction of total ICU length of stay days and blood gases.
Clinical director skills and personality traits
We calculated that 18% of Clinical Directors are proficient in Patients, Patient Care, and Physical Therapy. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Detail oriented, and Leadership skills.
We break down the percentage of Clinical Directors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 18%
Validated pharmacy's clinical differentiation through studies showing statistically significant impact on decreased mortality and hospitalization for our patients.
- Patient Care, 11%
Direct quality improvement activities, including patient care audits, satisfaction surveys, and enhancement in client vocational and education programs.
- Physical Therapy, 5%
Developed clinical protocols, for combination of physical therapy, medicinal therapy, and Chiropractic when combined with Decompression therapy.
- Social Work, 4%
Supervised clinical counselors and social workers provided bi-weekly supervision, overseen daily program operations, assigned patients and reviewed daily documentation.
- Rehabilitation, 4%
Supervised Clinical Psychology residents and Rehabilitation Counselor.
- Clinical Services, 3%
Coordinated clinical services for a portfolio of community based Behavioral Health Programs that provided care to 600 consumers with psychiatric disabilities.
Common skills that a clinical director uses to do their job include "patients," "patient care," and "physical therapy." You can find details on the most important clinical director responsibilities below.
Analytical skills. The most essential soft skill for a clinical director to carry out their responsibilities is analytical skills. This skill is important for the role because "medical and health services managers review and evaluate healthcare metrics for ways to improve efficiency and meet goals." Additionally, a clinical director resume shows how their duties depend on analytical skills: "compile daily operation reports and patient statistical data for vice president of clinical operations and quality management team. "
Detail oriented. Many clinical director duties rely on detail oriented. "medical and health services managers must pay attention to detail," so a clinical director will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways clinical director responsibilities rely on detail oriented: "oriented/precepted staff to home health care. "
Leadership skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of clinical directors is leadership skills. This skill is critical to many everyday clinical director duties, as "medical and health services managers hire, train, and direct staff." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "center for leadership and professional development)"
Technical skills. For certain clinical director responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "technical skills." The day-to-day duties of a clinical director rely on this skill, as "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." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what clinical directors do: "provided training, technical assistance, clinical supervision and employee assistance consultation. "
Communication skills. A commonly-found skill in clinical director job descriptions, "communication skills" is essential to what clinical directors do. Clinical director responsibilities rely on this skill because "medical and health services managers must convey information to their staff, other healthcare workers, and, sometimes, patients and insurance agents." You can also see how clinical director duties rely on communication skills in this resume example: "improved productivity and morale through streamlining processes, implementing staff professional development program, and enhancing inter-departmental communications. "
The three companies that hire the most clinical directors are:
- Discovery Behavioral Health147 clinical directors jobs
- Integrity Home Care + Hospice116 clinical directors jobs
- ATI Physical Therapy63 clinical directors jobs
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Compare different clinical directors
Clinical director vs. Director of health services
A Director Of Health Services is responsible for evaluating and supervising the overall activities for health maintenance and promotion of a health department. They are also responsible for budgeting, procurement, and requisition of biological supplies and equipment.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a clinical director are more likely to require skills like "physical therapy," "autism," "group therapy," and "clinical documentation." On the other hand, a job as a director of health services requires skills like "oversight," "resident care," "public health," and "cpr." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Directors of health services really shine in the non profits industry with an average salary of $85,179. Comparatively, clinical directors tend to make the most money in the health care industry with an average salary of $79,166.On average, directors of health services reach lower levels of education than clinical directors. Directors of health services are 8.9% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 6.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Clinical director vs. Director of clinical operations
A director of clinical operations is responsible for monitoring the overall operations of a clinic facility, ensuring the efficiency of staff performance in providing the best quality care services for the patients. Directors of clinical operations enforce safety guidelines and security procedures during operations for everyone's strict compliance to prevent hazards and unforeseen circumstances within the premises. They also assist in clinical trials, as well as reviewing medical procedures, recommending strategic plans to improve medical approaches. A director of clinical operations handles the clinic budget, allocates adequate resources for every department's needs, and tracks medical inventory reports.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real clinical director resumes. While clinical director responsibilities can utilize skills like "physical therapy," "autism," "group therapy," and "clinical documentation," directors of clinical operations use skills like "healthcare," "gcp," "project management," and "clinical trials."
Directors of clinical operations may earn a higher salary than clinical directors, but directors of clinical operations earn the most pay in the pharmaceutical industry with an average salary of $139,321. On the other hand, clinical directors receive higher pay in the health care industry, where they earn an average salary of $79,166.In general, directors of clinical operations achieve lower levels of education than clinical directors. They're 10.4% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 6.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Clinical director vs. Clinical case manager
A clinical case manager is responsible for providing high-quality care services for patients by researching treatment plans and developing efficient medications through various methodological approaches and data analysis. Clinical case managers review the medical histories and needs of patients to determine appropriate treatment programs and resources and prepare treatment reports upon actual applications. They also spend time observing laboratory examinations and procedures, strategizing on treatment processes within budget limitations and organizational requirements. A clinical case manager must have excellent knowledge of the medical industry, especially on responding to the patients' inquiries and concerns and present accurate health evaluations.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a clinical director is likely to be skilled in "physical therapy," "clinical operations," "quality improvement," and "autism," while a typical clinical case manager is skilled in "social security," "social services," "cognitive behavioral therapy," and "housing assistance."
Clinical case managers earn the highest salary when working in the health care industry, where they receive an average salary of $52,836. Comparatively, clinical directors have the highest earning potential in the health care industry, with an average salary of $79,166.Most clinical case managers achieve a similar degree level compared to clinical directors. For example, they're 3.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 9.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Clinical director vs. Laboratory director
A Laboratory Director is responsible for the overall operation and administration of the laboratory. They examine data, create reports, manage the staff, and ensure that the lab facility operates in accordance with the regulatory provisions of the government and the organization.
Types of clinical director
Updated January 8, 2025
