How to hire a clinical externship

How to hire a clinical externship, step by step

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

What does a clinical externship do?

Post a clinical externship job for free, promote it for a fee

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your clinical externship 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 externship 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

   A clinical externship's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, clinical externships from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents clinical externship salaries for various positions.

   Type of Clinical Externship	Description	Hourly rate
   Clinical Externship	Social workers help people solve and cope with problems in their everyday lives. One group of social workers—clinical social workers—also diagnose and treat mental, behavioral, and emotional issues.	$12-24
   Student Volunteer	A student volunteer is an individual who participates in the university's volunteer program to gain work experience and develop new skills. Student volunteers make significant contributions to organizations and local communities by using their skills and giving their time... Show more	$11-17
   Case Manager	A case manager is responsible for giving advice, handling plans for the client's recovery, and connecting with other human service professionals to ask for further options and recommendations for the client's concerns. Case managers should have excellent communication and listening skills to evaluate the client's needs, ensuring that they will have the utmost care and safety through efficient advocacy... Show more	$14-29

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Mental Health
   • Patient Care
   • Crisis Intervention
   • Vital Signs
   • Substance Abuse
   • Group Therapy Sessions
   • Traumatic Brain Injury
   • Individual Therapy Sessions
   • Physical Therapy
   • Surgery
   • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
   • Medical History
   • EKG

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Set up and manage new medical transcription department.
   • Manage large scale TMF inventory/file cleanup projects in preparation for FDA and EMA inspections.
   • Manage difficult or emotional patient situations, with compassion and professionalism.
   • Participate in multiple studies managing CTM activities for various therapeutic areas simultaneously including oncology, urology, transplant, and immunology.
   • Monitor EKG's, assess blood pressure, palpate heart rates, safely progress patients in exercise.
   • Perform manual data entry in CTMS, TMF, CRF imaging and various departmental databases.

   More clinical externship duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the clinical externship job description is a good way to get more applicants. A clinical externship salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a clinical externship in Kentucky may be lower than in California, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level clinical externship. Additionally, a clinical externship with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average clinical externship salary

   $35,831yearly

   $17.23 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level clinical externship salary

   $25,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 13, 2025

   Average clinical externship salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$61,544	$30
   2	Connecticut	$52,412	$25
   3	Nevada	$51,380	$25
   4	Alaska	$42,155	$20
   5	Minnesota	$41,987	$20
   6	Illinois	$39,788	$19
   7	Massachusetts	$38,104	$18
   8	Washington	$37,750	$18
   9	Maryland	$36,586	$18
   10	Utah	$34,277	$16
   11	Oregon	$34,251	$16
   12	Ohio	$34,036	$16
   13	Wisconsin	$33,669	$16
   14	Texas	$33,327	$16
   15	Florida	$33,250	$16
   16	North Carolina	$32,031	$15
   17	Virginia	$29,985	$14
   18	Alabama	$29,222	$14
   19	Indiana	$28,723	$14
   20	South Dakota	$28,559	$14

   Average clinical externship salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Genentech	$92,725	$44.58
   2	Childhelp	$85,978	$41.34	1
   3	IBM	$66,620	$32.03
   4	Dana-Farber Cancer Institute	$65,368	$31.43	3
   5	St. Luke's Health System	$55,426	$26.65	46
   6	Childhaven	$48,480	$23.31
   7	Salem Health	$47,993	$23.07
   8	Boston Scientific	$43,619	$20.97	49
   9	Frederick Health	$43,549	$20.94	4
   10	Saint Luke's Health System	$43,444	$20.89	12
   11	Cook Children's Medical Center	$43,104	$20.72	29
   12	Arkansas Children's Hospital	$42,209	$20.29	20
   13	Point Loma Nazarene University	$42,188	$20.28	2
   14	Mayo Clinic	$41,954	$20.17	92
   15	St. Jude Children's Research Hospital	$41,611	$20.01	36
   16	Health Alliance	$41,561	$19.98	20
   17	ProMedica Toledo Hospital	$40,769	$19.60	8
   18	Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.	$40,411	$19.43	18
   19	Suffolk University	$40,227	$19.34	1
   20	Parkland Hospital	$39,350	$18.92	7

4. Writing a clinical externship job description

   A job description for a clinical externship role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a clinical externship job description:

   Clinical externship job description example

   TeamBuilders is a community-based behavioral health organization with a vision to provide unconditional care to adults, children and families. TeamBuilders' commitment also translates to its employees and their families. TeamBuilders truly promotes work-life balance and creativity. TeamBuilders encourages employees to pursue their passions, participate in educational opportunities, and enjoy the work they do. TeamBuilders offers supervision and training opportunities to all its staff. TeamBuilders also sets high expectations for achieving excellence in service to the community. The pursuit of excellence is fundamental to employee success and growth within the organization.
   
   Under the supervision of an independently licensed clinician, the Intern will assist with and provide individual, family, and/or group psychotherapy in a fast-paced Community Mental Health setting.
   
   Intern will increase knowledge, skills, and abilities in treating a variety of client populations and clinical areas of practice; and develop multiple areas of clinical competencies in treating individuals with mental health and substance use treatment issues.
   
   Paid internship opportunities are available to individuals with experience serving children and families. As the Adult Wraparound Specialist (AWS) is accountable to the Program Coordinator/Manager/Director and receives clinical supervision from the Clinical Coordinator/Supervisor/Director. The AWS must work in collaboration with all staff and treatment team members including families. The AWS is responsible for working in partnership with families to conduct intake, assessment, triage, safety planning, care coordination, in-home and community-based therapeutic activities, and plan of care development/monitoring in the Family Services Program.
   
   ResponsibilitiesForms a helping partnership with clients and collateral practitioners including educational professionals to accomplish service goals and objectives.Sets and maintains boundaries in order to assure the safety and protection of the clients, and to maintain a professional helping role.Maintains flexibility in work schedule, to include working non-traditional hours, to meet client's lifestyle and needs, and being available 24/7 for crisis intervention services.Responsible for initiation, completion, and updates or maintenance of client documentation in accordance with agency and state/federal applicable standards.Works with direct supervisor, clinical supervisor, and treatment team to develop and update Plans of Care to address family needs in targeted life domains as per assessment results. Ensures that the person-centered Plan of Care includes specific objectives, support services, and interventions for therapy, case management services, safety of all family members, skills development for adults, natural supports and family relationship enhancement.Responsible for engaging clients and conducting in-home therapeutic skills development activities with adults, family members, and other natural supports as identified in the Plan of Care. Recognizes and utilizes "teachable moments" and modeling in helping adults during their normal routine.Responsible for resource linkage to appropriate services offered by TeamBuilders or collateral service providers and monitoring of such services.Documents results of home- and community-based visits and case work, client progress towards goals and objectives, discharge planning, re-assessment of needs, quality and timeliness of interventions, and outcomes. Coordinates, conducts, and documents monthly team meetings to review client progress and need. Participates in clinical seminars, supervision, CQI meetings, and trainings as assigned.Perform other job-related duties as assigned.
   
   Minimum QualificationsMust be currently enrolled with an accredited University or College with an academic advisor or supervisor, participating in a formal internship toward a Master's degree in counseling, psychology, social work, etc.Must be a minimum of 21 years of age or older.Bachelor's degree in a human services related field plus 1 year of experience working with SMI adults; or,Associate degree in a human services related field plus 2 years of experience working with SMI adults; or,High School Diploma or General Education Development plus 3 years of experience working with SMI adults.Obtained a Criminal Records Clearance (local, state, and FBI).Maintains certifications in First Aid and CPR.Demonstrated ability to consistently establish positive relationships, and to work effectively and cooperatively with clients, families, colleagues, staff, and community members.Has a thorough knowledge and use of community resources. Must be computer literate in order to effectively maintain compliance with state and federal standards and requirements for use of computerized client assessments, data systems, etc.Must also have and maintain a clean driving record and active auto insurance coverage.
   TeamBuilders is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace dedicated to pursuing and hiring a diverse workforce.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find clinical externships for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your clinical externship job on Zippia to find and recruit clinical externship 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 externships, 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 to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   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 externship

   Once you have selected a candidate for the clinical externship 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.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new clinical externship first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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 externship?