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

What is a clinical program manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Meaghan Goodman Ph.D.

The clinical program manager is responsible for examining the efficiency of laboratory materials, tools, equipment and managing its efficiency for medical and scientific operations. Considering the importance of your work, you will be expected to maintain projects and ambulatory system methods. More importantly, you are responsible for overseeing clinical procedures and trials. For effective workflow, you are to lead team meetings to discuss new procedures and policies. Keep in mind that advance familiarity with Medicaid requires billing and documentation.

Other duties include providing procedures to ensure the accuracy of collected clinic research data, providing and developing guidelines before study initiations, and obtaining the sponsor's approval. At some important events, you will be requested to represent the organization at several medical conferences, especially recruiting.

Considering how salient your role is, the ability to communicate, attention to details, analytical thinking, technical skills, and the ability to cultivate relationships are all important skills of a clinical program manager. You need a bachelor's degree in Nursing or other related fields for this role. The average salary of a clinical program manager yearly is $104,000.

What's a day at work look like for a clinical program manager?

Meaghan Goodman Ph.D.

Program Director & Assistant Professor, Maryville University

A bachelor's in communication sciences and disorders can prepare you for three different tracks. First, it can prepare you to become a licensed Speech-Language Pathology Assistant (SLPA). This is someone who works under a fully credential speech-language pathologist. Often times, they carryout intervention plans developed by a fully credentialed speech-language pathologist. If graduate school is on your horizon, a bachelor's degree in communication sciences and disorders will prepare you for acceptance into a Speech-Language Pathology program, or an Audiology program. If you are not accepted into a graduate program right away, working as a speech-language pathology assistant (SLPA) is a great way to get experience in the field!

ScoreClinical Program ManagerUS Average

Salary

6.7

Avg. Salary $86,048

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.1

Growth rate 28%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.72%

Asian 8.09%

Black or African American 11.14%

Hispanic or Latino 14.59%

Unknown 4.27%

White 61.18%

Gender

female 71.32%

male 28.68%

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 program manager

Explore clinical program manager education requirements

Most common clinical program manager degrees

Bachelor's

51.9 %

Master's

32.6 %

Associate

7.7 %

Start to develop specific clinical program manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	13.54%
Clinical Program	12.05%
Clinical Operations	9.42%
Patient Care	7.45%
Social Work	7.05%

Complete relevant clinical program manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New clinical program 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 program manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real clinical program manager resumes.

Research clinical program manager duties and responsibilities

Manage projects and ambulatory system initiatives, and collaborate with system leadership teams to ensure EMR alignment with all regulatory requirements.
Serve as clinical oncology nurse leader to facilitate day-to-day clinical management and care coordination of patients seen regional cancer care programs.
Supervise CRAs at co-monitoring visits ensuring quality.
Advance familiarity in Medicaid require documentation and billing.

Prepare your clinical program manager resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your clinical program manager resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a clinical program manager resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable clinical program manager resume templates

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