Clinical project manager vs patient care manager

The differences between clinical project managers and patient care managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a clinical project manager, becoming a patient care manager takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a clinical project manager has an average salary of $100,510, which is higher than the $65,369 average annual salary of a patient care manager.

The top three skills for a clinical project manager include manage cross, patients and clinical research. The most important skills for a patient care manager are home health, patients, and quality care.

Clinical project manager vs patient care manager overview

	Clinical Project Manager	Patient Care Manager
Yearly salary	$100,510	$65,369
Hourly rate	$48.32	$31.43
Growth rate	6%	28%
Number of jobs	153,837	123,652
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Average age	44	47
Years of experience	2	6

What does a clinical project manager do?

A clinical project manager specializes in developing and organizing clinical trials. Their responsibilities revolve around planning and coordinating with all necessary personnel and experts, scheduling meetings, and preparing necessary documentation, ensuring compliance with all laws and regulations. Moreover, a clinical project manager must devise strategies and train all staff, develop protocols and guidelines, coordinate with vendors and suppliers, evaluate staff and verify documentation, and assist in all activities to ensure that every process aligns with the project's agenda. Should there be any issues or concerns, a clinical project manager must conduct corrective measures right away.

What does a patient care manager do?

Patient care managers are executives who are in charge of supervising a clinical team. The managers take responsibility for directing patient care within an organization. Also called health care managers, they protect every patient's safety and health in a clinical setting. They interact with the healthcare team members to maintain open communication. It is also part of their duties to supervise the daily operations in the clinical care units. Managing clinical budgets and maintaining quality health services are also their responsibilities.

Clinical project manager vs patient care manager salary

Clinical project managers and patient care managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Clinical Project Manager	Patient Care Manager
Average salary	$100,510	$65,369
Salary range	Between $74,000 And $136,000	Between $36,000 And $117,000
Highest paying City	South San Francisco, CA	Oakland, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Intuitive Surgical	Accenture
Best paying industry	Pharmaceutical	Health Care

Differences between clinical project manager and patient care manager education

There are a few differences between a clinical project manager and a patient care manager in terms of educational background:

	Clinical Project Manager	Patient Care Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Clinical project manager vs patient care manager demographics

Here are the differences between clinical project managers' and patient care managers' demographics:

	Clinical Project Manager	Patient Care Manager
Average age	44	47
Gender ratio	Male, 32.5% Female, 67.5%	Male, 17.1% Female, 82.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 2.6% Unknown, 7.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 10.8% White, 63.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 7.4% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	9%	12%

Differences between clinical project manager and patient care manager duties and responsibilities

Clinical project manager example responsibilities.

Develop, manage, motivate and ensure professional development of project staff (13 CRAs).
Manage domestic and international oncology clinical study sites.
Manage multiple pharmaceutical studies ensuring compliance with FDA guidelines.
Manage the operational aspects and execution of clinical studies focusing on oncology.
Supervise rotating team of CRA's contract with the CRO, educating on therapeutic area, and ensuring ICH GCP compliance.
Ensure GCP / ICH regulatory compliance on studies, preventing study deviations and provide swift resolutions to possible violations.

Patient care manager example responsibilities.

Manage complicated cases involving serious injuries, medical evacuations, cruise ship disembarkation, and repatriation of remains with compassion.
Direct oversight of all case management and education relate to chronic disease and primary care management.
Utilize resources such as financial and pharmacy assistance for uninsure patients to receive professional medical care upon discharge.
Prevent unnecessary hospital admissions using keen assessment skills and redirecting to PCP's office when appropriate.
Ensure compliance both with HIPAA and CMS, to include all audits and enrollments via Medicare.
Plant and maintain flower beds such as mulching, fertilizing, watering, mowing, and pruning.

Clinical project manager vs patient care manager skills

Common clinical project manager skills

Manage Cross, 12%
Patients, 9%
Clinical Research, 8%
Project Management, 7%
Clinical Trials, 5%
Oversight, 5%

Common patient care manager skills

Home Health, 15%
Patients, 12%
Quality Care, 8%
Social Work, 7%
Community Resources, 4%
Substance Abuse, 4%

Clinical Project Manager vs. similar jobs

Clinical Project Manager related careers

Clinical Project Manager related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Executive Management Industry
Clinical Project Manager
Clinical Project Manager vs Patient Care Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse executive management jobs