Clinical supervisor vs clinical director

The differences between clinical supervisors and clinical directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a clinical supervisor, becoming a clinical director takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a clinical director has an average salary of $96,497, which is higher than the $61,615 average annual salary of a clinical supervisor.

The top three skills for a clinical supervisor include patients, social work and autism. The most important skills for a clinical director are patients, patient care, and physical therapy.

Clinical supervisor vs clinical director overview

	Clinical Supervisor	Clinical Director
Yearly salary	$61,615	$96,497
Hourly rate	$29.62	$46.39
Growth rate	9%	28%
Number of jobs	71,220	83,232
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Average age	45	47
Years of experience	4	6

What does a clinical supervisor do?

A clinical supervisor is responsible for managing a healthcare facility's daily operations, including the medical procedures and treatments of the medical professionals and practitioners. Clinical supervisors work with other healthcare professionals to optimize treatments, assess patients' health conditions, and administer medications. They also enforce strict sanitary and hygienic procedures for strict compliance of the staff. A clinical supervisor must have excellent knowledge of the medical industry to discuss recommendations and evaluate work procedures to provide the patients' highest quality services.

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 supervisor vs clinical director salary

Clinical supervisors and clinical directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Clinical Supervisor	Clinical Director
Average salary	$61,615	$96,497
Salary range	Between $43,000 And $88,000	Between $63,000 And $145,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	California	Rhode Island
Best paying company	Apple	Sutro Biopharma
Best paying industry	Education	Health Care

Differences between clinical supervisor and clinical director education

There are a few differences between a clinical supervisor and a clinical director in terms of educational background:

	Clinical Supervisor	Clinical Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Clinical supervisor vs clinical director demographics

Here are the differences between clinical supervisors' and clinical directors' demographics:

	Clinical Supervisor	Clinical Director
Average age	45	47
Gender ratio	Male, 24.2% Female, 75.8%	Male, 35.2% Female, 64.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 3.1% White, 74.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 8.1% White, 60.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	15%	12%

Differences between clinical supervisor and clinical director duties and responsibilities

Clinical supervisor example responsibilities.

Manage the clinical reimbursement coordinators traveling schedule to ensure that facilities have adequate MDS coverage.
Record patients' medical history, vital statistics, or information such as test results in EMR system.
Assist with implementation of OSHA, emergency preparedness, infection control and regulatory compliance for the medical clinic.
Participate in training on various topics such as HIPAA compliance, treatment planning, co-occurring disorders and crisis management.
Pick to be part of a group that work to establish the insurance information house in the EMR system.
Provide annual OSHA require health education, maintain the OSHA log and submit the final annual summary to company management.

Clinical director example responsibilities.

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.

Clinical supervisor vs clinical director skills

Common clinical supervisor skills

Patients, 17%
Social Work, 8%
Autism, 7%
Applied Behavior Analysis, 6%
ABA, 5%
Clinical Supervision, 4%

Common clinical director skills

Patients, 18%
Patient Care, 11%
Physical Therapy, 5%
Social Work, 4%
Rehabilitation, 4%
Clinical Services, 3%

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Clinical Supervisor vs Clinical Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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