Research Summary. Here are some key facts to know if you're looking to hire a clinicians in the United States:

  • The median cost to hire a clinician is $1,633.
  • It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
  • HR departments typically allocate 15% of their budget towards recruitment efforts.
  • Small businesses spend $1,105 per clinician on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
  • It takes approximately 12 weeks for a new employee to reach full productivity levels.
  • There are a total of 145,350 clinicians in the US, and there are currently 105,023 job openings in this field.
  • New York, NY, has the highest demand for clinicians, with 63 job openings.

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How Much Does it Cost to Hire a Clinician

Hiring a clinician comes with both the one-time cost per hire and ongoing costs. The cost of recruiting clinicians involves promoting the job and spending time conducting interviews. Ongoing costs include employee salary, training, benefits, insurance, and equipment. It is essential to consider the cost of clinician recruiting as well the ongoing costs of maintaining the new employee.

You can expect to pay around $60,150 per year for a clinician, as this is the median yearly salary nationally. This can vary depending on what state or city you're hiring in. If you're hiring for contract work or on a per-project basis, hourly rates for clinicians in the US typically range between $16 and $49 an hour.

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How to hire a Clinician, step by step

To hire a clinician, you should create an ideal candidate profile, determine a budget, and post and promote your job. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to hire a clinician:

  • Step 1: Identify your needs
  • Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
  • Step 3: Make a budget
  • Step 4: Writing a clinician job description
  • Step 5: Post the job
  • Step 6: Interview process
  • Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new clinician
  • Step 8: Go through the checklist for the hiring process

1
Identify Your Needs

Before you post your clinician job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business need. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a clinician for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

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Before you hire a clinician, you should also consider the ideal background you'd like them to have. For example, what industry or field they have experience in, what level of seniority or education the job requires, and how much it'll cost to hire a candidate that fits the bill.

This list presents the salaries of various clinician positions.

Type Of ClinicianDescriptionHourly Rate
ClinicianSocial 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.$16-49
Intensive In-Home CounselorAn Intensive In-Home Counselor conducts individual counseling sessions for parents and deals with delicate issues like sexual addiction. They also prepare progress reports for clients.$19-31
Substance Abuse CounselorSubstance abuse counselors act as a support system for people with drug and alcohol problems and other behavioral issues. They help the patients control their behavior until they achieve a full recovery... Show More$12-32

2
Create An Ideal Candidate Profile

Ideally, you should have the perfect candidate profile in mind before you write a clinician job description. This means you should have a clear idea of the skill set they need to be proficient in, what their main responsibilities will be, and what kind of background they'll have.

Here are some of the most common clinician skills:

Common Skills:
  • Social Work
  • Patients
  • Patient Care
  • Individual Therapy
  • Mental Health
  • Mental Illness
  • Rehabilitation
  • Community Resources
  • Clinical Services
  • Clinical Supervision
  • Discharge Planning
  • Therapeutic Services
  • Treatment Services
  • Clinical Documentation
Check All Skills

Here are the most common clinician responsibilities:

Responsibilities:
  • Perform thorough substance abuse assessments incorporating instruments such as ASAM, SASSI and urine drug screens; provide individual therapy.
  • Spearhead the development of rehabilitation programs serving adults with chemical dependency and mental health diagnoses with the manager.
  • Follow all ethical CARF standards when treating the residential client.
  • Facilitate stabilization, assessment, care and compassion for those in critical need.
  • Provide CBT and motivational interviewing for individual and group therapy to clients' who are on methadone.
  • Used motivational interviewing to lead recovery and therapy groups for IOP and PHP programs in the evenings and on weekends.
Check all Duties

Beyond the nuts and bolts, cultural fit is an important factor. It might help to ask yourself how your ideal clinician will live by the company's mission statement and contribute to the team dynamic you already have in place. Clearly communicating this vision in your clinician job description will help attract candidates who are better suited for the role.

Most Common States For Clinicians In The US

Rank #State# Of Jobs% of PopulationAvg. Salary
1Massachusetts2,15131%$46,498
2Pennsylvania1,59712%$51,557
3New Jersey96411%$74,980
4Washington94213%$72,528
5Maryland68711%$62,747

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3
Make A Budget

Including a salary range in your job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A clinician can vary based on things like:

  • Location. For example, clinicians' average salary in arkansas is 60% less than in nevada.
  • Seniority. Entry-level clinicians 67% less than senior-level clinicians.
  • Certifications. A clinician with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
  • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a clinician's salary.

Updated March 16, 2023

Clinician Salary Estimate

$60,150

$28.92 hourly

Entry level Salary
$34,000 yearly

Clinician Average Salary By Location

RankStateAvg. SalaryHourly RateJob Count
1California$90,525$4417
2District of Columbia$85,097$4123
3New Jersey$77,026$37
4Oregon$74,207$361
5Connecticut$73,281$351

Clinician Average Salary By Company

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1Pace University$139,703$67.16
2Aetna$108,859$52.3436
3Zoetis$101,646$48.87
4CVS Health$101,506$48.80115
5Prudential Bank$100,404$48.27
6Stanford University$97,328$46.7915
7Pfizer$96,987$46.6310
8Boston Public Schools$96,579$46.438
9Prudential Financial$96,307$46.30
10University of California-Berkeley$90,719$43.61
11Maxim Healthcare Group$90,435$43.48215
12Tenet Healthcare$87,988$42.3060
13National Institutes of Health$87,889$42.25
14Highland General Hospital$87,101$41.888
15Aurora Behavioral Health System$86,813$41.744
16Molina Healthcare$86,088$41.39113
17Surescripts$85,783$41.24
18Georgetown University$85,041$40.895
19Alameda Health System$84,931$40.8319
20Rutgers University$83,914$40.3465

4
Writing a Clinician Job Description

A clinician job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a clinician job description:

Example of Full Job Description

The Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine is seeking board-eligible or board-certified neurologists to join the Department as a Clinical Assistant Professor, Clinical Associate Professor, or Clinical Professor in the Clinician Educator line. Faculty rank will be determined by the qualifications and experience of the successful candidate.

The major criterion for appointment, reappointment and promotion for Clinician Educators is excellence in the overall mix of clinical care and clinical teaching appropriate to the programmatic needs the individual is expected to fulfill. Successful applicants will be encouraged to interact with the wide range of clinical, translational, and basic science programs at Stanford.

Responsibilities will include care of general and subspecialty neurology patients, and teaching of medical students, residents and clinical fellows. For qualified candidates, opportunities are available to participate in research, quality improvement, and development of innovative care programs. Faculty will work in our hospital and clinics at Stanford Health Care (SHC), Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital (LPCH), and/or outreach sites in the San Francisco Bay Area including Stanford – Valley Care in Pleasanton.
**QUALIFICATIONS** :
Candidates must have an MD or equivalent. Fellowship training in a neurology subspecialty, such as autonomic disorders, child neurology, general (comprehensive) neurology, intraoperative neurophysiologic monitoring, movement disorders, neurobehavior/dementia, neurocritical care, or neurohospitalist is highly desirable. Necessary qualifications include board certification or eligibility (ABPN), eligibility for a California medical license, and suitable clinical and teaching experience.
**APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS** :
Review of applications will be conducted on a rolling basis.
Interested candidates should send a copy of their curriculum vitae, and a statement/ letter of intent outlining their specialty interest to the secure web portal.
The Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, School of Medicine, and Stanford University value faculty who are committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion. Candidates may optionally include as part of their research or teaching statement a brief discussion of how their work will further these ideals.
**Equal Employment Opportunity Statement**
Stanford University is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to increasing the diversity of its faculty. It welcomes nominations of and applications from women, members of minority groups, protected veterans and individuals with disabilities, as well as from others who would bring additional dimensions to the university’s research, teaching and clinical missions.

5
Post A Job

There are a few common ways to find clinicians 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 clinician job on Zippia to find and recruit clinician candidates who meet your exact specifications.
  • Use field-specific websites.
  • Post a job on free websites.

6
Interview Process

To successfully recruit clinicians, your first interview needs to be all about engaging with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

It's also a good idea to ask about candidates' special skills and talents. If you think that 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 Clinician

Once you've selected the best clinician candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks that you're offering the candidate. It's essential to ensure that your offer is competitive, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it's important to be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing 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 clinician 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 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources needs to make sure that a new employee file is created for internal recordkeeping.

8
Go Through The Checklist For The Hiring Process

  • 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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Hiring Clinicians FAQs

How Much Does A Good Clinician Cost?

A good clinician costs $28.92 an hour in the US. However, it can vary based on factors such as the clinician experience, abilities, industry, and the specific requirements of your business.

What Are The Duties Of A Clinician?

The duties of a clinician are:
  • Perform thorough substance abuse assessments incorporating instruments such as ASAM, SASSI and urine drug screens; provide individual therapy.
  • Spearhead the development of rehabilitation programs serving adults with chemical dependency and mental health diagnoses with the manager.
  • Follow all ethical CARF standards when treating the residential client.

Should I Hire A Clinician With No Experience?

Yes, you should hire a clinician with no experience. Hiring an entry-level clinician with no experience offers versatility for your team. They may lack some qualifications, but are adaptable and have not yet formed problematic habits. However, more training may be required compared to experienced.

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