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What is a director of clinical operations and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
5 min read
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A director of clinical operations oversees the management of clinical operations within a healthcare organization. They ensure the delivery of high-quality patient care, manage staff and resources, and implement policies to promote effectiveness. The director of clinical operations also collaborates with others to improve patient outcomes and satisfaction. They must possess strong leadership skills, knowledge of healthcare regulations, and experience in clinical team management. Overall, they aim to ensure efficient and exceptional patient care.

ScoreDirector Of Clinical OperationsUS Average
Salary
8.4

Avg. Salary $130,421

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 8.06%

Black or African American 10.98%

Hispanic or Latino 14.53%

Unknown 4.27%

White 61.45%

Gender

female 67.38%

male 32.62%

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

What are the pros and cons of being a director of clinical operations?

Pros

  • High level of responsibility

  • Competitive salary and benefits

  • Strong job security due to high demand for healthcare professionals

  • Ability to work in a variety of healthcare settings

  • Ability to shape healthcare policies and procedures

Cons

  • High level of stress due to demanding work environment

  • Heavy workload, including administrative tasks like budgeting and reporting

  • May require time away from family and personal life due to on-call duties or travel requirements

  • Potential for burnout due to high-pressure nature of the job

  • May require advanced degrees or certifications, which can be costly and time-consuming to obtain

Director of clinical operations career paths

Key steps to become a director of clinical operations

  1. Explore director of clinical operations education requirements

    Most common director of clinical operations degrees

    Bachelor's

    53.2 %

    Master's

    22.2 %

    Associate

    15.8 %
  2. Start to develop specific director of clinical operations skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Clinical Operations12.71%
    Patients10.19%
    Healthcare6.69%
    Patient Care5.22%
    GCP3.92%
  3. Complete relevant director of clinical operations training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New directors of clinical operations 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 director of clinical operations based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real director of clinical operations resumes.
  4. Research director of clinical operations duties and responsibilities

    • Create, QA, and manage universal test codes to all commercial, regional and hospital laboratory dictionaries.
    • Manage all clinical aspects of billing and collections, including appeals of denials by Medicare, Medicaid, and insurance companies.
    • Achieve employee performance and satisfaction providing supervision supporting excellence in documentation, a collaborative approach with providers and compassion for members.
    • Work with the development teams and CRO partners to drive and accelerate the execution of clinical studies for assign assets.
  5. Get director of clinical operations experience

    Generally, it takes 4-6 years to become a director of clinical operations. The most common roles before becoming a director of clinical operations include staff nurse, registered nurse team lead and nursing director.
  6. Prepare your director of clinical operations resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your director of clinical operations 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 director of clinical operations resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable director of clinical operations resume templates

    Build a professional director of clinical operations resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your director of clinical operations resume.
    Director Of Clinical Operations Resume
    Director Of Clinical Operations Resume
    Director Of Clinical Operations Resume
    Director Of Clinical Operations Resume
    Director Of Clinical Operations Resume
    Director Of Clinical Operations Resume
    Director Of Clinical Operations Resume
    Director Of Clinical Operations Resume
    Director Of Clinical Operations Resume
  7. Apply for director of clinical operations jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a director of clinical operations job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first director of clinical operations job

Zippi

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Average director of clinical operations salary

The average director of clinical operations salary in the United States is $130,421 per year or $63 per hour. Director of clinical operations salaries range between $85,000 and $198,000 per year.

Average director of clinical operations salary
$130,421 Yearly
$62.70 hourly

What am I worth?

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How do directors of clinical operations rate their job?

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Director of clinical operations reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on May 2020
Pros

Seeing and facilitating the growth of the staff and department

Cons

When equipment and supplies are needed for the patient care but are not available due to corporate funding limitations.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2019
Cons

Repetition of quelling anger of dissatisfied people with answers that they don't want to hear. Unattainable goals set by coorporate based on only highest capacity numbers


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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