How to hire a hospitalist medical director

How to hire a hospitalist medical director, step by step

Here's a step-by-step hospitalist medical director hiring guide:

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

What does a hospitalist medical director do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The hospitalist medical director hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a hospitalist medical director to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a hospitalist medical director that fits the bill.

   Here's a comparison of hospitalist medical director salaries for various roles:

   Type of Hospitalist Medical Director	Description	Hourly rate
   Hospitalist Medical Director	Physicians and surgeons diagnose and treat injuries or illnesses. Physicians examine patients; take medical histories; prescribe medications; and order, perform, and interpret diagnostic tests... Show more	$29-216

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patient Care
   • Primary Care
   • Bed Hospital
   • CMS
   • Tertiary Care
   • Peer Review
   • Physical Examinations
   • EHR

   Responsibilities:

   • Develop stratagies to assess ADME variants in adverse clinical outcomes in HSCT patients.
   • Participate in several system wide initiatives including an EHR physician advisory selection committee and an order set development team.
   • Develop stratagies to assess ADME variants in adverse clinical outcomes in HSCT patients.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your hospitalist medical director job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A hospitalist medical director salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, hospitalist medical directors' average salary in hawaii is 51% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level hospitalist medical directors earn 86% less than senior-level hospitalist medical directors.
   • Certifications. A hospitalist medical director with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a hospitalist medical director's salary.

   Average hospitalist medical director salary

   $168,277yearly

   $80.90 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level hospitalist medical director salary

   $62,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average hospitalist medical director salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	North Dakota	$305,595	$147
   2	South Dakota	$273,673	$132
   3	Wisconsin	$271,516	$131
   4	Minnesota	$255,002	$123
   5	Iowa	$254,912	$123
   6	Washington	$246,845	$119
   7	Missouri	$235,212	$113
   8	Colorado	$227,810	$110
   9	Indiana	$227,627	$109
   10	Massachusetts	$212,021	$102
   11	Pennsylvania	$207,908	$100
   12	Tennessee	$207,156	$100
   13	New York	$201,632	$97
   14	District of Columbia	$198,012	$95
   15	Oregon	$191,077	$92
   16	North Carolina	$184,820	$89
   17	Alabama	$182,758	$88
   18	Nevada	$179,279	$86
   19	New Jersey	$178,466	$86
   20	Louisiana	$174,742	$84

   Average hospitalist medical director salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Tucson Medical Center	$396,669	$190.71
   2	BJC HealthCare	$363,841	$174.92	49
   3	Houston Methodist	$344,435	$165.59	28
   4	OSF HealthCare	$333,305	$160.24	50
   5	Sanford Health	$328,023	$157.70	115
   6	New England Cancer Specialists	$319,463	$153.59
   7	Northwestern Medicine	$316,517	$152.17	13
   8	RWJBarnabas Health	$313,090	$150.52	8
   9	Ardent Health Services	$312,121	$150.06	10
   10	University of Maryland, Baltimore	$310,487	$149.27	2
   11	Sentara Healthcare	$308,909	$148.51	119
   12	Methodist Health System	$300,509	$144.48	4
   13	Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital Inc	$294,934	$141.80	2
   14	The Iowa Clinic	$293,910	$141.30	3
   15	CHRISTUS Health	$281,355	$135.27	89
   16	Geisinger Medical Center	$275,178	$132.30	73
   17	WellSpan Health	$274,735	$132.08	113
   18	Baystate Health	$271,200	$130.38
   19	Danbury Hospital	$269,680	$129.65	79
   20	UNC Health Care	$269,503	$129.57	186

4. Writing a hospitalist medical director job description

   A hospitalist medical director 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. To help get you started, here's an example of a hospitalist medical director job description:

   Hospitalist medical director job description example

   Combine two of the fastest-growing fields on the planet with a culture of performance, collaboration and opportunity and this is what you get. Leading edge technology in an industry that's improving the lives of millions. Here, innovation isn't about another gadget, it's about making health care data available wherever and whenever people need it, safely and reliably. There's no room for error. Join us and start doing **your life's best work.(sm)**
   
   Want to make a real difference in the lives you touch? **LOOK NO FURTHER** . Optum is a physician-led, close-knit team that has been long-respected in Southern California. We are passionate about patients. We are leading the state of California toward better healthcare practices. And we are looking for amazing doctors like you. Optum is looking for a Hospitalist to join our team. The clinicians we seek are those who practice medicine with a focus on patient care, not volume. We want our clinicians to take the time needed to truly address the patient's needs.
   
   If you're looking to join a physician-led community that is making a difference in healthcare, Optum is the place for you.
   + Position will be based at Los Alamitos Medical Center
   
   + Block Schedule: 7 days on / 7 days off; 7:00 AM - 7 :00 PM plus two night shifts per month
   
   + Admissions and rounding on assigned patients
   
   + Average Patient Census: 12 -15 patients
   
   We offer a competitive salary, bonus plan and comprehensive benefit package including medical malpractice coverage, CME time and dollars, medical, dental and vision benefits, company paid life insurance, available supplemental insurance plans and 401K plan.
   
   **Qualifications:**
   
   + Unrestricted California State Medical License
   
   + Current California DEA certificate
   
   + BC in Internal Medicine
   
   + Full COVID-19 vaccination is an essential job function of this role. Candidates located in states that mandate COVID-19 booster doses must also comply with those state requirements. UnitedHealth Group will adhere to all federal, state and local regulations as well as all client requirements and will obtain necessary proof of vaccination, and boosters when applicable, prior to employment to ensure compliance. Candidates must be able to perform all essential job functions with or without reasonable accommodation.
   
   **Preferred Qualifications:**
   
   + Minimum 1-2 years experience
   
   + EMR proficient
   
   + Excellent communication skills
   
   _To protect the health and safety of our workforce, patients and communities we serve, UnitedHealth Group and its affiliate companies now require all employees to disclose COVID-19 vaccination status prior to beginning employment. In addition, some roles require full COVID-19 vaccination as an essential job function. UnitedHealth Group adheres to all federal, state and local COVID-19 vaccination regulations as well as all client COVID-19 vaccination requirements and will obtain the necessary information from candidates prior to employment to ensure compliance. Candidates must be able to perform all essential job functions with or without reasonable accommodation. Failure to meet the vaccination requirement may result in rescission of an employment offer or termination of employment._
   
   About OptumCare:
   
   At OptumCare, we've found that putting clinicians at the center of care is the best way to improve lives. Our physician-led organization is one of the most dynamic and progressive health care organizations in the world, serving over 17 million people through more than 45,000 aligned physicians and 9,000 advanced practice clinicians. You will find our team working in local clinics, surgery centers and urgent care centers, within care models focused on managing risk, higher quality outcomes and driving change through collaboration and innovation. Learn more at www.workatoptum.com .
   
   Would you thrive with OptumCare?
   
   + Do you practice evidence-based medicine?
   
   + Are you seeking a practice focused on patient-centered quality care, not volume?
   
   + Are you a team player - comfortable delegating and empowering teams?
   
   + Are you constantly seeking better ways to do things?
   
   + Do you want to be part of something better?
   
   _Diversity creates a healthier atmosphere: OptumCare is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employers and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law._
   
   _OptumCare is a drug-free workplace. Candidates are required to pass a drug test before beginning employment._

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find hospitalist medical directors 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 hospitalist medical director job on Zippia to find and recruit hospitalist medical director candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit hospitalist medical directors, your first interview needs to engage 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.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete 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 hospitalist medical director

   Once you've decided on a perfect hospitalist medical director candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new hospitalist medical director 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, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • 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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