How to hire an inpatient services director

How to hire an inpatient services director, step by step

Here's a step-by-step inpatient services director hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

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

   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 an inpatient services 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 an inpatient services director that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of inpatient services directors and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Inpatient Services Director	Description	Hourly rate
   Inpatient Services Director	Medical and health services managers, also called healthcare executives or healthcare administrators, plan, direct, and coordinate medical and health services. They might manage an entire facility, a specific clinical area or department, or a medical practice for a group of physicians... Show more	$33-91
   Nurse Manager	The primary role of nurse managers is to supervise the nursing staff in a clinical or hospital setting. They are the ones who are in charge of patient care, setting work schedules, and making budgetary and management decisions... Show more	$28-55
   Clinical Manager	A clinical manager is responsible for monitoring medical procedures and administrative duties to ensure the smooth flow of operations in a healthcare facility. Clinical managers manage the facility's staffing needs, evaluate budget reports, assist healthcare professionals on administering medical duties, and develop strategic procedures to optimize treatments and maximize productivity... Show more	$26-61

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Inpatient Services
   • Patient Safety
   • Quality Patient Care
   • Acute Care
   • Social Work
   • Critical Care
   • Service Line
   • Rehabilitation
   • CMS
   • Psychiatry
   • Performance Improvement
   • Staff Education
   • FTE

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage PPS details efficiently to ensure high quality clinical care while maximizing reimbursement for the facility.
   • Provide and direct therapy services to patients including assessment, treatment, program planning and implementation, relate documentation and communication.
   • Monitor program budgets and provide program oversight to ensure compliance with regulatory bodies.
   • Provide oversight to inpatient expansion trainers to assure a timely, clinically compliant and deficiency free expansion process.
   • Confer with and referral to appropriate substance abuse rehabilitation facilities.
   • Develop assessment protocols and procedures for evaluating geriatric in and out patients.

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, inpatient services directors' average salary in montana is 48% less than in massachusetts.
   • Seniority. Entry-level inpatient services directors earn 64% less than senior-level inpatient services directors.
   • Certifications. An inpatient services 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 an inpatient services director's salary.

   Average inpatient services director salary

   $115,320yearly

   $55.44 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level inpatient services director salary

   $69,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 5, 2025

4. Writing an inpatient services director job description

   An inpatient services 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. Below, you can find an example of an inpatient services director job description:

   Inpatient services director job description example

   
   
   Our client is a network of 4 hospitals, 17 community clinics, 1 community institute, and 1 nationally recognized research institute all serving communities on Chicago's West and Southwest sides. Their 300+ bed Level 1 Trauma Center is also a teaching hospital.
   
   They have an immediate need for a passionate, self-starting Director to lead their Post Op, Med Surg overflow, Surgical Step down and SiCU.
   
   Serves as the primary nurse leader for assigned departments. Accountable for management of clinical operations, oversight of nursing practice, compliance with regulatory, quality, and professional development standards, and all business operations within their span of control. Works with the System Chief Nursing Officer and Assistant Chief Nursing Officer in establishing standards of nursing practice for hospital-wide use and takes lead accountability in assuring that they are implemented, measured, and continuously improved. Assists in the management of resources, strategic planning, and development of policies and procedures which ensure congruence with the mission, vision, and values of the organization. Provides direction and support to department caregivers toward attainment of short- and long-term goals and objectives. It is an expectation that the director will progressively demonstrate and exceed competencies in domains for health care leadership, communication and relationship management, knowledge of the health care environment, professionalism, and business/financial skills and principles. Director will also ensure competency with the American Organization for Nursing Leadership’s Nurse Executive and Nurse Manager Competencies.
   
   MINIMUM EDUCATION:
   
   Bachelor's degree in Nursing
   Master's degree in Nursing, Health Care Administration, Business Administration, or related field
   
   MINIMUM WORK EXPERIENCE:
   
   Five (5) years of staff nurse experience in acute care.
   Minimum of five (5) years of progressive management experience in acute care setting, ten (10) years preferred
   
   REQUIRED LICENSES, CERTIFICATES, REGISTRATIONS:
   
   Current licensure as a Registered Professional Nurse is required, issued by the IL State Board of Nursing
   Certification in a nursing specialty is preferred
   
   Benefits include the following:
   Health, Welfare & Retirement Benefits
   Medical (PPO, HMO, High Deductible PPO)
   Dental (PPO, HMO)
   Vision - Flexible Spending Account (FSA) / Health Savings Account (HSA)
   Short Term Disability/Long Term Disability
   Life Insurance
   Supplemental Life
   Retirement Savings Plan
   Onsite Parking lots
   Pre-Tax Commuter Transit Accounts
   Voluntary Benefits
   Legal Protection Plan
   Life and Long-Term Care Insurance
   Employee Discounts
   Work/Life Balance
   PTO/Vacation & Holidays
   Employee Wellness
   Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
   Employee Health Services
   Discounts and Wellness Programs
   Educational Programs
   Tuition Reimbursement
   
   For prompt and confidential consideration, please apply to the link below:
   
   Click here to apply online

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right inpatient services director for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your inpatient services director job on Zippia to find and recruit inpatient services director candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting inpatient services directors requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates 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 inpatient services director

   Once you've found the inpatient services director candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new inpatient services director. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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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