Clinical Department Manager |
Career OverviewA clinical department manager works with staff within a particular department of a hospital or healthcare facility to ensure the day-to-day operations of the department are completed professionally and accurately. The clinical department manager is usually responsible for staffing schedules, handling any complaints, arranging for necessary additional coverage, problem solving difficulties and working with staff to resolve any disagreement or concerns.
The clinical department manager must be aware of all the current policies and procedures and should be sure that all staff within the department are correctly trained in an issues. The clinical department manager is responsible for making sure that each patient is given the best possible care and that patients families and guardians are kept informed of any issues as per hospital or healthcare facility protocols.
The clinical department manager should be an individual that has actual hands on experience within the department and is aware of the challenges that staff may face in trying to complete their jobs. The clinical department manager should have excellent problem solving skills and should be very creative while adhering to current best practices and policies.
The clinical department manager must be an effective communicator both orally and in written form and should be able to keep very accurate records of all issues and staffing numbers on shifts as well as complete their other assigned duties. The clinical department manager may also be responsible for working closely with the clinical director and for setting staffing numbers and requirements for shifts.
The clinical department manager may also be required to complete scheduled employee assessments as well as participate in the hiring of new employees and the termination of unsuitable staff members.
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Career RequirementsSince a clinical department manager will be required to work on the shift with the staff in some capacity most clinical department managers are also registered nurses (RN) or have their Bachelors degree in nursing. In addition they have several years working in hospital or healthcare facilities and have specific experience within the department.
Some clinical department manager may be working on their Masters degree in health administration or may be encouraged to continue their education.
Clinical department managers usually are those staff members that naturally assume leadership roles and have proven him or herself to be effective managers, even if it was previously in an informal manner.
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Job OutlookThe role of a clinical department manager is often seen as an entry level management role within the hospital or healthcare facility. This means that there is a constant movement from individuals in these roles into other management jobs within the system.
This tends to create a constant and steady demand for clinical department managers in most healthcare facilities. It is estimated that this trend will continue at least until 2014.
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Career TrackA clinical department manager with experience and completion of a Masters degree will find opportunities to move up within the management ranks in most hospital or healthcare facilities. They may choose to become department managers, human resource managers or even operations managers.
Many clinical department manager with a strong background in nursing and their Master’s degrees may choose to become consultants to hospitals and long term care facilities that are just opening or are changing their internal structures and protocols.
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CompensationMost clinical department manager will average a yearly salary of between $52,000 and $60,000 in small to medium sized hospitals. Larger hospitals and those clinical department managers with extensive experience often earn $72,000 or more, depending on their level of education and years of experience.
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