How to hire a clinician

How to hire a clinician, step by step

Here's a step-by-step clinician hiring guide:

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

What does a clinician do?

Post a clinician job for free, promote it for a fee

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your clinician 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 a clinician 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 a clinician 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 clinician that fits the bill.

   This list presents clinician salaries for various positions.

   Type of Clinician	Description	Hourly rate
   Clinician	Social 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 Counselor	An 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 Counselor	Substance 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

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   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

   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.

   More clinician duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • 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.

   Average clinician salary

   $60,150yearly

   $28.92 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level clinician salary

   $34,000 yearly salary

   Updated July 19, 2025

   Average clinician salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$90,525	$44
   2	District of Columbia	$85,097	$41
   3	New Jersey	$77,026	$37
   4	Oregon	$74,207	$36
   5	Connecticut	$73,281	$35
   6	Alaska	$71,247	$34
   7	Illinois	$67,758	$33
   8	New York	$67,009	$32
   9	Maryland	$62,530	$30
   10	Ohio	$59,115	$28
   11	Colorado	$57,771	$28
   12	Michigan	$55,938	$27
   13	Texas	$54,404	$26
   14	Virginia	$52,411	$25
   15	Pennsylvania	$51,921	$25
   16	Arizona	$51,338	$25
   17	Rhode Island	$50,696	$24
   18	Florida	$50,539	$24
   19	Indiana	$49,821	$24
   20	Massachusetts	$48,554	$23

   Average clinician salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Pace University	$139,703	$67.16	1
   2	Aetna	$108,859	$52.34	2
   3	Zoetis	$101,646	$48.87
   4	CVS Health	$101,506	$48.80	342
   5	Prudential Bank	$100,404	$48.27
   6	Stanford University	$97,328	$46.79	26
   7	Pfizer	$96,987	$46.63	35
   8	Boston Public Schools	$96,579	$46.43	7
   9	Prudential Financial	$96,307	$46.30
   10	University of California-Berkeley	$90,719	$43.61
   11	Maxim Healthcare Group	$90,435	$43.48	27
   12	Tenet Healthcare	$87,988	$42.30	59
   13	National Institutes of Health	$87,889	$42.25
   14	Highland General Hospital	$87,101	$41.88
   15	Aurora Behavioral Health System	$86,813	$41.74	6
   16	Molina Healthcare	$86,088	$41.39	466
   17	Surescripts	$85,783	$41.24
   18	Georgetown University	$85,041	$40.89
   19	Alameda Health System	$84,931	$40.83	4
   20	Rutgers University	$83,914	$40.34	132

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:

   Clinician job description example

   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.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your 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 candidates

   To successfully recruit clinicians, 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.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   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 you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should 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, 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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How much does it cost to hire a clinician?