Clinical Operations salaries: $42.88/hr median.
Clinical operations roles manage healthcare delivery systems and quality improvement, including clinical informaticists and ops managers.
Showing 8 titles (8 with pay data) across 6 tracks and 47 states. Latest data as of April 30, 2026.
Compare the tracks that make up Clinical Operations.
The titles paying most in Clinical Operations.
The biggest job pools in Clinical Operations.
| Role | Category · Track | Median /hr | P25–P75 | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infection Preventionist | Clinical Operations · Infection Control | $48.50 | $41.50–$54.00 | 197 |
| Case Management Assistant | Clinical Operations · Case Management | $22.50 | $21.00–$28.50 | 59 |
| Inpatient Medical Coder | Clinical Operations · Non-Clinical | $34.50 | $31.00–$41.25 | 43 |
| Utilization Management Specialist | Clinical Operations · Non-Clinical | $58.40 | $32.86–$70.66 | 30 |
| Clinical Informaticist | Clinical Operations · Informatics | $48.50 | $41.50–$56.00 | 25 |
| Outpatient Medical Coder | Clinical Operations · Non-Clinical | $36.10 | $30.00–$38.00 | 23 |
| Clinical Informatics Specialist | Clinical Operations · Clinical Informatics | $46.00 | $32.50–$50.50 | 9 |
| Clinical Quality Analyst | Clinical Operations · Quality | $39.93 | $38.00–$50.13 | 8 |
Clinical Operations pay across every state with live data.
Showing all 10 states with live data. Bars scale to the highest-paying state.
How to become a Clinical Operations.
Clinical operations professionals run the non-clinician side of how care actually gets delivered — research operations, clinical trials coordination, regulatory affairs, EHR build and optimization, clinical project management, quality and accreditation, and process improvement. The category spans research coordinators, clinical project managers, informaticists, quality analysts, and accreditation specialists. Most roles draw from a mix of a science or clinical background plus operational training.
Three common entry routes. Research operations: bachelor's in life sciences → clinical research coordinator role (CRC-I) → ACRP/SOCRA certification → senior CRC or project manager. Quality / accreditation: clinical background (RN or other) → quality analyst role → CPHQ certification → manager / director. Informatics: clinical or IT background → analyst role on the EHR team → application analyst certification (Epic, Cerner) → lead / informaticist.
| Degree | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's in life sciences, nursing, or healthcare adminBS / BA / BSN | 4 years | Common starting point. Life science background helps for research operations; clinical background helps for quality, accreditation, and informatics. |
| Master of Health Administration / Public HealthMHA / MPH | 2 years | Standard credential for operations leadership tracks (quality, accreditation, performance improvement). |
| Master in Clinical Research / RegulatoryMSCR / MS Reg | 1-2 years | Specialty master's for clinical trials, regulatory affairs, and research operations roles in hospital research offices and industry. |
| Nursing informatics master'sMSN-INF | 2 years post-BSN | Required for senior nurse informaticist and EHR optimization roles. Pairs nursing clinical experience with informatics methodology. |
Clinical operations is largely an unlicensed field. Clinical research coordinators, informaticists, quality analysts, and accreditation specialists are credentialed through professional certifications rather than state licensure.
| Credential | Issued by | Pay impact |
|---|---|---|
| CCRC / CCRP Certified Clinical Research Coordinator / Professional Industry standard for clinical research professionals. Required by most research-intensive academic medical centers and CROs. | ACRP / SOCRA | +5-15% |
| CPHQ Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality Standard quality / patient safety credential. Common for quality analyst, accreditation specialist, and performance improvement roles. | NAHQ | +5-15% |
| Epic / Cerner application certification Epic application or Cerner Millennium certification Application-specific certifications (Epic Willow, Cadence, ASAP, Cerner Millennium PowerChart, etc.) materially increase pay and job options for informaticists and analysts. | Epic / Oracle Cerner | +10-20% |
| PMP / Lean / Six Sigma Project Management / Lean / Six Sigma credentials Cross-industry credentials that translate well into clinical project management, process improvement, and accreditation work. | PMI / ASQ | +5-15% |
| RAC Regulatory Affairs Certification Standard credential for regulatory affairs professionals in medical device, pharma, and biologics. | RAPS | +10-20% |
- 0-3 yearsResearch / Operations Coordinator
Entry role on a research, quality, or EHR team. CRC-I in research, junior analyst in quality, or application analyst trainee in IT.
- 3-6 yearsSenior Coordinator / Analyst
Holds the specialty credential (CCRC, CPHQ, Epic certification). Independent ownership of trials, dashboards, or EHR modules.
- 6-10 yearsLead / Specialist
Specialty lead within a service line — clinical trials manager, quality lead, regulatory affairs specialist, or informatics lead.
- 10-15 yearsManager / Program Director
Owns operations, staffing, and budget for a clinical operations function. Common credentials: PMP, CPHQ, MHA.
- 15+ yearsDirector / Senior Director of Clinical Operations
Multi-program oversight. Often a stepping stone into VP roles in research, quality, regulatory, or informatics.
Schedule. Standard business hours dominate. Survey readiness, EHR go-lives, and trial-start activations can require extended hours. Many roles (especially informatics and research coordination) offer significant remote / hybrid flexibility.
Physical demands. Largely seated, screen-heavy work. Some hospital-based research coordination involves patient contact for consent and trial visits.
Healthcare operations roles benefit from sustained investment in research throughput, EHR optimization, value-based-care reporting, and quality / accreditation programs. Informatics demand is particularly strong as health systems consolidate and modernize their EHRs.