Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Urgent Care Manager
💰 $85,000 - $125,000
Healthcare ManagementUrgent CareClinical Operations
🎯 Role Definition
The Urgent Care Manager is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day clinical and administrative operations of an urgent care center. This role ensures the delivery of safe, efficient, and high-quality patient care while driving operational excellence, regulatory compliance, staff performance, and financial sustainability. The Urgent Care Manager serves as a key leader connecting clinical teams, physicians, executive leadership, and support departments.
📈 Career Progression
Typical Career Path
Entry Point From:
- Assistant Practice Manager
- Clinical Supervisor or Charge Nurse
- Healthcare Operations Coordinator
Advancement To:
- Regional Urgent Care Manager
- Director of Clinical Operations
- Vice President of Ambulatory Services
Lateral Moves:
- Practice Administrator
- Healthcare Quality or Compliance Manager
Core Responsibilities
Primary Functions
- Oversee daily operations of the urgent care center to ensure efficient patient flow and optimal clinical outcomes.
- Manage clinical and non-clinical staff scheduling to maintain appropriate coverage and productivity.
- Supervise physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and support staff.
- Ensure compliance with all federal, state, and local healthcare regulations, including OSHA, HIPAA, and CMS requirements.
- Monitor quality of care metrics, patient safety indicators, and clinical performance benchmarks.
- Implement and enforce clinical protocols, policies, and standard operating procedures.
- Drive patient satisfaction initiatives and address patient complaints or service recovery issues.
- Manage clinic budgets, control operational expenses, and support revenue cycle optimization.
- Collaborate with billing and coding teams to ensure accurate documentation and reimbursement.
- Oversee inventory management, medical supplies, and equipment maintenance.
- Coordinate staff onboarding, training, credentialing, and ongoing competency assessments.
- Conduct performance evaluations and provide coaching, feedback, and corrective action when needed.
- Analyze operational data to identify trends, inefficiencies, and opportunities for improvement.
- Lead initiatives to reduce patient wait times and improve throughput.
- Support provider recruitment, retention, and engagement strategies.
- Ensure proper documentation and adherence to electronic health record (EHR) workflows.
- Prepare for and lead regulatory inspections, audits, and accreditation reviews.
- Serve as the primary point of contact for escalated clinical or operational issues.
- Collaborate with marketing and community outreach teams to grow patient volume.
- Promote a culture of teamwork, accountability, and patient-centered care.
Secondary Functions
- Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
- Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
- Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
- Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.
Required Skills & Competencies
Hard Skills (Technical)
- Urgent care or ambulatory clinic operations management
- Healthcare regulatory compliance and accreditation standards
- Budgeting, forecasting, and financial performance management
- Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems
- Staffing models and workforce optimization
- Quality assurance and clinical performance metrics
- Revenue cycle management fundamentals
- Patient flow and throughput optimization
- Risk management and patient safety practices
- Medical inventory and supply chain management
Soft Skills
- Strong leadership and team management capabilities
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
- High emotional intelligence and conflict resolution skills
- Ability to thrive in fast-paced, high-acuity environments
- Problem-solving and critical thinking abilities
- Customer service and patient experience focus
- Adaptability and decision-making under pressure
- Organizational and time management skills
Education & Experience
Educational Background
Minimum Education:
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent healthcare management experience
Preferred Education:
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Healthcare Administration, Nursing, or Business Administration
Relevant Fields of Study:
- Healthcare Administration
- Nursing
- Business or Operations Management
Experience Requirements
Typical Experience Range:
3–7 years in urgent care, ambulatory care, or clinical operations leadership
Preferred:
Prior experience managing multi-provider urgent care clinics or high-volume outpatient healthcare settings