Exceptional Chief Medical Officer Job Description

A chief medical officer is a member of the senior medical staff in a hospital, and is responsible for overseeing the daily operations and overall patient care within his or her specific department. A chief medical officer job description requires a medical degree, many years of working in a hospital setting, and experience working in a managerial or authoritative capacity.

Position Description

A chief medical officer makes sure all daily tasks and goals are met within a particular wing or department of a hospital, attends to any legal or bureaucratic issues that may arise, brainstorms ways to improve patient care, and continues to practice medicine in addition to managerial duties.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities of a Chief Medical Officer

• Supervises physicians and nurses in his or her department.
• Oversees departmental patient care.
• Serves as liaison between physicians and hospital administration.
• Runs departmental staff meetings as necessary.
• Devises ways to increase efficiency and effectiveness of department.
• Attends hospital board meetings.
• Brings concerns, requests, and problems to the hospital board as necessary.
• Manages budget for hospital department.
• Orders new hospital equipment, machinery, and supplies.
• Addresses concerns and requests posed by hospital staff.
• Assigns tasks to physicians, nurses, and hospital staff for review as necessary.
• Trains and advises new physicians on staff.
• Sees and treats patients.
• Ensures that all practices in the department adhere to hospital standards and code of medical ethics.
• Coordinates staff schedules.
• Oversees and staff’s partner clinics.
• Attends conferences to stay up-to-date on latest hospital technology.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Demonstrates strong leadership skills.
• Possesses broad medical knowledge with specialized training in a particular field, such as cardiology or emergency care.
• Demonstrates excellent organizational skills.
• Maintains professional but friendly demeanor.
• Possesses excellent listening skills.
• Manages time efficiently.
• Exhibits strong analytical and problem solving skills.
• Demonstrates familiarity with budget software and financial management.
• Possesses physical stamina necessary to work long hours on one’s feet.
• Possesses emotional strength required to deal with some anxiety producing situations in the hospital.
• Exhibits patience, empathy, and understanding with patients and staff.
• Is capable of translating medical jargon to layman’s terms for the benefit of patients and families.

Education and Experience

• Medical degree required.
• Must have completed residency and served as attending physician.
• Management experienced required.
• Ongoing professional development via conference attendance, research, and publication is expected.

Work Environment

• The majority of time will be spent in the hospital.
• Some time will be spent traveling to board meetings or working in an individual office.
• The hospital environment is fast paced and can be highly stressful.
• Most working hours will be spent walking, standing, and engaging in other physical activities.
• Long hours and overnight shifts are regularly required.

Salary

• The average salary for a chief medical officer is $300,000 per year.
• The most experienced and established CMOs can make up to $460,000 per year.