Medical and health services managers, sometimes called healthcare administrators, are responsible for the planning, coordination and direction of medical health services within the healthcare facility in which they work. The role of medical and health services managers is one that is always changing because of the constant revisions in healthcare laws and regulations, as well as the ever-evolving technology used in today’s healthcare settings.
Job Outlook for Healthcare Administrators
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), job opportunities for medical and health services managers is expected to grow by 22 percent from 2010 to 2020. This is markedly faster than the average growth for all other occupations. The expected growth is due in part to the aging baby-boomer population who will soon require more medical services and personnel to meet their increasing healthcare demands.
As technology continues to improve and more physicians and other healthcare workers enter the field, a shift from traditional hospital settings to medical group practices may occur, and more managers may be needed to organize and manage the increasingly-complex information and staff.
Typical Job Duties and Work Environment
Most medical and health services managers will work in hospitals, nursing homes and group medical practices where they will work hand-in-hand with nurses, physicians, lab technicians and other medical personnel in ensuring the delivery of quality healthcare services.
Healthcare administration duties include enforcing compliance with laws and regulations, managing finances and billing, keeping and organizing facility records, creating work schedules, representing the healthcare facility at investor meetings and on governing boards, all while communicating effectively with all medical staff and department heads.
Work schedules may be flexible in this career as certain facilities like emergency rooms and clinics are always open. Most medical and health services managers will work full time either during the week, and sometimes evening and weekends.
Salary Potential
The salary potential for medical and health services managers varies according to the type and size of the working environment, education level, geographic location and also by the level of responsibility of the job position. According to the BLS, however, the median annual wage of healthcare administrators in general was $84,270 in 2010.
Education and Training Requirements
Although requirements will vary from facility to facility, the majority of medical and health services managers have earned at least a bachelor’s degree in healthcare management before entering the field. It is also common for individuals to get a master’s degree in health services, public health, long-term care, business administration or public administration. These courses will often include a focus on accounting and budgets, human resources, hospital organization and management, health economics, strategic planning, law and ethics and health information systems.
Certain master’s programs allow a student to specialize in one particular facility like a nursing home, group practice or hospital. Although the normal career path of healthcare administrators is to obtain a bachelor’s and master’s degree, there are certain facilities that will hire individuals based on their work experience in lieu of formal education.
An individual who is detail oriented, has strong analytical and interpersonal skills and enjoys problem solving in the healthcare industry can consider a career as a medical health services manager.
