Good healthcare management is essential for a successful healthcare business. It requires strong business management skills, as well as effective leadership and communication skills. It also requires a solid education from an accredited healthcare management school. Healthcare management education focuses on specific areas relevant to the job.
Healthcare management is a growing career field. Healthcare managers are known by a number of different titles: medical and health services managers, healthcare administrators, and healthcare executives.
In small facilities, a healthcare manager typically handles many of the details of day-to-day operations. For example, they often manage personnel, finances, admissions, and operations. Some healthcare managers also provide direct resident care.
Large hospitals, on the other hand, have several assistant managers who aid the top administrator. They are responsible for the facility’s daily operations. Assistant healthcare managers often work in specific clinical areas, such as nursing, rehabilitation, surgery, therapy, or medical records.
Healthcare Management Careers
Some health and medical services managers are specialists who work in a specific clinical department. Others are generalists in charge of an entire facility or healthcare system. The healthcare management field encompasses a variety of different positions.
Clinical managers have education and experience in a specific area. As a result, their responsibilities are more focused than a generalist’s work. For instance, clinical managers may work as physical therapy directors, medical record administrators, or other specialized positions.
Health information managers are responsible for patient records. To ensure the security of the records, these healthcare managers must be familiar with government regulations, legislative requirements, and current technology.
Office managers handle the business affairs in small group medical practices. They work closely with physicians to plan business strategies and coordinate daily operations.
Healthcare administrators in managed care settings work with larger staffs than other healthcare managers. Their work involves more community outreach and preventive care than managers of a group practice.
Healthcare Management Education
The standard credential for most healthcare management positions is a master’s degree from a college, university, or online healthcare management school. In some cases, a bachelor’s degree may be adequate for entry level positions. Doctor’s offices and small healthcare facilities may accept previous work experience as a substitute for a college degree.
Most medical and health services managers, however, hold a master’s degree in one of the following fields: health services administration, long-term care administration, public health, public administration, business administration, or health sciences.
Healthcare managers can earn a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, or doctoral degree through a college or university program, or another healthcare management school. Even an online healthcare management school may offer accredited programs that lead to a college degree in health services administration or a similar field.
According to the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME), 72 schools in North America had accredited master’s degree programs in 2008. In addition, 48 schools offered bachelor’s degree programs. Five schools offered master’s degrees in health information management.
While some healthcare managers start their careers with a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree is generally required for career advancement. Health and medical services managers usually pursue one of these degree programs: Master of Health Administration (MHA), Master of Health Services Administration (MHSA), Master of Science (MS), Master of Public Health (MPH), Master of Business Administration (MBA), or Master of Public Administration (MPA),
Some high-level positions in large healthcare facilities require a doctoral degree. Typical coursework at all education levels includes hospital management, accounting, budgeting, health economics, marketing, human resources, healthcare laws and ethics, and information systems.
A license is required for some healthcare managers. In the United States, nursing home administrators are required to have a bachelor’s degree, complete a training program, pass a licensing examination, and pursue continuing education. Some assisted living facilities also require licensed healthcare managers. At this time, a license is not required for other areas of healthcare administration.
Healthcare Management Job Outlook
According to the most recent Department of Labor statistics, healthcare managers held about 283,500 jobs in the United States in 2008. Depending on factors such as position, facility, education, and experience, healthcare administrators earned between $51,280 and $144,880 in 2010. The median annual wage was $84,270.
More than a third of the nation”s healthcare managers work in hospitals, while 20 percent work in doctor’s offices and nursing homes. The remainder work for government facilities, outpatient clinics, insurance carriers, and home healthcare services.
As the healthcare industry continues to grow, employment of healthcare managers will also grow. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 16 percent job growth over the 2008-2018 decade. This growth rate is faster than average for almost all occupations.
The federal government expects job prospects to be extremely good for people with strong business management skills and previous healthcare work experience. Hospital administrators in large facilities will have an advantage in the job market, especially those who hold master’s degrees and doctoral degrees from a healthcare management school.