If you are a confident decision maker, exceptional communicator, and natural born leader seeking a supervisory role, you should consider pursuing a career as a Medical and Health Service Manager. At a time when the healthcare industry in the United States continues to undergo dramatic changes in regulations, this healthcare management career presents dynamic challenges in a booming medical industry. In fact, government economics with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that rapid employment growth for medical and health service managers will be growing at the faster than average rate of 23% over the next decade. Read on to learn more about this thriving leadership position to determine whether becoming a medical and health service manager is the right career fit for you.
Medical and Health Service Manager Job Description
Also referred to as Healthcare Administrators or Healthcare Executives, Medical and Health Service Managers are specialized management professionals who supervise the daily operations for an entire medical facility or specific clinical department. While Medical and Health Service Managers are focused on ensuring that all patients who walk through their doors are provided with the most comprehensive health services, they also must keep a close eye on financial constraints. From managing staff members to accounting, Medical and Health Service Managers are responsible for planning, directing, coordinating, implementing, and supervising the delivery of quality patient services in a wide range of clinical health settings.
Daily Duties for Medical and Health Service Managers
In order to ensure quality healthcare, keep costs down in tough economic times, and improve efficiency, Medical and Health Service Managers are high authorities who are given significant responsibilities. The typical day in the life of a Health Services Manager includes recruiting qualified medical personnel, supervising overall job performance, creating work schedules, representing medical facilities in investor meetings, communicating with all medical staff, and working to improve efficiency in healthcare delivery. Medical and Health Service Managers are also responsible for a number of administrative duties, such as developing budget reports, organizing records of healthcare services provided, overseeing patient billing, and ensuring facilities comply with the latest regulations.
Medical and Health Service Manager Work Environment
Throughout the United States, it is estimated that there are 315,500 Medical and Health Service Managers employed in diverse clinical healthcare settings. Many healthcare executives occupy senior-level management positions in state, private, regional, and local hospitals, but there are other employment opportunities available. Medical and Health Service Managers can utilize their expertise for leading nursing homes, medical group practices, ambulatory healthcare services, government agencies, residential treatment centers, mental health facilities, clinics, and more. While Healthcare Administrators are employed on a full-time schedule, the majority will work longer than 40 hours each week with irregular evening and weekend hours since medical facilities often provide round-the-clock care.
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Overall, Medical and Health Service Managers work closely with other healthcare professionals to ensure that the business operations of medical facilities are running smoothly to maximize efficiency in providing competent patient care. Healthcare Administrators must be highly trained to adapt to rapid changes in healthcare regulations, laws, and information technology advances. In order to become a Medical and Health Service Manager, you will typically needed to achieve a Master’s in Healthcare Administration, hospital management, or public health to develop the most effective strategies for solving administrative problems in the healthcare industry.