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By Nsim Team
If you want to become a health services manager, you first need to determine if this career path is a good fit for your skills, interests and personality traits. If the following description sounds like you, then you’re probably well suited for a career as a health services manager:
• You have an interest in working in the healthcare sector and want to direct the work of others
• You are able to persuade others and motivate employees
• You enjoy developing and implementing plans
• You are able to balance the need to provide quality service with the need for keeping costs low
• You have a customer/patient-centered approach to work activities
• You have enough energy and enthusiasm to ensure that objectives are met
Who is a Health Services Manager?
Health services managers, also known as healthcare executives or healthcare administrators, are responsible for planning, organizing, directing, coordinating, monitoring, evaluating and improving the operational aspects of the various support services of a program or institution that provides healthcare to individuals, groups and communities.
Health services managers might be responsible for managing an entire facility, or they may specialize in managing a specific clinical area or department, or manage a medical practice for a group of healthcare practitioners, such as physicians. Their scope of responsibility typically ranges from managing employees to budgeting to purchasing equipment.
Education Needed to Become a Health Services Manager
There are no standard educational requirements for becoming a health services manager. These requirements typically vary by employer, and largely depend on the size and nature of the health service organization concerned. Many health services managers have a bachelor, master or professional degree, combined with years of practical experience.
For example, many health services managers have undergraduate and/or graduate degrees in fields such as:
• Health services
• Long-term care administration
• Public health
• Public administration
• Business administration
Many others have an educational background in medicine, pharmacy, nursing or accounting, and often supplement their training and experience by taking continuing education courses in health service management.
Regardless of the field of study they have pursued at the undergraduate, graduate or professional level, health services managers often start in junior administrative positions to gain on-the-job experience before they progress into the role of manager. There are exceptions to this of course, as some go directly into mid and senior-level management positions upon graduation, although this is typically only true for those who have a graduate-level education in health care management or a closely related field.
Skills Needed to Become a Health Services Manager
In order to become effective in a career as a health services manager, and perform your job duties with competence, you need to posses a certain set of skills, including:
• Able to grasp clinical issues, including the understanding of treatments and evolving medical technologies
• Able to adapt to changes in healthcare laws, regulations, and technology
• Excellent organizational skills
• Able to persuade others and motivate employees
• Able to communicate effectively with a wide variety of individuals and professional groups
• You are able to balance the need to provide quality service with the need for keeping operating costs low
• A proven ability to challenge existing practices and find alternatives that are more effective and/or efficient
• Able to make difficult decisions, particularly in areas such as the allocation of funds or organizing staffing levels
Who Employs Health Services Managers?
The following types of organizations typically employ health services managers:
• Public health organizations
• Colleges and universities
• Specialty hospitals and acute care hospitals
• Ambulatory care
• Continuing care facilities
• Mental health facilities
• Rehabilitation agencies
• Health planning agencies, including government departments
• Health associations
• Health charities and foundations
• Regional health authorities
• Private consulting companies
• Military hospitals and clinics
Related Links: Health Care Aides
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