As positions for nurses and other medical workers increase, so do jobs for those who oversee the staff and operations at hospitals, clinics and doctors’ offices. Health services managers work in these vital roles. Some manage an entire operation. Others oversee large departments within an operation or a clinical area. In all cases, these professionals need expertise in business as well as in health care finance and regulations.
Professionals who want to be a part of this important, rapidly growing field can begin their career journey by enrolling in the online Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Healthcare Management program from Florida Institute of Technology. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects a 29% increase in the number of medical and health service managers nationwide between 2023 and 2033, meaning there will be excellent job opportunities for those with the appropriate education and qualifications.
What Is a Medical and Health Services Manager?
A health services manager may work under many different names. In some cases, they are called health care administrators or health care executives. Whatever the title, the job involves overseeing a health care operation.
The type of facility could be a chain of doctor’s offices, a hospital, a community clinic or a large department within a medical facility. Such departments can range from business-oriented areas such as healthcare records and accounting to clinical areas.
Health services managers need leadership and business skills and a deep understanding of health care system operations. That includes not only the costs of providing care, but also the perpetually shifting details of insurance policies and government regulations.
What Do Health Services Managers Do?
The job description of a health services manager will depend greatly on where they work and the exact nature of their job. However, according to the BLS, duties typically include the following:
- Developing a plan, often in coordination with other managers, for the goals of a department or facility
- Continuously working to make operations more effective and efficient
- Keeping up with laws and regulations that impact the health care industry and ensuring that the operation they oversee complies
- Working with human resources to recruit, train and retain staff members
- Monitoring all the finances of a facility or department to ensure it stays profitable and within budget
- Identifying members of staff who are good candidates for management
- Creating work schedules for the team
- Representing the facility or department at meetings and conferences
- Using leadership skills to guide the organization
Medical and Health Services Manager Salary Potential
Many medical operations pay health care managers very well. Nationwide, medical and health service managers made a median annual salary of $110,680 in 2023, according to BLS data, with the typical salary range (middle 50% of earners) being $86,080 to $157,640 per year.
Generally, medical and surgery centers employ the most medical and health services managers, followed by doctors’ offices, outpatient care centers and nursing facilities. However, the highest-paying jobs in this occupational group exist in more specialized settings, such as pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing, wholesale trade agents and brokers, and scientific research and development services.
How To Become a Health Services Manager
Health services managers generally need at least a bachelor’s degree; however, BLS reports that some employers prefer master’s degrees. Specifically, the professional role would benefit from an education that combines health care and business studies, including advanced health care management studies and courses on business topics such as financial management, strategic management, marketing and organizational behavior.
Florida Tech’s online MBA in Healthcare Management program provides students with this comprehensive understanding of business and health care. In addition to core business studies, the degree program teaches students how to apply theories of leadership, management and negotiation in a health care setting through courses on subjects like information management in health care, health care marketing, health care policy and legal issues.
Is Health Care Services the Right Path?
Health care can prove as much a calling as a career for many who work in the profession. That’s because it’s a career built around helping others. That’s true even for those who work in administration. Their focus is on operating a facility that provides the best patient care possible.
Success in the field requires business acumen and leadership skills, such as the ability to communicate well. Health services managers need to be detail-oriented, dependable and reliable. Integrity is also essential in a job where people need to trust and respect those in leadership roles.
Health care management jobs require dedication, commitment and the development of expertise. For those with ambition and the commitment to obtain the education needed to excel in the job, it’s a rewarding career path. Florida Tech offers the convenient and flexible MBA in Healthcare Management program 100% online to prepare professionals to meet challenges and find opportunities in today’s health care industry.
Learn more about Florida Tech’s online MBA in Healthcare Management program.
