Health Care Managers and Administrator Job Duties
Health care managers and administrators are professionals who plan, coordinate and direct both medical and health care services. These professionals may manage an entire health care facility, or may specialize in the management of a certain area or clinical department. They also may manage a health care practice for a group of medical professionals. Health care is a rapidly changing field, so a health care manager needs to be adept at adapting to frequent changes in health care laws and regulations.
With a master’s degree in public health, you would be in great demand in this field. Some of your duties would likely include:
- Boost the efficiency and quality in the delivery of needed health care services
- Stay up to date on any new health care laws to maintain compliance at your facility
- Oversee any assistant administration at your facility
- Manage the overall operation and finances of the organization
- Represent the organization at any government or investor meetings
- Maintain records of the services of the health care organization
- Effectively communicate with the medical staff and heads of departments
In most medical practices, health care managers or administrators will work with doctors, nurses, lab staff and many other employees of the facility. Your exact title will vary depending on what kind of medical facility it is. For example, you may be known as a nursing home administrator if you work at a retirement home, where you will manage admissions, staff, operations and finance.
If you work in a laboratory or hospital, you may be called a clinical manager, and you will manage a certain clinical department. You also may be known as a health information manager, where you would be responsible for the security of all records of your patients.
Health Care Managers and Administrator Career & Salary Outlook
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) states that the employment prospects for health care managers and administrators will grow by 22% in the next 10 years, which is faster than average compared to other occupations. This is in part because the baby boom generation is aging and there will be an increased demand for health care services as that large number of people retires. Also, people are living longer and also remaining active well into their 70s and beyond, so this also will cause a surge in demand for these services, and consequently, for health care managers.
There will be a need for more doctors, other medical professionals and health care facilities, and of course skilled managers will be needed to keep all of the information and staff at these facilities well organized.
The median pay for health care managers and administrators was $84,200 in 2010, with the top 10% earning an impressive $144,880. There is little doubt that a professional with extensive experience and a master’s degree in public health can obtain a very good-paying job in this field.
In 2010, median compensation for a health care manager in a practice with six or less doctors was $86,100, and $115,000 in practices with seven to 25 doctors.
See list of Masters in Public Health careers
Job Outlook for Health Care Managers and Administrators
There were 303,000 health care managers employed in the US in 2010, and there will be 371,000 in 2020, which is an increase of 68,000. Employment in this field is expected to surge in health practitioner offices. Many of the services that were once provided in hospitals will now switch to these new settings. This is particularly the case as technology in medicine gets better. More demand for skilled managers in practice management is expected as these practices become bigger, more complex, and offer more out-patient medical services once provided by hosptials.
Health Care Managers and Administrators Education and Training
To become a health care manager or administrator, you should have a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in public health, health services or public administration. An MBA is also a possibility.
Some of the essential coursework to work in this field include hospital organization/management, accounting, HR administration, law and ethics, the economics of health, and health information. You will advance into higher paying roles with more responsibility after working in the field for several years. You may start out with your master’s degree in public health as an assistant administrator or a department head, and then grow into a senior management position in time. Short on time? See our list of Online Mph programs.
