Hot Jobs: Medical and Health Services Manager
If you love the thought of helping people—but hate the thought of blood—you might be perfect for a role as a medical and health services manager. Although the scope and scale of the work done by health services managers varies, these business professionals have one thing in common: They help keep life-saving facilities like hospitals and other healthcare facilities up and running.
If you are planning to pursue an MBA and have an interest in healthcare administration, this could be a perfect role for you.
What Is a Medical and Health Services Manager?
Medical and health services managers, often called healthcare administrators or executives, are responsible for the planning, directing and coordination of medical and health services. The scope of a medical manager’s role can vary widely: Depending on the size of an organization, a manager may be responsible for running the entire facility or just a specific area or department. Larger facilities typically have several assistant administrators to assist top management, and individual administrators may direct activities in areas like nursing, surgery or medical records, among others. In smaller medical groups, one administrator may be responsible for a greater number of duties, such as overseeing personnel matters, budgeting and patient flow.
Currently, the job outlook for medical and health services manager is very good, with a predicted growth of 17 percent between 2014 and 2024, a rate much faster than average. In 2014, medical and health services managers held roughly 333,000 jobs, mostly working in healthcare facilities like hospitals, nursing homes and group medical practices. The average pay for a medical and health services manager in 2015 was $94,500 per year.
Top Skills for a Medical and Health Services Manager
Doing this job successfully can literally be the difference between life or death. Medical and health services managers need a number of important skills in order to help healthcare facilities and the doctors working within them stay efficient and happy.
Most medical and health services managers are super-organized professionals who are both detail-oriented and analytical in maintaining the facility. Problem-solving is another crucial skill for healthcare managers. Technical skills, too, are key, since electronic health records and software are an integral part of running a facility. Healthcare administrators also spent a large amount of their job interacting with physicians, health insurance representatives and other administrators, so interpersonal and communication skills are incredibly important.
Medical and Health Services Manager and the MBA
Possessing an MBA or advanced degree is not generally required to become a medical and health services manager, but it could open new opportunities for those looking to excel in their field. Depending on what you plan to do in the field, additional certifications and licenses may be necessary—or could at least help prove your dedication to potential employers. While a bachelor’s degree is the most common requirement for the role, earning an MBA, particularly with a specialization in healthcare, can position individuals in the field to move into upper-level management or hospital director positions.
Best MBA Programs for a Career as a Medical and Health Services Manager
Foster School of Business — University of Washington
The Foster School of Business in Seattle offers a concurrent Master of Business Administration and Master of Health Administration degree program, designed for early career professionals to gain the necessary management and leadership skills to take on the future of healthcare.
Goizueta School of Business — Emory University
At the Goizueta School of Business in Atlanta, students can earn concurrent MBA and Master of Public Health degrees. The program acknowledges the constantly changing state of the United States healthcare system and the increasing need for individuals entering the field to be leaders within it.
Sloan School of Management — MIT
The MBA at the Sloan School of Management focuses on filling the need for healthcare managers and administrators in the country, shaping the future of the industry through innovative research and educational activities.
The Wharton School — University of Pennsylvania
At the Wharton School in Philadelphia, students are prepared to apply their MBA education to a number of potential careers. Indeed, graduates of the program have taken on leadership roles in pharmaceutical and medical product companies, consulting firms, hospitals and even governmental agencies.
About the Author
Alanna Shaffer
Staff Writer, covering MetroMBA's news beat for Atlanta, Houston, and Dallas.
