What Does a Healthcare Manager Do?
Are you looking for a growing career with high earning potential? Do you want to combine your love of administration with your passion for healthcare? If this sounds like you, consider becoming a healthcare manager. These essential workers keep hospitals, nursing homes, and other medical facilities running. They do so by overseeing all aspects of the operation.
Before entering the field, you should know the answers to some important questions. What does a healthcare manager do and how does a person become one? Read our guide to find out more about the roles and functions of healthcare managers, what their work life is like, and how to get a job in this emerging field.
What Is a Healthcare Manager?
To understand what healthcare managers do, it’s important to understand their purpose and why an organization would want to hire them. Healthcare providers require several different types of employees. They may need doctors, nurses, receptionists, and more. They need someone to manage these employees, monitoring them to ensure they perform well.
Healthcare providers also manage a great deal of information, including financial and medical records. Someone has to ensure these records stay updated, remain accurate, and reach the right individuals. A healthcare manager meets these needs and more. They share responsibilities with healthcare administrators, such as staff management. What sets them apart is their ability to perform a range of other essential tasks as well.
What Does a Healthcare Manager Do?
The primary role of a healthcare manager is to ensure that a healthcare institution runs as effectively as possible. They do this by performing several different tasks. Categorizing the various roles and functions of healthcare managers makes them easier to understand. Even those who work in a single department may have to perform tasks in a wide range of specializations.
Financial Duties
Several health care manager duties involve monitoring where the facility’s money goes. These professionals create budgets for their department and/or the entire facility. They oversee patient billing and fees, ensuring they’re accurate and paid on time.
Financial regulation is a crucial role of a healthcare manager. They must make sure that the institution they work at has enough money to meet its needs.
Social Duties
A healthcare manager can become the face of the institution. That’s why several healthcare management duties are socially based. Healthcare managers oversee all employees. They create schedules for, hire, train, and supervise every worker.
Healthcare managers also interact with department heads and staff members. They must be comfortable with public speaking, as they may need to explain things like new policies to large groups of people.
Other Duties
A manager’s purpose, no matter what facility they work at, is to oversee all aspects of daily operations. A healthcare manager will develop goals, organize services, and more.
Healthcare managers ensure that everyone follows all state and national regulations. In doing so, they can prevent legal issues such as malpractice suits that could cost the institution valuable time and money.
Work Life of Healthcare Managers
The roles and functions of healthcare managers depend on their exact job title and what type of facility they work in. Various businesses need healthcare managers, giving them a wide range of workplaces to choose from. They may end up in a traditional healthcare facility like a hospital or nursing home or focus on research in an academic setting.
The BLS or Bureau of Labor Statistics provides information that shows where most healthcare managers work. 33% are employed in hospitals, 11% in physician offices, 10% in nursing homes or residential care facilities, 8% in the government sector, and 7% in outpatient care centers.
There are several designations healthcare managers could fall into. Nursing home managers that manage nursing homes. Clinical managers oversee a specific department. Health information managers oversee all health records.
The roles and functions of a healthcare manager are so essential that most work full time. They may clock over 40 hours a week. This is especially likely when they’re on-call for emergencies or in facilities that are open 24 hours.
Pay and Outlook
The average healthcare manager earns $47.95 per hour. This adds up to a salary of $99,730 per year, compared to $90,120 for other management jobs. Geographical location and workplace can change how much they earn. Working in the government or hospital sector provides the highest paycheck. Physician offices or nursing home and residential care facilities pay the least.
The outlook in the healthcare management field is positive. There are at least 68,000 open positions, a number that should only increase in the coming years. The expected change in employment is 18% compared to 6% for other management positions.
Healthcare managers are a highly sought-after type of worker. Essential healthcare management duties like overseeing employees, records, and finances will continue to be necessary as they help keep facilities running.
How to Become a Healthcare Manager
Most healthcare managers need to obtain a bachelor’s degree. They may also need previous experience in the healthcare field. Healthcare managers usually don’t need licenses or certifications unless they work in more specialized locations like nursing homes or assisted living facilities.
Applicants must hone their skills to perform the various roles and functions of healthcare managers. They should be detail-oriented and analytical. They must also be effective communicators and leaders who are familiar with medical terminology and technology.
The fact that healthcare managers don’t need to be licensed doesn’t mean there’s no need for additional education or experience. It can help you stand out as an attractive candidate. If you need help getting a job in this emerging field, see more here.
Why You Should Consider Becoming a Health Manager
There is a simple answer to the question of ‘what does a healthcare manager do’. They oversee all aspects of a healthcare institution. They regulate finances, oversee records, and communicate with partners and employees.
The pay and outlook for healthcare managers are both positive and continue to rise. These professionals are a necessary part of ensuring smooth operations at any medical facility.
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