Spotlights
- Healthcare Executives
- Healthcare Administrators
- Health Information Management Director
Health Service Managers are responsible for planning and directing the services provided in various healthcare organizations. Typically this career requires experience and knowledge in healthcare laws, regulations, and technology to improve the efficiency and quality of healthcare services at their facility.
- Employment security due to rapidly growing career field
- Meaningful work and making a real difference in the lives of customers
- Opportunities for career mobility
- Diverse job opportunities
- Overseeing fiscal operations:
- Manage the finances of the facility, such as patient fees and billing
- Prepare and monitor budgets and spending to ensure departments operate within funding limits
- Keep and organize records of the facility’s services, such as the number of inpatient beds used; also determining rates for services
- Making sure the facility adheres to the most current standards of medical and legal laws and regulations
*Note: The following responsibilities relate to the position of a Healthcare Administrator, but as these positions demand similar qualifications, often facilities (especially smaller ones) will expect an employee to take on tasks for both positions
- Supervising employees:
- Developing departmental goals and objectives
- Recruiting and training staff members
- Creating work schedules and assigning them to staff
- Keeping lines of communication with co-workers throughout the facility (beyond subordinates):
- Assembling reports to update management on plans for programs, services, and cost-cutting/quality enhancement
- Working with department heads and medical staff to gauge their needs and expectations
- Speaking for the facility at meetings with investors or on governing boards
Soft Skills
- Written and oral communication
- Critical thinking and analytical skills
- Decision-making
- Interpersonal and leadership skills
- Organization and time management (supervising, scheduling)
Hard Skills:
- Budgeting
- Customer billing
- Project management
Technical Skills
- Data management and query software: e.g. Microsoft Access, SQL
- Medical software: e.g. Epic Systems, MEDITECH software, electronic health record (EHR) systems
- Knowledge of advancements in healthcare technology and data analytics
- Hospitals
- Clinics
- Managed care organizations
- Public health agencies
- Medical practice for a group of physicians
→ Within these organizations, health service managers may coordinate an entire facility or a specific department
- Working long hours
- Working at odd hours due to on-call schedules at a healthcare facility
- Traveling to attend meetings or inspect satellite facilities (could be a positive aspect of the job too!)
- Cutting costs associated with operating a healthcare facility
- IT management skills highly desired in health service managers
- Use of social media to communicate with and educate current/prospective customers
- Increasing protection of patient privacy
Basic Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree in a related field (e.g. health administration, health management, nursing, public health administration, or business administration)
- Master’s degrees (e.g. health services, long-term care administration, public health, public administration, or business administration) are not required but are often preferred by employers, especially when the graduate program includes supervised administrative experience in a hospital or healthcare consulting setting
- Work experience in healthcare administration: e.g. medical records and health information technicians or administrative assistants for a healthcare office
Requirements for Certification:
- Certification is not a strict requirement for employment but can enhance a candidate’s profile
- Certification Organizations:
- Professional Association of Health Care Office Management
- Certification in medical management
- American Health Information Management Association
- Health information management certification, and the
- American College of Health Care Administrators
- Certified Nursing Home Administrator
- Certified Assisted Living Administrator distinctions.
Career Advancement:
- Masters Degree
- Experience
- Take challenging and interdisciplinary course load, including courses in math, science, business, and english
- Clubs that develop communication skills, such as debate/journalism
- Seek leadership experience (e.g. board member of a school club)
- Community engagement and healthcare experience: Volunteer to work at a doctor’s office, hospital, or clinic
→ This could lead to opportunities to shadow or intern for a health service manager
- Harry J. Harwick Scholarship (for undergraduate/undergraduate students attending an ACEHSA or AUPHA accredited school, $5,000 award)
- Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Scholarships (for high school, undergraduate, and graduate students, up to $30,000 award)
- Corris Boyd Scholars Program (for graduate students who are minorities, $40,000 award)
- Further Resources

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A Bachelor’s degree from a program certified by AUPHA (Association of University Programs in Health Administration) is especially well-recognized and requires completion of an internship in a healthcare setting, which can lead to employment following graduation
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However, be sure to get your master’s degree and skills in healthcare IT systems to give yourself the best chances of employment as a health service manager
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Membership and engagement in a professional organization can promote a resume and allow for networking opportunities
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Apply to the various organizations where a health service manager would be employed (previously listed)
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Professional organizations such as AUPHA may also list available jobs and aids in the job search (http://www.aupha.org/home)
- Confidence and experience to make firm decisions
- Diplomacy and effective communication to navigate various interests and lead a team effectively
- Community Health Educator
- Community Service Manager
- Insurance Underwriter
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