Health Management is among the top ten millennium professions. As healthcare management is becoming increasingly privatized there is a greater need for not only skillful doctors but also efficient hospital administrators. Training in hospital management opens up a number of career options. Large hospitals often have a team of managers to oversee operations in specific departments, such as human resources, health information and medical billing. Smaller hospitals may only have a few administrators that work in multiple administrative areas. A manager may also head the entire hospital administrative system.
Hospital management and administration is concerned with the organization, coordination, planning, staffing, evaluating and controlling of health services for the masses. The primary objective is to provide quality healthcare to people and that too in a cost-effective manner. Professional hospital administrators have proven how institutions can be managed proficiently, economically and successfully in a given time period.
In this career, you will work behind the scenes making the healthcare facility work as efficiently as possible. You will do some or all of the following:
Recruit and hire physicians
Develop budgets
Create policies for quality assurance and patient services
Promote and implement new types of medical treatments and equipment
Assure compliance with government regulations
Analysis of investments
Reviewing market data
Development of promotional plans for certain drugs
Skills required
Hospital administrators must have the skills to understand legal regulations pertaining to health-care delivery.
Administrators are managers and must have good oral and written communication skills to work with a variety of professionals and the interpersonal skills to motivate hospital personnel.
Managers of large hospitals are problem solvers who can find solutions to administrative challenges.
The role of a hospital administrator requires continuing education to remain up to date on the latest regulations and technological advances in the health-care field. For example, administrators must remain current in the technology used to maintain health information systems and the regulations regarding patient privacy.
Hospital administrators have strong organizational skills and can manage multiple projects at one time.
In smaller hospitals, administrators may organize many of the daily operations of the facility.
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Government and private hospitals
Health agencies, laboratories and clinics
National and international healthcare organizations
Health insurance companies
Medical colleges and institutions
Healthcare centers and nursing homes
Mental health organizations
Public health departments and rehabilitation centers
Pharmaceuticals and hospital supply firms
Medical software companies and hospital consulting firms
Earnings
A survey by Health Facilities Management found that administrators with less than two years of experience earned $64,176 a year in facilities management and operations. With three to five years of experience, those in facilities management and operations earned $70,912 a year, while six to 10 years of experience provides salaries of almost $79,000 a year. With more than 25 years of experience, salaries jump to over $110,000 a year.
Life Sciences are helpful in improving the quality and standard of Life. A degree in a Life Sciences subject will prepare you for a career in research and development.
Given the nature and diversity of the discipline, business and economics provides a solid background for management, finance, public policy and international business relations.
Engineering is a profession where creativity and ingenuity knows no bounds. If you are looking for challenging opportunities then, engineering is the most ideal profession to opt for.
Navigating an evolving legal system, advances in technology, vast bodies of case law and the demands of profession creates an intellectual environment for the legal professional.