Health Care Department Manager

Education Requirements:
Required Education: BS in Health Care Administration or BS in Healthcare Management Click here for more information
American Association of Healthcare Administrative ManagementSalary Range:
$92K - $100K (Average Median) Annually
Educational Institutions:
Employment Outlook:
Very good
Job Overview:
Job seekers often overlook the business side of health care, but fact is, health care is very much a business that needs effective management. Health care managers are also called health care administrators, health services managers or hospital administrators. These professionals can oversee specific departments or manage an entire health care system or facility.
There are two types of health care administrators—generalists and specialists. Generalists are individuals who are responsible for managing or helping to manage an entire medical facility. Specialists are individuals who are responsible for the efficient operations of a specific department such as policy analysis, finance, accounting, budgeting, human resources or marketing.
A Healthcare Department Manager’s job role is to ensure that the overall administration of the department operates smoothly. They are concerned with the quality of care provided but are not directly assessing the staff on the delivery of care. The delivery of care is managed by a care manager.
Hospitals, clinics and medical offices hire administrators who will oversee quite a lot of care for their patients and staff. Department Managers must schedule their staff, assess their staff and hire new employees. They are responsible for the budget that keeps their department running, and they must work together with superiors who manage larger functions in the same facility from many departments.
To be successful in a health care administration career, one must be familiar with management principles and practices.
Job Tasks:
- Direct, supervise and evaluate work activities of medical, nursing, technical, clerical, service, maintenance, and/or other personnel.
- Direct or conduct recruitment, hiring and training of personnel.
- Develop and implement organizational policies and procedures for the facility or medical unit.
- Conduct and administer fiscal operations including accounting, planning budgets, authorizing expenditures, establishing rates for services and coordinating financial reporting.
- Maintain awareness of advances in medicine, computerized diagnostic and treatment equipment, data processing technology, government regulations, health insurance changes and financing options.
- Prepare activity reports to inform senior management of the status and implementation plans of programs, services and quality initiatives.
- Establish work schedules and assignments for staff, according to workload, pace and equipment availability.
- Maintain communication between governing boards, medical staff and department heads by attending relevant meetings and coordinating interdepartmental functioning.
Skills and Abilities Needed to Perform Job:
- Knowledge of multiple computer software use in business administration including accounting, analytical or scientific, business intelligence and data analysis, document management, enterprise resource planning and project management.
- Knowledge of data base user interface and query software.
- Knowledge of medical software – Epic Systems, MedFORCE Technologies WorkFlow, MEDITECH and Medical procedure coding software.
- Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods and coordination of people and resources.
- Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar.
- Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services.
- Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor statistics and negotiation and personnel information systems.
- Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules and the democratic political process.
- Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases and deformities.
- Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups and the measurement of training effects.
- Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
- Critical Thinking – Ability to use logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- Oral Expression – Ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Oral Comprehension – Ability to listen and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Judgement and Decision Making – Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Inductive Reasoning – Ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions.
- Deductive Reasoning – Ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that makes sense.
- Written Comprehension – Ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
- Problem Sensitivity – Ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong.
- Time Management – Managing one’s own time and the time of others.
- Coordination – Adjusting actions in relation to others’ actions.
- Active Learning – Understanding the implications of additional information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Desired Work Style Attributes:
- Attention to details
- Integrity – Honest and ethical
- Dependability – Reliable and responsible
- Cooperation – Pleasant with others
- Leadership – Willingness to lead, take charge and offer opinions and directions
- Adaptability/Flexibility – Open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace
- Self-Control – Maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations
- Stress Tolerance – Accepting criticism and dealing calmly in stressful situations
- Analytical Thinking – Analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems
- Initiative – Willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges