If your goal is to be a leader in the field of healthcare, perhaps you're wondering about the types of careers available in healthcare administration. There's a broad variety of possible career choices available for individuals who have the right mix of interpersonal skills, academic credentials, leadership abilities and supervisory experience, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Let's take a look at the details of some typical healthcare administration jobs that are available.
Director of Medical Services
A medical director must be knowledgeable in every facet of healthcare administration. They are typically responsible for recruiting and selecting appropriate healthcare providers for staffing the facility at which they work; supervising those doctors and nurses once they are hired; and ensuring that all patients at the facility receive appropriate care. They may also be responsible for overseeing the purchase of needed medical supplies and equipment.
Health Information Manager
This individual is typically responsible for supervising the medical records team at a healthcare facility as well as securing and overseeing all the medical records that are generated by the patients at that facility. Responsibilities may include recruiting and training medical coders, billers, cybersecurity specialists and other members of the medical records team. These responsibilities are likely to also include oversight of the healthcare informatics system used for inputting and maintaining the medical records.
Nursing Home Administrator
The nursing home administrator is typically responsible for overseeing all the operations of a nursing home facility. They create, maintain and adhere to the facility's budget. They recruit, hire, train and schedule nursing home staff to carry out the delivery of healthcare services to the nursing home's residents. Administrators work to ensure that all the residents remain as well and comfortable as possible during their stay at the facility. They are responsible for overseeing the team that maintains residents' healthcare records while they are on site.
Clinic Administrator
Clinics can be publicly or privately operated healthcare facilities; therefore, the clinic administrator can be either a public health professional or a private enterprise manager. Either way, they will need to have the know-how to manage the clinic's daily operations, from recruiting, training and retaining staff to accurate patient billing and collections. Oversight and management of patients' medical records and the health informatics system is important to the administrator in this role.
Hospice Care Administrator
The role of hospice care administrator requires an individual with superior interpersonal skills, exceptional levels of diplomacy, strong leadership abilities and an empathetic, compassionate personality. This person is responsible for managing and overseeing the operations of a hospice care facility and all its associated team members.
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If healthcare administration is a field that interests you, these are examples of several viable career paths you could consider pursuing. Overall, the healthcare industry is in a state of expansion. With many more doctors, nurses and clinical practitioners needed to care for the aging population in the USA, many more medical administrators will be needed to manage the growing numbers of staffers at healthcare facilities across the nation. Experts at the Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipate that 20 percent more medical administrators will be needed by the year 2026 to fill the increasing demand. With such a diversity of lucrative careers available in healthcare administration, there will be numerous opportunities for talented individuals to make an excellent living in this field.