What paths lead to a career in healthcare management?

Healthcare is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world. According to forecasts by The Health Foundation, by 2030, the healthcare industry will require a 40% increase in healthcare professionals in order to keep up with demand.

With global populations enjoying increased life expectancies – together with existing, systemic issues facing the industry as a whole, from staffing issues to budget constraints – healthcare services around the world are on the lookout for operational management experts who understand the complex, unique nature of the healthcare system.

How can care be delivered more efficiently – but also more affordably? How can the quality of patient care continue to be prioritised despite rising numbers? What other solutions can be implemented to mitigate challenges that are crippling effective healthcare delivery? These are the questions being asked of health practice managers and leaders.

If you’re motivated to make a vital contribution to public health and society – and have an interest in the business side of medical practice – a healthcare management career could be the answer.

What is the role of a healthcare manager?

A healthcare manager’s overarching responsibility is to support and ensure the day-to-day operations of healthcare facilities. As they often oversee large departments or projects, their individual responsibilities can be extensive. Healthcare managers must remain at the cutting-edge of new developments, trends and technologies in order to keep health services functioning efficiently and focus on service quality improvement.

In terms of skills, healthcare managers require strong interpersonal and communication skills, managerial and leadership skills, and advanced organisational skills.

There are plenty of opportunities to follow your individual interests due to the wide variety of healthcare management jobs. The NHS website lists some of the areas you could consider, stating that management roles ‘in the NHS offer unrivalled opportunity and variety’ where you can ‘reach the top of the career pathway’:

• general management – taking responsibility for a department, service or budget in a variety of different settings
• health information management – managing and constructing medical records and health information programmes to ensure they meet medical, ethical, and legal standards
• clinical management – leading multidisciplinary healthcare teams to deliver high quality patient care
• practice management – managing the business of a surgery
• operations management – ensuring planning and service delivery equips frontline staff with everything they need to deliver quality care
• human resources management – overseeing all aspects of people management, including recruitment, training and development, and conflict management
• project management – designing, developing and delivering various programmes and projects, from digital information technology to new services
• financial management – overseeing finances and budgets to ensure proper and effective allocation in the interests of staff and patients
• estates management – ensuring buildings, facilities and infrastructure are fit for purpose and running smoothly so care can be delivered both safely and effectively.

Whatever your chosen area, there are shared skills that all healthcare management positions require, including strategic thinking, developing and implementing solutions (often through the use of new technologies), critical problem-solving and decision-making, and creative with often-limited resources.

Talent.com list the average salary of a healthcare management professional in the United Kingdom as £45,000 per year. Entry-level salaries begin around £35,000 per year and managers with years of experience can earn upwards of £65,000 per year. Naturally, specific salaries will depend on whether you choose to work in the public, private, or non-profit sector, as well as the individual nature of the role.

What are the advantages of working in healthcare management?

Healthcare is a sector under rapid transformation. This means you’ll join a highly dynamic, exciting industry defined by growth and adaptability, new challenges, and opportunities to innovate – where leadership roles will be critical to long-term sustainability and success.

Here are just three of the key benefits of working within the healthcare management sphere:

• It’s a meaningful, rewarding occupation. A PayScale survey found that 44% of the top 25 highest-paid job roles – where work was described as ‘contributing to society’ and ‘meaningful’ – were in the healthcare sector. If ensuring your work improves and enhances the lives of others is of great personal value, working in the field of healthcare management might be a natural fit.
• It’s a growing sector with a healthy job outlook. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that ‘employment of medical and health services managers is projected to grow 28% from 2022 to 2032’ – much faster than the average for all occupations. This growth also creates opportunities for advancement, signals greater job stability and higher salaries, and the option to pursue career paths in varied healthcare settings and sectors. For example, you could work in public and private care organisations, including hospital administration, rehabilitation, palliative care, pharmaceuticals or preventative treatment – as anything from a practice manager to a nursing home administrator to head of quality management.
• It’s a career that could take you around the world. Healthcare services are among the largest employers in nearly every country. The NHS, for example, is ‘the biggest employer in Europe and the world’s largest employer of highly skilled professionals’, employing 1.3 million people in England alone – or 1 in every 25 working-age adults. Similarly, healthcare – and innovative, resourceful healthcare managers – are required worldwide, meaning you’re likely to be in demand wherever you’re based, or wherever you want to go.

What are the different routes into healthcare management and leadership?

Indeed’s step-by-step guide into how to get started in healthcare management offers useful tips on the options available to you.

Firstly, they recommend obtaining relevant undergraduate degrees and/or postgraduate degrees. While a bachelor’s degree programme may satisfy the entry criteria for some leadership roles, gaining a leading qualification – such as a Master of Business Administration (MBA) healthcare management programme or a Master of Health Administration (MHA) – can help to fast-track your advancement and equip you fully for the demands of senior management positions. It’s a popular route for many aspiring healthcare and medical leaders.

Additionally, it pays to ensure you have sufficient work experience in healthcare settings. As well as helping you decide if health management is the right path for you, it can give you a valuable advantage when applying for positions later down the line. Full-time or part-time internships, placements, jobs and volunteering experience – preferably in a range of different healthcare environments or with different providers – will develop your skills and knowledge and provide key insights into the duties, responsibilities and challenges of the role.

Gain the skills to deliver exceptional quality, person-centred care

Ready to study for your online healthcare management degree?

Support healthcare organisations to transform care provision and improve patient outcomes with St Mary’s University’s online MBA with Healthcare Management programme.

You’ll gain the skills to assess organisational performance, manage the integration of patients, systems and technologies, and drive healthcare innovation – all on a highly flexible, 100%-online master’s degree that aligns with your career goals. Benefit from the fundamental business and leadership elements of a traditional MBA programme, together with specialist insights from within healthcare administration and management. You’ll study quality management, health leadership and quality analytics, alongside topics such as strategy, finance, economics, business intelligence and informatics, marketing, operations, and much more.