Healthcare organizations prioritize care, seeking to provide the best outcomes for patients who rely on them for diagnostic testing, treatments and preventative services. However, healthcare facilities and practices are businesses, and like companies in other industries, they need policies, procedures and strategies to operate efficiently. Medical and health services managers oversee the business aspects of healthcare, enabling organizations to fulfill their missions.
The demand for medical and health services managers has increased in recent years and is expected to continue growing soon. As a result, the role can be a good fit for someone seeking in-demand management opportunities. Medical and health services managers also typically enjoy generous salaries; however, unlike other healthcare jobs with similar pay, they do not usually require a doctorate-level degree to enter the field. For most positions, a master’s degree is sufficient, allowing completion of the entire educational path in six to seven years.
This guide explores the career journey of medical and health services managers and explains how Southeastern Oklahoma State University’s online Master of Science (M.S.) in Health Administration program can help prepare you for the job. You will also learn what the role entails, the skills required and the salary and job prospects you can expect.
What Does a Medical and Health Services Manager Do?
Medical and health services managers serve as key business management professionals for hospitals, clinics, private medical practices, nursing homes and other healthcare businesses. Depending on the size of their employer, they may oversee an entire facility or a single department within one.
The primary function of a medical and health services manager is to bridge clinical care and business operations. To support success in these two aspects of healthcare businesses, they are responsible for:
- Compliance: Managers ensure that organizations adhere to health and safety, patient privacy and other regulations established by federal, state and local governments.
- Policies: To ensure consistency, managers develop policies and procedures for all employees to follow and partner with medical professionals to devise standards of patient care.
- Financial success: Managers perform numerous finance-related duties, including creating and managing budgets and controlling costs.
- Staff coordination: Depending on the size of the facility, managers may either directly recruit, train and evaluate staff or work with HR to create staffing plans.
How to Become a Medical and Health Services Manager
There are two main pathways to becoming a medical and health services manager: education and experience. With the education path, prospective managers typically earn a bachelor’s degree in business and then transition into mid-level management roles. To advance to upper-level and C-Suite managerial roles, a graduate degree in health administration is usually required.
The experience route typically begins with a future manager obtaining an entry-level clinical or clerical position with a healthcare organization. Over time, they develop skills and gain knowledge through on-the-job activities, gradually becoming eligible for positions of increasing responsibility.
Prospective medical and health services managers taking either pathway may benefit from earning voluntary certification along the way. Examples of these credentials include the American Board of Quality Assurance and Utilization Review Physicians’ (ABQAURP) certification in Health Care Quality and Management (HCQM) and the Professional Association of Health Care Office Management’s (PAHCOM) Certified Medical Manager (CMM) designation. To qualify for certifications, managers typically must meet specific education and experience requirements and pass written examinations.
Medical and Health Services Manager Education Requirements
As previously mentioned, an M.S. in Health Administration is typically the minimum educational requirement for upper management positions in healthcare. In fact, a medical and health services manager is among the most common careers for graduates of health administration master’s degree programs.
Most M.S. in Health Administration programs provide students with a solid foundation in both business and healthcare. They commonly include coursework in healthcare informatics, capital structure, behavioral management, medical ethics and healthcare public policy and law.
Most students spend six to seven years earning their initial bachelor’s and graduate degrees in health administration. However, accelerated options are available for working professionals who have gained advanced knowledge and skills on the job.
Medical and Health Services Manager Salary and Job Outlook
As of May 2024, the median annual salary for medical and health services managers in the U.S. was $117,960, with experience being a significant determinant of how much professionals in this role earn. The lowest-paid 10% of medical and health services managers earned $69,680 or less per year, while the highest-paid 10% earned $219,080 or more.
Geographic location and work setting also impact on how much medical and health services managers earn. For example, as of May 2024, medical and health services managers in Oklahoma earned an average of $115,760 per year, while those in California received an average of $157,487 per year, mainly due to differences in the cost of living. Nationwide, the average wages for managers in common settings were:
- State, local and private hospitals: $130,690 per year
- Outpatient care centers: $106,990 per year
- Offices of physicians: $100,780 per year
- Nursing and residential care facilities: $99,250 per year
Job prospects for medical and health services managers will likely remain favorable over the next decade. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that nationwide, demand for this role is expected to grow by 23% through 2034, with approximately 62,100 jobs opening each year. In Oklahoma, job growth may be even faster, with the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission (OESC) predicting a 26.3% increase in the number of medical and health services manager positions through 2034.
Essential Skills for Healthcare Management Success
To succeed in healthcare management, a strong set of essential skills is necessary. Among them are:
- Leadership: Managers benefit from the ability to think strategically and motivate and develop employees, as well as manage organizational change in the ever-evolving healthcare industry.
- Communication: Being able to communicate ideas clearly and effectively, both in writing and verbally, is essential for carrying out many healthcare managerial duties.
- Financial acumen: Healthcare managers benefit from in-depth knowledge of business finance and compliance in the healthcare industry.
- Technology proficiency: In-depth knowledge of healthcare information systems is crucial, enabling managers to understand the technology used to manage patient data effectively.
M.S. in Healthcare Administration programs help students develop these critical skills. Working professionals entering master’s programs may already have a foundation in these areas from their on-the-job experience.
Advance Your Healthcare Career
As a medical and health services manager, you have a unique opportunity to direct the activities of healthcare organizations, positively impacting both their standards of care and driving their financial success. A master’s degree can help you advance into this high-paying, fast-growing field and provide you with the knowledge and skills needed to successfully lead a hospital, clinic, private practice or long-term care facility.
With Southeastern’s online M.S. in Health Administration program, you can pursue the degree commonly required for medical and health services managers with more flexibility. Designed for working clinical professionals, the program enables you to balance work, school and personal obligations. Whether your background is in nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, respiratory therapy, physician assistant or another healthcare specialty, Southeastern can help you take the next step toward leadership roles.
Learn more about Southeastern Oklahoma State University’s online M.S. in Healthcare Administration program.