What Is Health Care Management? A Career Guide

Healthcare managers, or health service managers, are in charge of keeping healthcare facilities such as NHS or private hospitals, medical centres, and doctor's offices functioning and serving the community. They make sure the facility provides the best possible care and operates smoothly.

Careers in healthcare management have high earning potential. If you're interested in the healthcare field but want to avoid clinical duties, then healthcare management provides the opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives.

Discover the field of healthcare management, including careers, salary information, and how to get into it.

What is healthcare management? 

Healthcare management involves the responsibility of overseeing healthcare facilities. People in these roles strive to enhance treatment options and direct organisational policies and procedures. Healthcare management professionals are not directly involved with patient care but look at the bigger picture to ensure services offered benefit patients and empower staff. They make sure budgets allow maximum efficiency and quality and usually manage a team of medical staff.

Job responsibilities

Responsibilities of a healthcare management professional or a healthcare management team will vary according to the position but typically include:

• Developing and implementing organisational-level goals and procedures

• Researching and implementing strategies to improve standards of patient care and facilities offered

• Recruiting, training, and managing medical and administrative staff

• Managing finance and budgets

• Complying with health and data protection regulations, and audit procedures

• Collaborating with health boards, stakeholders, medical staff, and investors

Key skills in healthcare management

You will need to possess and demonstrate workplace skills to work in healthcare management. Common workplace skills include:

• Communication

• Problem-solving

• Flexibility

• Time management

• Team management

• Decision making

• Mentoring 

• Organisation

You also need technical skills such as:

• Excelling at managing budgets and finances

• Performing data analysis 

• Knowing and complying with quality standards, patient privacy, and other government regulations

• Understanding business principles and strategies 

• Managing health informatics, including electronic health records and administrative staff

• Recruiting and training medical staff

Many of these skills are transferable, meaning you can enter healthcare management from a variety of backgrounds and experiences.

Benefits of a healthcare management career

You'll have plenty of options for where you work, facilities as diverse as hospitals, nursing homes, doctor's offices, public health centres, university research labs, insurance companies, and pharmaceutical companies. You'll be able to make an impact on your community, perhaps by devising new policies that support the healthcare community or helping patients with billing and insurance. Because of this, job satisfaction tends to be high.

Salary and job outlook

Glassdoor estimates the average UK base salary of a healthcare service manager as £31,498 per year [1]. The salary level directly relates to years of experience, qualifications, location, and where you work. According to the National Careers Service, the starting salary for a healthcare service manager is £26,382 per year, rising to £68,525 per year with experience [2]. 

The demand for healthcare management professionals is good, with vacancies available across the UK in large hospital trusts and smaller community venues.

Related career paths

Besides becoming a healthcare manager, plenty of career paths are available within healthcare management. They vary from entry-level administrative roles to higher-up leadership roles, meaning plenty of opportunities to advance in the career field.

If you're looking for a role in healthcare management, consider:

• Case manager

• Care home administrator

• Clinical director or manager

• Estates manager

• Finance manager

• General manager

• Social services manager

• Health service manager

• Medical director or manager

• Practice manager

• Public health practitioner

How to get into healthcare management

Think this career could be for you? Consider the following steps to get started.

1. Earn your degree.

To qualify for the NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme, you need a bachelor's degree with at least a 2:2 grade. Any degree subject is accepted, but the most suitable subjects include psychology, social science, maths, business, or HR. 

2. Apply for the NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme.

To work as a healthcare manager for an NHS service, you need to complete the NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme. Competition is high for these placements as it prepares you for a senior role in healthcare management. You can select from six key areas of study to tailor the programme to the role you are looking to do. To gain entry you must apply online and undertake several assessments.

Private healthcare providers have their own training schemes so make sure you do your research before deciding your route.

3. Explore internships and work experience.

Whilst you don’t need experience to apply for the NHS graduate scheme, some level of clinical or administrative experience is good to have to work in healthcare management so you have a detailed understanding of terminology and how things work. To work as a health service manager after you’ve qualified, you’ll need relevant experience in your area of interest. 

4. Build up your CV.

Working in a management position means you will have ideally gained some experience through the ranks. You'll want to highlight instances in which you've taken on leadership in specific roles. Include entry-level positions, admin positions, and any voluntary positions on your resume that show you have a stable work history and have learned the necessary transferable skills to succeed in a career in healthcare management. 

5. Consider a certification.

If you want to stand out as a viable candidate, consider a certification in addition to a degree to master any skills you may be lacking. With a growing need for healthcare professionals, making yourself an expert in a specific area can equip you for in-demand positions and broaden your options. 

Technology is a growing part of a healthcare manager's role, with new systems, software, and apps to increase patient engagement, organise services, and keep in touch with patients. Specific training programmes are available for telehealth systems and other software, such as Microsoft Office.

Getting started in healthcare management with Coursera

Working in heathcare management is a great choice if you have an interest in healthcare, but are not necessarily looking at a hands-on medical role. You’ll find a number of managerial and organisational roles in this field.

If you think a career in healthcare management is for you, enrol in UPenn's The Business of Health Care Specialisation on Coursera to learn from experts in healthcare management, healthcare policy, and business to build skills to navigate the rapidly evolving landscape of healthcare in the UK.