Department Managers

What Department Managers Do

In the health care industry, department managers plan, direct and coordinate services in a clinical care setting, typically hospitals. Department managers must possess a variety of skills and knowledge relating to health care management and administration.

Job responsibilities include:

• ensuring the efficiency and quality of patient care
• staying updated on new laws and regulations that affect the health care industry
• managing department finances
• working with other administrators to keep the facility running smoothly
• organizing records
• marketing and handling public relations
• acting as a liaison between administrators and clinicians

Most department managers work full time. Sometimes their hours are based on the schedule of the health care facility where they work.

Career Growth

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that the employment of medical and health services managers will grow 23 percent by 2022. This is at a much faster rate than the average occupation in the United States. The need for managers is expected to increase for a number of reasons, including providing health care services to aging Baby Boomers.

Salary Potential

According to the BLS, the median annual salary for medical and health services managers is $88,580. The Medical Group Management Association reports a correlation between the number of physicians in a practice and pay for department managers. For example, managers who work in practices with 26 or more physicians earn up to $148,604 a year.

Education Required

Typically, the education requirement for a department manager is a bachelor’s degree in a subject related to health care administration. A Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences with a concentration in health care administration, for example, prepares students for managerial careers by covering the theoretical and philosophical foundations of management and administration as they specifically relate to the health care field.