What is a Health Services Manager?

A health services manager is a person who is responsible for planning, coordinating, directing and supervising the delivery of health care services. This may be done in a number of different settings including a hospital, long-term care facility, medical doctor's office or an agency specializing in home health care.

Over the next several years, the U.S. Department of Labor notes the opportunities for those interested in being a health services manager will be there. Due to newer technologies, an increasingly burdensome regulatory environment and the difficulty in providing care to an aging population, the demand is expected to be quite high in the United States. Given these factors, which are not unique to the United States, those interested in becoming a health services manager will have opportunities around the globe.

In fact, according to numbers from the U.S. Department of Labor, demand for health services managers is expected to grow 16 percent in the next eight years. This is greater than average growth when compared to all other occupations. By the end of 2016, it is estimated there will be 305,000 people in the United States employed as health services managers.

Becoming a health services manager can be a complex task and the path one chooses ultimately depends on interest and aptitude. Some are generalists who concern themselves more with the business end. Others like being involved in the day-to-day decision making that comes along with treatment of patients.

Some in the field work specifically within a clinical area, such as surgery, cardiology, OB/GYN or some division of the medical profession. Because their interest is so specific, becoming a health services manager may involve getting a degree in their particular field of interest, followed by a graduate degree in health services administration.

Those who choose a more general health services manager career track may only be required to have a bachelor's degree in a related field, such as public administration, business administration, health services administration or medicine. However, usually a bachelor's degree will only land an entry-level job in a smaller facility. In order to advance a career, a health services manager will likely need to obtain an advanced degree at some point.