Hospital Management: Career Scope & Prospects

The Health Services sector has seen unprecedented growth in the past few decades owing to two contrasting factors namely, proliferation in diseases as well as awareness amongst people with respect to health and hygiene. With the increase in demand for professionals, the opportunities in this sector are now being offered across a range of significant subfields, one of which is Hospital Management. In this blog, we will shed light on the various institutes offering Hospital Management course, the career options you can explore and the qualifications required for the same. 

Hospital Management: Popular Options

Generally, a person can venture into the field of Hospital Management in a wide range of roles. The following paragraphs shed more light on a few of the popular career choices.

• Hospital Administrator/Manager

Covering a wide range of responsibilities in a small patient care facility and big hospitals, the primary job of a hospital administrator/manager is to efficiently oversee overall management. It not only involves collaborating with clinical and non-clinical staff to oversee daily operations in the hospital but also are tasked with recruiting professionals, implementation of policies along with handling financial commitments like setting budgets and buying equipment. A minimum of a bachelor’s degree in fields like Accounting, Finance, Economics, is required to work in this hospital management work profile. Even though a BCom or BSc Economics graduate is recruited but an MBA or Master of Finance graduate is preferred.

• Health Care Actuary

More closely related to the insurance sector, while working as a health actuary, you will be required to assess and evaluate financial risks associated with health care delivery in hospitals. The responsibility in this work profile of hospital management may also include appropriate determination and pricing of health insurance products by factoring in internal and external risks. An advanced degree in Mathematics, Statistics or a quant-oriented field is recommended.

• Hospital Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Responsible for the overall hospital management, a hospital CEO is in charge of the entire administration, services and facilities. They regularly interact with the board of trustees, government officials and other hospitals to ensure effective and efficient administration. In addition to that, planning, strategizing as well as coordinating the growth of the services offered also falls under the purview of a hospital CEO. Since this is a senior-level role, a combination of an advanced degree in MBA Healthcare Management or MBA in Healthcare along with significant years of industry experience is required. 

Also Read: Operations Management MBA

• Health Promotion Specialist

Hospitals and healthcare facilities in both government and private sectors hire these professionals to spread awareness across a range of health and hygiene-related issues. The specific tasks include information dissemination regarding issues such as drug misuse, alcohol consumption as well as specific diseases (dengue, malaria, cancer, heart, etc). The senior-level roles of this hospital management profile may also involve training and workshops, building partnerships, community campaigns and much more. A degree in health with a focus on business is typically required but a Master in Public Health is also beneficial. Further, a few years of experience in the relevant industry can also increase career prospects. 

• Healthcare Information Manager

Large hospitals and multi-care facility centers need to be effectively managed so as to store, search, and retrieve information efficiently. Handling digital units of such large medical centers, a healthcare information manager acts as an important cog in smooth hospital management. Specific responsibilities include data processing, archiving, communication with internal and external units and ensuring the proper functioning of systems.

Other Options

In addition to the above-mentioned career paths, you can also explore the following exciting options in hospital management. It is important to note that the qualifications and experiences required may vary from one job-profile to another: 

• Medical Sales Representative
• Health Service Manager
• Compliance Educator
• Director
• Pharmaceutical Production Manager
• Physician Relations Liaison
• Oncology Coordinator

Also Read: Health Inspector Course

Hospital Management: Universities

While selecting the courses, it is advised that you must consider programs like health administration, health management, health systems, etc, which have hospital management in the curriculum. The following table shortlists a few names of leading universities you must consider while exploring options in this field:

If you aspire to work in hospital management or allied fields or are willing to pursue Medical Science courses but are facing difficulties in choosing the right course then you can consult the expert counsellors at Leverage Edu through a 30 minutes free counselling session and take a step towards building a rewarding career.