Health-Clinic Exec Work Is Satisfying

Hospital and clinic manager is among the careers that made CareerJournal.com's "Best Careers" list. For a look at what it's like to work in the field, we recently spoke with Patricia Brewster, the chief executive of Southern Orthopaedic Specialists. Ms. Brewster has worked in health-care management for more than 30 years and has been in her current role since 2002. She earns near the top of the industry range, she says. Chief executives in medical management earn between $134,000 and $201,000, according to a 2005 Medical Group Management Association survey. Medical and health services managers held about 248,000 jobs in 2004.

Ms. Brewster stated that I'm the steward of the five clinics and 103 employees of Southern Orthopaedic Specialists, and my responsibility is the overall management of the organization. I make sure the business is financially successful. I also assist the physicians with business decisions like on operational and financial issues. I'm also responsible for physician and management-team recruiting. I develop the employment agreements like compensation, benefits, roles and responsibilities.

I have no set routine other than maintaining communication with my management team and the doctors in the practice. Otherwise, my days vary. I spend 50% of my time reading and planning. I read medical management journals and legal journals to keep abreast of the business. The other 50% of my time is spent interacting with my management team and practice employees.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, BLS, employment of medical and health services managers is expected to grow faster than average for all occupations through 2014, as the health care industry continue to expand and diversify. Job opportunities will be especially good in offices of health practitioners, general medical and surgical hospitals, home health care services, and outpatient care centers. Applicants with work experience in the health care field and strong business and management skills should have the best opportunities. Competition for jobs at the highest management levels will be keen because of the high pay and prestige. Hospitals will continue to employ the most medical and health services managers over the 2004-14 projection period. Medical and health services managers with experience in large facilities will enjoy the best job opportunities, as hospitals become larger and more complex.

Employment will grow fastest in practitioners? offices and in home health care agencies. Many services previously provided in hospitals will continue to shift to these sectors, especially as medical technologies improve. Demand in medical group practice management will grow as medical group practices become larger and more complex. Managers with specialized experience in a particular field, such as reimbursement, should have good opportunities. Medical and health services managers also will be employed by health care management companies that provide management services to hospitals and other organizations, as well as to specific departments such as emergency, information management systems, managed care contract negotiations, and physician recruiting.

Forty hours a week doesn't cut it -- you need a tremendous appetite for work. And managing the overload of information that is generated from multiple sources can be overwhelming. In health care, there are constantly changing government regulations you have to make sure to comply with. You have to make sure to keep with the latest medical advances and incorporate them into the practice.

The BLS indicates that a master?s degree in health services administration, long-term care administration, health sciences, public health, public administration, or business administration is the standard credential for most generalist positions in this field. However, a bachelor?s degree is adequate for some entry-level positions in smaller facilities, at the departmental level within health care organizations, and in health information management. Physicians? offices and some other facilities may substitute on-the-job experience for formal education.

Source: Wall Street Journal, Shivani Vora, 9/6/06