10 Skills Employers Are Looking for in Healthcare Management Jobs

The healthcare field has experienced rapid growth in recent years. The aging baby boomer population and new medical and insurance regulations have prompted a need for a wide range of healthcare professionals beyond those providing immediate medical care. In 2012, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projected that the healthcare field would add more jobs than any other industry over the following decade, estimating an increase of over 4 million jobs by 2022.¹

What is Healthcare Management?

Healthcare managers serve in a variety of roles to pan, direct, and coordinate healthcare services in various organizations and settings. Within the industry, employment of medical and health services managers is projected to grow at a faster rate than the national average, with the BLS predicting 72,100 new jobs created from 2016 to 2026 (a growth rate of 20%).²

Skills for Healthcare Management

Healthcare managers, also referred to as medical and health services managers, often hold bachelor’s degrees prior to entering the field. Master’s degrees, however, are also common.²

Healthcare managers direct entire facilities, specific departments, or medical practices and are therefore required to possess several skills including:^{2, 3}

• Analytical Skills – Understanding and abiding by current regulations, as well as adapting to new laws
• Communication Skills – Effectively communicating to convey policies and procedures to other health professionals and ensuring compliance with current regulations and laws
• Detail Oriented Skills – Paying attention to details, including organizing and maintaining the scheduling and billing information for substantial facilities like hospitals
• Interpersonal Skills – Discussing staffing problems and patient information with other professionals, such as physicians and health insurance representatives
• Leadership Skills – Hiring, training, motivating, and leading staff, as well as finding ways to creatively solve staffing and administrative issues
• Technical Skills – Staying current in healthcare technology advancements and data analytics for coding and classification software usage or electronic health record (EHR) system implementations
• Critical Thinking – Identifying strengths and weaknesses, and finding alternative solutions or approaches to problems through logic and reasoning
• Active Listening – Offering one’s full attention with regard to what others say, asking questions when appropriate, and not interrupting during inappropriate times
• Coordination – Adjusting one’s actions with regard to another’s actions for effective work collaboration
• Judgment and Decision Making – Examining both benefits and consequences of potential actions to help determine those most appropriate

As you work to develop the specific skill sets required for these types of jobs through work experience and/or an online healthcare management degree program, consider how you can highlight these skills on your résumé and job application materials. AIU offers an online Bachelor’s in Health Administration and an online MBA in Healthcare Management.

If you are interested in pursuing a healthcare management degree, contact one of our Admissions Advisors to request information and learn more.

1. “Healthcare: Millions of Jobs Now and in the Future.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved from: https://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2014/spring/art03.pdf (Visited 09/13/18).
2. “Job Outlook.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved from: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/medical-and-health-services-managers.htm (Visited 09/13/18). Conditions in your area may vary.
3. “Medical and Health Services Managers.” O*Net Online. Retrieved from: https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/11-9111.00 (Visited 09/13/18). Conditions in your area may vary.

American InterContinental University cannot guarantee employment or salary. For important information about the educational debt, earnings and completion rates of students who attended this program, go to www.aiuniv.edu/disclosures. Financial aid is available for those who qualify.
The presence of specific potential jobs on this list does not guarantee availability of career opportunities. All statistics referenced are national historical averages and the figures in your area and at the time of your job search may be different.
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