Health Care Management Explained

It’s nice to be wanted – and even nicer if you can make a career out of it.

The good news is that you can, especially if you’re looking for a career in health care management.

Rapidly expanding career sector

Very few areas of employment in the world are expanding as fast as careers in health care, and that growth isn’t anticipated to stop anytime soon. A combination of a burgeoning aging demographic, a global pandemic underscoring the importance of trained health care professionals, and ongoing technological transformations means Canada’s health sector demands strong leadership, management and administration.

And that growth pays too. A recent Statistics Canada report outlining which master's degree programs were associated with the highest pay prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, puts health care administrators near the top.

For men, health and medical administrative services and nursing administration graduates came in fourth and fifth place, respectively. For women, those who studied pharmacy administration (third place), nursing administration (sixth place), or health and medical administrative services (ninth place) also registered relatively high median earnings.

The heart of the business of health care

Health care managers and administrators are at the heart of the business of health care, responsible for the smooth running of everything from program planning, organization design and strategy, to accounting, marketing and human resources. They provide the leadership required to not only ensure efficient operations, but also to promote stellar patient and client care.

As members of a team, health care managers work closely with physicians and surgeons, registered nurses, medical and clinical laboratory technologists and technicians, and an array of other health care workers, in the private, public or charitable health care fields.

In an ever-growing and evolving industry, there are countless ways to put a degree in health services management to good use. Here are just a few examples of what a job in health care management might look like:

Clinical Services Managers

Clinical services managers oversee specific clinical areas, such as radiology, nursing, physical therapy or surgery, and have responsibilities based on that specialty. Clinical services managers create and administer policies, goals and procedures for their departments, evaluate the quality of care, and develop reports and budgets.

Health Information Managers

Health information managers are responsible for the maintenance and security of all patient and client records and data. They must stay up to date with evolving information technology, current or proposed laws about health information systems, and trends in managing large amounts of complex data. They may also supervise the work of medical records and health information technicians.

Clinical Research Managers

Clinical research mangers are responsible for overseeing all aspects of clinical trials, including protocol design, financial and contractual agreements, and the final clinical study report. They help determine whether a product accomplishes the goal for which it was produced, ensure that the product meets all government regulations and standards, manage a team of clinical research associates and specialists, and communicate with trial sponsors.

Continuing Care Administrators

Continuing care administrators may work in long-term care or continuing care settings and are responsible for the operation of the entire facility. They oversee the administration of specific departments such as marketing, finance or human resources, and are ultimately responsible for the overall care of residents and clients.

Make a difference as a health services manager or administrator. Enroll in the uLethbridge Master of Health Services Management program.