Managers in Health Care (NOC 0311)
Description
This unit group includes managers who plan, organize, direct, control and evaluate the delivery of health care services, such as diagnosis and treatment, nursing and therapy, within institutions that provide health care services. They are employed in hospitals, medical clinics, nursing homes and other health care establishments.
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Example Titles
- chief of anesthesia
- chief of emergency medicine
- chief of medical staff
- director, home care services
- director, rehabilitation services
- director of clinical medicine
- director of dietetics
- director of laboratory medicine
- director of nursing - medical services
- director of occupational therapy
- director of physiotherapy
- director of surgery
- manager, personal care home
- medical clinic director
- mental health residential care program manager
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Classified Elsewhere
- Government Managers - Health and Social Policy Development and Program Administration (0411)
- Senior Managers - Health, Education, Social and Community Services and Membership Organizations (0014)
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Duties
Managers in health care perform some or all of the following duties:
- Plan, organize, direct, control and evaluate the delivery of health care services within a department or establishment
- Consult with boards of directors and senior managers to maintain and establish standards for the provision of health care services
- Develop evaluation systems to monitor the quality of health care given to patients
- Monitor the use of diagnostic services, in-patient beds and facilities to ensure effective use of resources
- Develop and implement plans for new programs, special projects, new material and equipment acquisitions and future staffing levels in their department or establishment
- Plan and control departmental or establishment budget
- Represent the department or establishment at meetings with government officials, the public, the media and other organizations
- Supervise health care supervisors and professionals
- Recruit health care staff for the department or establishment.
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Skills
- Although medical/health care knowledge is essential, management skills for the health care environment are the main requirement. Knowledge of organizational relationships, program funding partners and governing boards is necessary. Health Care managers need the following management skills:
- organizational, planning, analytical and problem-solving
- financial, budgeting, accounting
- the ability to develop and implement policies, monitor quality, control inventories and other resources
- the ability to use computers to organize and manage information
- be able to work well with others as a team
- work on their own initiative
- get along well with different people
- skills in persuasion and negotiation
- leadership, team building abilities, supervisory skills
- the ability to deal with change in technology and in organizational relationships
- have respect for confidentiality
- be able to deal with stress
- be good listeners
- be able to express themselves well in writing and verbally
- good public speaking skills
- be able to explain complex information clearly to persons who have little medical knowledge.
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Employment Requirements
- In Manitoba, administrators of departments such as surgery, clinical medicine or laboratory medicine are usually required to have the education and training of a specialist physician.
- Administrators of other departments, such as nursing, dietetics or physiotherapy, are usually required to have the education and training of the medical professionals in that department.
- Certification and several years of experience in the relevant profession, including supervisory experience, are usually required.
- For administrators of support functions a medical background may not be necessary but usually management experience in another professional field will be required, e.g., accounting, human resources.
- Junior administrators may enter from specialized post-secondary education and move to management with experience.
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Terms & Conditions
Managers in health care commonly work in an office environment, primarily in hospitals, medical clinics and nursing homes. Most work a regular 37.5 to 40 hour work week, although overtime and shift work are quite common. Most managers in health care work full-time (94%).
Almost all (97%) of health care managers are employees. The remainder are the owners/operators of private residential facilities.
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Earnings
$55,000 per annum - starting
$71,300 per annum - average
$79,700 per annum - high
Earnings are reviewed annually or more frequently if new information becomes available.
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Education / Training
- Education and experience in a medical/health field are required for management of health services.
- Manitoba colleges and universities offer a range of professional, diploma and degree programs in business and/or public administration studies that may, with experience, lead to this management level. A professional qualification is usually a first requirement (see education routes for health occupations) except for administrative positions.
- There are also many part-time management and professional upgrading courses offered by community colleges and universities in Manitoba.
- University of Manitoba offers a Master of Public Administration Degree
- Red River College's Continuing Education Division offers a Health Services Management Certificate program.
- Yellowquill College offers a program in First Nation Health Management. You can specialize in Community Health or Community Wellness.
- Athabasca University offers a three-year Bachelor of Health Administration and a three-year Post-Diploma in Health Administration, and a Master of Health Studies
- The Canadian College of Health Service Executives offers a one-year Certified Health Executive (CHE) program.
- The Canadian Healthcare Association (CHA) offers a two-year home study program leading to a Health Services Management certificate.
- Some high schools in Manitoba offer a program in Health/Child Care Occupations and Business Education.
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Career Paths
Health care managers generally start in supervisory or junior management positions from their health care field (nursing, medicine, etc.) and advance to senior management and/or to larger organizations. Hospitals and personal care homes in smaller communities are usually smaller, and advancement to larger organizations may mean a move to a larger community.
In support areas such as financial or human resource services, some managers may enter from accounting or a management-related field in another industry.
Where departments are very specialized, there is little or no mobility between departments.
Progression to senior management positions in health care services is possible with experience.
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Outlook
Employment prospects for health care managers are expected to be good in the period 2010 - 2014. Employment in Manitoba in 2010 is estimated at 950.
The health sector encompasses both publicly funded and private health care facilities and services. The public sector is highy sensitive to government fiscal policies. Substantial federal and provincial funding will go to health care over the forecast period, under conditions that require accountability for funds. Managers with a medical background and strong administrative skills acquired through additional training or experience will be in demand.
In the forecast period there is likely to be more acute care investment (e.g. in the hospital sector), as well as an expansion of home care. Services in remote areas will also expand.
Most managers in health care work in the Health Care and Social Assistance sector (88%). A small proportion (5%) also work in Public Administration. Women have traditionally accounted for the majority of the labour force and unlike many other management occupations there is no significant difference between the earnings reported by men and women. Employment is fairly evenly distributed across the province.
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Employment by Age Group
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Employment by Industry
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Employment by Region
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Employment by Gender
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Employment by Aboriginal Self-Identification
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Employment by Visible Minority
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Please Note - The source for above charts is the 2006 Census.
Professional Associations, Unions, and Regulatory Bodies...
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