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Medical and Health Services Managers

Typical education: Bachelor's degreeHigh pressure Bright Outlook

What they do

Plan, direct, or coordinate medical and health services in hospitals, clinics, managed care organizations, public health agencies, or similar organizations.

Kinds of work

  • Enterprising: Leading, persuading, selling and starting new projects or businesses.
  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.
  • Social: Helping, teaching, caring for and supporting other people.

High pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $123,860 Median per year · $59.55/hr Most earn $73,390–$224,340

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Develop and maintain computerized record management systems to store and process data, such as personnel activities and information, and to produce reports.
  • Direct, supervise and evaluate work activities of medical, nursing, technical, clerical, service, maintenance, and other personnel.
  • Conduct and administer fiscal operations, including accounting, planning budgets, authorizing expenditures, establishing rates for services, and coordinating financial reporting.
  • Develop and implement organizational policies and procedures for the facility or medical unit.
  • Establish objectives and evaluative or operational criteria for units managed.
  • Develop or expand and implement medical programs or health services that promote research, rehabilitation, and community health.

Job outlook

Bright Outlook Rapid Growth

United States
24% more jobs by 2035, much faster than average · about 62,300 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • General medical and surgical hospitals25.0%
  • Offices of physicians12.9%
  • Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities)4.9%
  • Home healthcare services4.8%
  • Self-employed (their own business)4.5%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Some remote workExperience before this job: 4 to 6 years

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: Bachelor's degreeExperience before this job: 4 to 6 years

This is not usually an entry-level job. Most people earn a bachelor's degree, then spend roughly 4 to 6 years working in health settings before moving into management.

  1. Bachelor's degree in health administration, public health, or business

    4 years

    You build a base in how healthcare organizations run, including finance, policy, and management. Many students also add an internship here.

  2. Clinic Operations Coordinator

    2-4 years

    You help run daily work in a clinic, hospital department, or health agency, such as scheduling, staff coordination, and tracking budgets. This builds the hands-on experience managers are expected to have.

  3. Medical and Health Services Manager

    Ongoing

    You plan, direct, and coordinate services for a hospital, clinic, or health organization, leading teams and managing budgets and rules.

Where it can lead

  1. Director of Clinical Operations

    5-10 years as a manager of experience first

    You oversee several departments or sites instead of one, and you take on bigger budget and strategy decisions.

  2. Chief Operating Officer (Healthcare)

    10+ years in healthcare leadership of experience first

    You are the top operations leader for a health system or large organization, setting company-wide goals and managing senior leaders.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take biology, health, and math classesThese classes give you a foundation for understanding healthcare and the numbers managers use every day.
  • Volunteer at a hospital, clinic, or nursing homeYou see how health organizations run day to day and can start building a record of service and teamwork.
  • Take on a leadership role in a club or student governmentOrganizing people and projects is a core part of managing health services.
  • Get a part-time customer service or front-desk jobWorking with the public teaches scheduling, communication, and problem-solving skills that carry over to healthcare administration.

In college

  • Choose a major in health administration, public health, or businessA degree in one of these areas covers the management, finance, and healthcare policy knowledge the job requires.
  • Complete a healthcare internshipHands-on experience in a hospital or clinic administrative office shows employers you understand how these organizations work.
  • Take a campus job in an office or health centerRoles like working at a student health center front office or a department admin office build practical management experience.
  • Join a leadership or project-based student organizationLeading events or managing a team gives you examples to talk about in future job interviews.
  • Build data and spreadsheet skillsComfort with tools like Excel and basic data analysis helps you track budgets, staffing, and patient-care measures.

Tips for getting started

  • Look for healthcare internships or part-time jobs early, since hands-on experience is what moves people into management.
  • Strengthen your writing, speaking, and spreadsheet skills. Managers spend a lot of time explaining plans and budgets to others.
  • Ask people who work in hospitals or clinics about their jobs. Informational interviews can show you which parts of healthcare management you enjoy most.

Related jobs that often lead here

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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