9 Jobs You Can Get With an MBA in Healthcare Management

A hospital administrator handles virtually any task related to the operation of a hospital, both public and private. They also lead the strategic goals of the organization based on its mission and vision. This may include hiring and firing employees, managing budgets, maintaining records, and working with doctors to ensure patients receive adequate care.

If you are well-organized and comfortable tackling ever-changing administrative responsibilities, you may enjoy a career as a hospital administrator.

Medical and health services managers oversee the operations of a healthcare facility or department outside of the hospital setting. They lead a team to ensure that the section of the healthcare system they are in charge of continues to run smoothly and is in compliance with state and federal laws.

You may find a job as a medical and health services manager rewarding if you have strong organizational skills, are able to multitask, and pay close attention to minute details.

Hospital CEOs manage hospitals at the highest level. They often delegate the day-to-day management of operations to other administrators. CEOs will then address high-level issues, such as creating goals for the hospital, setting budgets, and strategic planning.

You may pursue a hospital CEO role if you have strong leadership skills and a mind for business. You must also be prepared to make unpopular decisions to maintain the financial health of a hospital.

Hospital operations managers work under the hospital CEO or hospital administrator to oversee a hospital’s day-to-day operations. They may not set operations budgets, but they are often in charge of efficiently using their given budget. Operations managers must also decide how supplies and personnel flow through a hospital to limit waste and redundancies.

You may feel called to become a hospital operations manager if you enjoy finding solutions to operational challenges and have an eye for efficiency.

A hospital executive typically oversees a specific portion of a hospital. Common executive roles include chief financial officer (CFO), chief operations officer (COO), human resources director, and medical director.

Responsibilities vary depending on the specific role, but executives generally oversee key aspects of a hospital’s operations.

You may consider a role as a hospital executive if you have leadership skills and a strong grasp of the subject matter you would oversee, like finances or operations.

Health information managers are responsible for maintaining and organizing all patient medical records and relaying those records to the correct physician at the appropriate time. An essential part of this job is maintaining the confidentiality of all sensitive information. Health information directors oversee managers and often earn higher salaries.

You may thrive as a health information manager if you have strong organizational skills and are careful with sensitive information.

A health policy analyst is charged with setting rules for how healthcare will be administered. At the institutional level, that may mean setting standards for physicians and establishing best practices for working with patients. Analysts may also work at the governmental level to institute policies to expand healthcare access.

You may find a career as a health policy analyst rewarding if you are passionate about maximizing patient care or want to influence government regulations.

Pharmaceutical project managers oversee the development of new drugs, usually for pharmaceutical companies. That includes assembling the team that will research and develop the drug, managing supply chains to ensure researchers have the necessary supplies, and setting goals and deadlines.

You may find pharmaceutical project managing enjoyable if you have a strong grasp of pharmaceutical terms and can oversee complex projects.

Healthcare consultants advise healthcare systems or facilities on how best to function. These professionals often work for outside consulting groups hired by an institution looking to improve its processes. Consultants then help institute best practices to streamline operations.

Consider a career as a healthcare consultant if you enjoy tackling fresh challenges and can easily identify room for improvement in others.