Career
Medical and health services managers
Run the business side of healthcare so clinicians can care for patients.
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Direct, supervise and evaluate work activities of medical, nursing, technical, clerical, service, maintenance, and other personnel.
- Develop and maintain computerized record management systems to store and process data, such as personnel activities and information, and to produce reports.
- Plan, implement, and administer programs and services in a health care or medical facility, including personnel administration, training, and coordination of medical, nursing and physical plant staff.
- Conduct and administer fiscal operations, including accounting, planning budgets, authorizing expenditures, establishing rates for services, and coordinating financial reporting.
- Maintain awareness of advances in medicine, computerized diagnostic and treatment equipment, data processing technology, government regulations, health insurance changes, and financing options.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on persuasion & leadership, then information & systems?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Direct, supervise and evaluate work activities of medical, nursing, technical, clerical, service, maintenance, and other personnel.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Speaking, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Writing.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
4 years of education after high school (bachelor's degree), for a median of $123,860 a year and 62,300 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Business AdministrationSee the degree →
- NursingSee the degree →
- Public HealthSee the degree →
- Health AdministrationSee the degree →
- Veterinary Administrative Services, GeneralCIP 01.8201
- Veterinary Office Management/AdministrationCIP 01.8202
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Health Informatics Specialists
- Health Education Specialists$64,070 · +5.6%
- Clinical Nurse Specialists
- Social and Community Service Managers$80,390 · +7.2%
- Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary$107,310 · +17.9%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.