Careers in health management include jobs as a Health Administrator, Health Systems Planner and/or Analyst, Performance Management Analyst, Health Resource Centre Manager, Project Manager. Some typical employers are described below.
Governments
Many federal and provincial/territorial government departments are responsible for setting priorities related to the way health services are provided and organized. Governments also play a growing role in holding providers and organizations accountable for the services and programs they deliver. Accordingly, these departments require individuals with knowledge of the health care system and specific understanding of stakeholder issues, planning, program evaluation, performance measurement and accountability.
Hospitals
Hospitals require individuals with knowledge of the health care system and the expertise to manage departments and services such as human resources, x-ray, labs, food, supplies, etc. Hospitals also devote increasing resources to the measurement and improvement of quality and performance and seek out individuals with expertise in these areas. Finally, hospitals and their senior teams require support from individuals with knowledge of the broader health system who can engage in linkage activities with other sectors, with government, with the research community and with other hospitals.
Community Health Centres and Community Care Access Centres
Community Health Centres (CHCs) deliver primary care, often to groups who have difficulty accessing services. Community Care Access Centres (CCACs) are responsible for organizing home care services as well as coordinating placements in long term care facilities. These organizations require peoples with expertise in the organization and delivery of health and social services to liase with other areas of the health system such as hospitals and they require individuals who can manage the financial, human resources, and quality improvement activities of the organization.
Public Health Departments
These health institutions require support in central planning and in managing day to day work of staff.
Public and Private Health Care and Social Service Delivery Agencies
Many public and private organizations/agencies deliver community-based care and services. These include companies that contract with CCACs to deliver clinical services (such as nursing and therapy) and non-clinical services (such as meal delivery) to people receiving care in their homes. These organizations, and social service organizations such as Family Services and the United Way, require people with knowledge of health care management issues who can manage financial, planning, staffing, and quality activities of the organization.
Pharmaceutical and Related Health Industries
These organizations require support in planning activities around launch of new drugs and other products, analyzing sales patterns of drugs and planning promotional activities, production and distribution of products.
Chain Drugstores and other Health-Related Companies
These companies require support in planning for new sites, developing health care programs to run in pharmacies.
Professional and Regulatory Organizations
Profession associations, such as the Ontario Medical Association and Ontario Nurses' Association, and regulatory bodies, such as the College of Physicians and Surgeons, College of Physiotherapists, etc., address financial, human resources, quality and planning issues for physicians, nurses and allied health professionals (e.g. occupational therapists, physiotherapists). They require individuals with a background in and knowledge of health management areas.
International Agencies
Many international agencies involved in analyzing, planning, or delivering health services require people with knowledge of both management and organization, and health system delivery issues.
Students trained in health care organization and management who also have training as a nurse or allied health professional will find many employment opportunities available to people with their combination of management and clinical training (e.g. CCAC case manager or supervisor, nurse manager or allied health department head, clinical quality specialist).
