Health management is a field of healthcare that involves the overall leadership and administration of private and public healthcare organizations. For a healthcare delivery system to remain functional, a health services manager (HSM) is needed. As an HSM, I will manage change and transformation within the facility, handling it appropriately (Sfantou et al., 2017). I will be responsible for defining outcomes, optimizing budgets and developing strategies and plans, attending meetings and providing feedback to staff, overseeing daily hospital and department operations, maintaining stakeholder relationships, and handling any arising issues.
Attributes of a HSM
One of the competencies I will need to have as an HSM is interpersonal skills. I require the ability to express my thoughts, interact with people, and represent other stakeholders and medical staff in conferences and meetings. Secondly, I will need management skills to effectively supervise individuals, teams, and the whole institution (Robbins et al., 2019). Week 1 and 2 sessions on health service management has challenged me greatly, building a desire to pursue that role in the future (Venturato, 2015). Additionally, communication skills are crucial for the distribution of information across departments and record keeping. Lastly, I require organization skills to properly arrange and keep sensitive hospital data.
Significance of These Attributes
I have the organizational, financial, and legal knowledge that can provide clarity to healthcare professionals, such as nurses and doctors, on any arising issue so that they perform their duties efficiently. I also understand the insurance complex landscape and can assist my facility or department as much as possible to solve that complexity. Having the aforementioned skills mean that I will be able to coordinate the above aspects of practice and ensure smooth implementation of the interconnected parts (Taylor, 2013). Therefore, the aforementioned competencies will be vital to ensure seamless coordinating, planning, and organization of all operations in the organization (Ho & Pinney, 2016). Being an HSM means a lot because managers work at various levels, including office, specialization, department, or facility areas. Therefore, health managers have many opportunities, depending on their expertise and experience. Additionally, there is a rising need for healthcare services because of the increasingly aging baby boomer population, which leads to accelerating demand for experts who can effectively manage care delivery systems. Consequently, this creates a high demand for HSM in the coming years.
Current Position and What I Need to Do
I believe I am in the right course to becoming a health service manager. During of my medicine degree, I will work with various health care and insurance providers, gain experience in handling patients and their families and learn about most, if not all, divisions of a healthcare institution. The exposure will enlighten me on what I need to know as an HSM regarding quality improvement, development goals, personnel administration, financial planning and management (Koshy et al., 2017) In addition, week 1 and 2 sessions have taught me about leadership and management and the difference between the two related concepts. I will develop my management skills through my interaction with peers and identify a role of interest in the many HSM roles. I will enroll in a professional course that will provide me with the appropriate educational opportunities, insights, and networks to manage people and an entire organization, innovate, and solve problems within the HSM role.
References
Ho, A. & Pinney, S. (2016). Redefining ethical leadership in a 21st-century healthcare system. Healthcare Management Forum, 29(1), 39-42.
Koshy, K., Limb, C., Gundogan, B., Whitehurst, K., & Jafree, D. J. (2017). Reflective practice in health care and how to reflect effectively. International Journal of Surgical Oncology, 2(6), e20.
Robbins, S., Coulter, M., & de Cenzo, D. (2019). Management: The essentials (4th ed.). Pearson Australia (pp.7-11).
Sfantou, D., Laliotis, A., Patelarou, A., Sifaki-Pistolla, D., Matalliotakis, M., & Patelarou, E. (2017). Importance of leadership style towards quality of care measures in healthcare setting: a systematic review. Healthcare, 5(4), 73.
Taylor, W. (2013). The proactive manager. In S. MacKian & J. Simons (Eds.), Leadership and management in health and social care (pp.35- 57). Abingdon: Open University.
Venturato, L. (2015). Leadership and critical reflective practice In. G. E. Day & S. G. Leggat. Leading and managing health services: An Australasian perspective (pp.90-100). Cambridge University Press.