As a society, we know about the nursing shortage. We know the aging baby boomer generation is raising the demand for nurses and healthcare professionals.
We are already aware of so many things.
What’s one thing we maybe don’t know as much about?
The demand for healthcare facility managers is skyrocketing.
That’s right. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the projected growth for medical and health services managers is 29 percent.
That’s almost five times greater than the projected growth for registered nurses, which is 6 percent.
What does a healthcare facility manager do?
A facility manager provides supervision of all facility staff who have different skill sets and roles, including the following:
- Healthcare
- Maintenance
- Housekeeping
- Accounting
- Human resources
- Quality assurance
This means they are constantly overseeing tasks, schedules, coordination, cohesion, and the professional development of the staff.
This position is also “public-facing,” which means that a facility manager is expected to foster positive relationships with patient families, vendors, the surrounding community, and other healthcare facilities in the area.
Driving the day-to-day operations of the facility includes performing inspections and adapting facility procedures and policies to meet and maintain compliance with safety protocols, as well as city, state, and federal regulations. All these responsibilities and tasks are in service of improving patient experiences and outcomes.
Healthcare facility manager career guide
Do you have a passion for healthcare and the ambition to be in a decision-making role?
If so, a career as a healthcare facility manager may be just what you’re looking for.
Here’s a guide to becoming one.
To any nursing clinicians reading this, your clinical experience and healthcare expertise make you a solid candidate for this path, so don’t duck out just yet.
Preferred education
This career path requires a college education. The majority of healthcare facility manager positions will require at least a bachelor’s degree, often in one of the following majors:
- Health administration
- Health information management
- Facility management with a healthcare specialty or minor
- Nursing
- Social work
Relevant work experience
Understandably, work experience in the healthcare setting is also important for a leadership role.
In some cases, work experience may be strong enough to overcome a gap in education. For example, you may see in administrator job listings that a bachelor’s degree is preferred, but can be offset by appropriate experience.
For social workers and nurses with experience in long-term care homes or hospital settings, administrative roles in those work settings can be a logical next step for career advancement.
Alternatively, work experience on the business side in a healthcare facility is also valuable.
Roles as administrative assistants, medical records specialists, human resources specialists, staff schedulers, and accounting and billing specialists foster important skill growth and knowledge for healthcare administration as well.
Essential skills
As you can see, facility administrators can have a variety of different backgrounds that influence the way they effectively manage operations at work. That said, there are certain skills that are key to their success regardless of background, such as the following:
Organization
As the overseer of multiple departments with a high number of staff in very different roles, the ability to organize is integral to not being overwhelmed.
Leadership
This role requires someone who is able to make hard decisions and motivate people, as well as listen to feedback and discern when to act upon it.
Problem-solving skills
Problems are a routine occurrence in the daily operations of a healthcare facility. Problem-solvers look for solutions and ways to prevent the same problem from recurring or create strategies to address it more quickly in the future.
Analytical skills
A facility manager must be able to analyze reports, perform mathematical calculations for statistical insights and trends, and appropriately prioritize their key performance indicators (KPIs).
Communication
A person in this position sets the tone for how staff should speak and interact with each other by communicating with others with respect, clarity, non-defensiveness, and curiosity.
Delegation
The importance of organization skills directly feeds the skills of delegation. Knowing when and what to delegate to other staff members is essential to foster growth and trust among work teams. Successful facility managers don’t do everything themselves; they lean on others so they have the time to do what no one else can.
Certifications
If the facility manager candidate is a licensed nurse or licensed social worker, they may be expected to maintain their license as part of the position.
Cardiac Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
Some facilities may require healthcare managers to have certification for Cardiac Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).
Certified Health Care Facility Manager (CHFM)
The Certified Health Care Facility Manager (CHFM) credential is a nationally recognized certification available through the American Hospital Association (AHA).
This certification is considered prestigious and may be listed on job postings as preferred or required within one year of position start.
The CHFM exam is thorough and requires in-depth knowledge of all the aspects that a healthcare facility manager oversees, including the following:
- Compliance and code regulations
- Project management for facility design, construction, and maintenance
- Operations of power systems, mechanical systems, and emergency power systems
- Finance management and budgeting
- Administration and management of staffing, building teams, and leadership
The AHA recommends the American Society of Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) as the resource for CHFM exam prep materials, such as the following:
- CHFM exam prep course
- Self-examination and flashcards
- Candidate handbook
- CHFM preparation tactics
Challenges
Fluctuating patient censuses and shortages in several healthcare occupations mean that hiring and retaining sufficient staff is a significant challenge for most healthcare facility managers.
Facility managers with a background in nursing may shine in healthcare staffing strategies and workplace culture but face challenges in closing the knowledge gap on other operational responsibilities, such as finances or building operations.
Facility managers with backgrounds in finance or administration may feel comfortable in building operations but challenged in learning more about clinical operations and healthcare staffing.
Facility administrator salary
The average healthcare facility manager’s salary far exceeds that of a registered nurse. Here’s the 2024 breakdown according to the BLS:
- There were 565,840 employed medical and health facility managers that year.
- The average hourly pay rate was $66.22, and the average annual salary was $137,730.
- The lowest 10 percent earned $33.50 hourly or $69,680 annually.
- The highest 10 percent earned $105.33 hourly or $219,080 annually.
- The median (meaning half earned more and half earned less) was $56.71 hourly or $117,960 annually.
Are you up to the challenge?
While it’s clear that becoming a healthcare facility manager has challenges, it also has numerous advantages.
Salary is a clear forerunner in the advantages department, especially considering how it’s significantly higher than the typical pay for a social worker, registered nurse, or many other allied healthcare professionals.
That’s not all, though.
For those ready to leave the bedside or those interested in healthcare but not inclined toward direct care service, this position offers opportunities to make big impacts on people’s lives every day.
Check out more of Nursa’s resources for healthcare facility managers.
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