Labor Market
Information Updates
Healthcare Management
The Boston Healthcare Careers Consortium regularly gathers labor market data from participating institutions and compiles occupational briefs. These reports are meant to provide a real-time snapshot of supply, demand, and anticipated needs.
Compiled by Erica Mercier Workforce Initiatives ---- Boston Private Industry Council, Inc 5/23/2012
LMI Summary Report Out Health Management:
January/March 2012
One of the AMA’s top stories in January 2012 focuses on the shift in the demand for individuals to fulfill healthcare jobs in administrative roles, rather than clinical ones. With the research questions below, we are seeking to better understand the management demands in clinical settings and the most expedient education and training pathways for incumbent workers and those new to the sector to prepare for these opportunities.
Medical and Health Services Managers
Occupational Title SOC Code Employment, 2010 Projected Employment, 2020 Change, 2010-20
Medical and Health Services Managers
11-9111 303,000 371,000 22%
SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program
Employer Questions
Demand
How many management vacancies in do you currently have?
o In total between 9 institutions, there are about 96 health management vacancies. Of those, how many require a specific prior clinical credential such as a nursing degree?
o Out of those 96 vacancies, about 28 require some type of clinical credential. Where is your greatest need for managers?
o Institutions report that they are in need of practice managers, nursing or clinical managers, off-shift managers, managers for finance, IT and development departments, ambulatory clinics, and applicants with strong clinical research backgrounds.
Hiring Preferences
What proportion of management/administrative positions filled from within - and what proportion through external hiring?
o Two institutions reported that there is about a 50/50 split between internal and external hiring.
o Two institutions said about 40% internally and 60% externally.
o One hiring manager at a major teaching hospital reports that about 60% are filled within and 40% externally.
o One said 80% external and 20% internal
For the promotions from within - what kinds of skill development is there most need for? o Project management, time management, and team building skills.
o Supervisory/management skills including interviewing, performance evaluation,
time/project/priority management, verbal and written communication skills, organizational skills, budget management skills, increasing computer skills. Customer service experience. o Managers who have been promoted from within have various skill and educational levels. Because so many supervisors and managers have moved up within the organization, and many began their careers as frontline staff, there is a need for communication skills training, especially for those for which English is a second language.
o Development/fundraising skills and the technical knowledge of databases used for development.
o Computer or technical skills like Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint or Access.
o One community center recently launched a series of lunch time trainings for managers. The first two are “Sexual Harassment Prevention” and “Interviewing Skills.”
o Management fundamentals (leadership skills, multi-tasking, and understanding and valuing the development of others).
For hiring from outside - what credentials or qualifications do you look for? o Experience in related area and experience in managing people. o BA/MA preferred
o Supervisory experience, community health or ambulatory experience, budgeting experience, intermediate computer skills.
o Clinical research experience.
o For development managers: three to five years of development experience, preferably within stewardship and/or communications, experience with Raiser's Edge or other fundraising database software. BA/BS Degree.
o More than a few months of healthcare experience (unless otherwise suggested by the manager), but if there are other applicants with much more, it is hard to compare. o For entry level administration, the focus is not so much on the healthcare experience, but
just customer service experience.
o Customer service experience, Microsoft Office skills, and proficient typing speed (if a minimum is required). Managers look for qualities like attention to detail in the
resume/cover letter, consistency, grammar and punctuation, as well as overall formatting of the resume.
o Leadership, process improvement.
What management/administrative skills are most needed in your organization? o People management and supervisory skills.
o Financial management/literacy/ budget management. o Performance management.
o Communication skills. o Reach / leadership skills.
o Computer skills: Microsoft Word, Excel, and/or PowerPoint.
o In addition to the expertise in oncology care, management fundamentals. Would you hire managers from outside of health care?
Almost all institutions reported that they would indeed hire outside of health care, if the applicant had relevant experience. Departments like Finance, Administration or IT would be more likely to hire someone outside healthcare, but that experience is still valuable. One employer reported they would only hire internally for clinical management positions.
Employer Training Capacity
Do health care organizations have the capacity to train existing workforce for advancement in health management?
o Four institutions have a limited capacity to train existing workers to advance to management due to limited funding resources.
o In the past an institution conducted a Leadership and Management Institute but has not had the resources to continue it.
o One community health center hosts non-credited workshops for employees such as Business Writing once or twice a year.
o Two health centers sponsor a few employees each year to participate in external training programs such as the Suffolk University Healthcare Management Certificate program or at the Mass League of Community Health Centers, which has a Health Center Management Program where students earn a certificate and credits toward a graduate degree at Suffolk University. o One of the big teaching hospitals does have the capacity to do so through training offered within
their workforce development department. The training is not on a large scale, but the opportunity exists, and sessions are staggered well enough to accommodate those who are interested in later stages of their careers.
o Another teaching hospital offers programs for new managers focusing on communication, coaching and leadership skills through their department of Learning and Development. o One rehabilitation facility has a well established Career Development Program made possible
through generous philanthropic donations. This program allows for advancement to management and attainment of new skills. They also have a comprehensive management development program for all 246 middle management leaders their organization. Very willing to provide input and share with others.
o Yes, the challenge comes with giving staff the ability/opportunity to access these trainings. What level of support is given to employees to further their training/education in management
in terms of tuition reimbursement for such programs?
o Most institutions offer some form of scholarship or tuition reimbursement for employees who are participating in training that leads to a credential or is related to the employees’ current or prospective employment.
o One hospital’s departments have a training budget that can support employee participation in outside management training and offer in-house trainings on specific topics such as behavioral based interviewing and lean leadership.
o In addition to tuition assistance, we offer internal leadership development program, mentoring programs, and access to external development opportunities.
What type of training format would best fit the needs of the workforce? o Evening courses.
o Most employers would like to see online classes as well as in-person training.
o Onsite works well as some employees might have transportation problems and less time away from the job is more efficient.
o Due to coverage concerns, shorter periods of training may work better. o Onsite, reduced cost, afterwards, and for credit.
o Training in half-day increments.
How interested would you be in having classes offered onsite as a convenience to your employees?
o Almost all of the employers except one said they would be very interested in increasing the number of course offerings for employees. One employer was concerned about the cost of such programs being prohibitive.
o The ideal candidate for advancement into management excels as an individual contributor and has successfully managed projects and taken on increased
responsibility. This, combined with formal training can make a great candidate. Formal training alone does not position someone well to advance to management, and it is unfortunate that some people invest in this training without taking into account the other piece of the equation.
Health Management: Educator Question
For your existing clinical programs, do you have a management component as a “stackable” option? If not, have you considered designing curriculum to prepare for individuals for the next step?
No, we currently don’t have such an option. However, we would consider such an option given a demonstrated need by employers
No, we do not have a management component, but we are interested in designing curriculum. Bachelor of Science in Health Management. This is a stackable option. Students can transfer
