Healthcare and hospital management are often confused to be the same but are two different things. They are like the two sides of a coin. The professionals may be aware but for a layman the differences mostly go unobserved. There are further two aspects to healthcare management, one is that it is on a broader level as compared to hospital management which is usually only limited to a single organization a hospital/medical centre. Secondly, healthcare management sometimes refers to those who are solely responsible for the business and operational aspects of a medical organization. It is important to realize this difference if you are thinking of pursuing a career in the healthcare system. Let’s discuss both of these individually to get a better understanding.
Healthcare management
Firstly healthcare management refers to the systematic functioning and administration of healthcare facilities in a particular area, state, nation or the world as a whole. It overlooks the operation and maintenance of good health among the residents of that particular area. This includes management of the overall healthcare system, public or private. Healthcare management is mostly about the process of implementation, monitoring and evaluation of medical care. Professionals working as healthcare managers most likely serve in the rural or semi-urban areas where they look over the healthcare facilities, spread awareness and even facilitate health checkups. These professionals may also find themselves working for NGOs, government projects and international healthcare agencies.
Secondly when talking about healthcare management certain large medical centres and hospitals enforce these as a separate department which looks over the business aspect of the organization. This department mainly looks over the financial matters of the organization so as it runs smoothly. They are also responsible for marketing initiatives for growth of the business. This includes creating business plans, their evaluation and execution, setting up organizational policies and enforcing them. Their duties can be summarized as looking over the administrative aspect of an organization without having to meddle in the day-to-day operations and without having to directly deal with frontline practitioners.
Hospital Management
Hospital management is managing a hospital/medical center by looking over to its infrastructure, services and workforce. This field makes professionals to be involved in leadership and management of hospitals/medical centers. Hospital management professionals govern the quality of the services given corresponding to the organization’s name and word. Unlike healthcare managers, these professionals deal directly with the doctors and patients and are ever ready given the unpredictable environment of a hospital. These professionals engage and facilitate the day-to-day working in a hospital providing support wherever needed. Working hand in hand with the frontline practitioners they need to be able to make quick decisions and be able to solve problems in the quickest and most efficient ways. Hospital Managers are not usually involved in the business aspect unless some are assigned or put in a marketing department. Hospital Management make professionals to be involved in leadership and management
FAQ’S
To get into Hospital Management you can pursue a Bachelors in Hospital Management, Bachelors in Hospital Administration. You can even further add a masters degree to your name by doing courses like Master of Hospital Administration, MBA in Hospital Management/ Administration, PG Diploma in Hospital and Health Management etc.
Yes, candidates from any background/stream (medical or a non-medical) can pursue hospital management and this is applicable for undergraduate degree, postgraduate or a doctoral degree. Being from a medical background may act as a plus point but in general it doesn’t matter
Yes, you can easily apply for roles in hospital administration and healthcare administration in government sectors under The National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) or any state, UT or central government.
Some Job profiles after hospital management are Administrators, Hospital Superintendents, Heads of Departments, HR recruiter, Deputy Superintendents etc
Hospital managers usually need to oversee staff members, daily functioning of the hospital, overlook the infrastructure, hire-train staff, evaluate, review, quality check – if the services are being given upto the organisation’s standards. Sometimes you may be required to conduct market research, come up with marketing ideas and business plans.
