Program Manager - Career Profile |
Career OverviewThe role of a program manager is to manage and control the budgetary and financial issues involved with the various programs that hospital and healthcare facilities develop and implement. The program manager works closely with the program director to set budgets, minimize costs involved with the project, manage finances, keep supplies and requirements up to date and organized as well as monitor progress.
The program manager may assist with data collect or data entry and analysis as it relates to either budget or financial aspects of the program, but they may also assume other responsibilities with the program as determined and assigned by the program director.
The program manager is often the hands-on person in the program the handles staffing schedules, inventory control and management, keeps projects moving in a timely fashion and works on resolving problems and issues within the program design or implementation.
A program manager must have excellent organizational skills as be able to understand both the overall goals of the program and the day-to-day issues associated with the program. He or she will need to be able to effectively communicate issues in both written and verbal form, and should be familiar with all software and hardware technology used in implementing and designing the specific program. An ability to understand financial statements, work with budgets and cost projections and analyse progress and developments is very important.
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Career RequirementsA program manager will usually be required to have either a Bachelors or Masters level education in healthcare management or business administration. In addition the program manager will also required actual hands-on experience in the area of program design.
This means they may need to have medical experience for clinical type programs or personnel experience for human resources type programs. Virtually all areas of the hospital or healthcare facility will have a demand for a program manager so a wide range of requirements are suitable.
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Job OutlookWith ongoing demand for new and improved treatments and efficiency levels for hospitals and heathcare facilities it is estimated that the demand for experienced and knowledgeable program managers will continue to grow for the next several years, at least until the year 2014. Existing program managers often move into other management positions within the hospital or healthcare facility that leads to more positions available for new employees in the field.
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Career TrackExperienced program managers have the option to move into upper management positions such as program directors, practice managers or various other management positions within the hospital or healthcare facility. Depending on the area of expertise the program manager has there may be management opportunities in both clinical and non-clinical areas of the hospital.
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CompensationThe average yearly income for a program manager with a Masters level education working in a large hospital or healthcare facility in the United States is between $70,000 and $110,000. This salary may be larger if the program manager is responsible for large numbers of staff or very large projects.
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