Medical and health services managers
Plan, direct, or coordinate medical and health services in hospitals, clinics, managed care organizations, public health agencies, or similar organizations.
Medical and health services managers plan, direct, or coordinate medical and health services in hospitals, clinics, managed care organizations, public health agencies, or similar organizations. The role reports a median annual salary of $117,960 in the US and is projected to grow 23% over the next decade (much faster than average). Entry typically requires a Bachelor's degree, and shows moderate AI exposure (0.52 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include Critical Thinking, Speaking, Active Listening, Management of Personnel Resources, Monitoring.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £61,573 a year for Health services and public health managers and directors (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
Middle half of full-time jobs: £48,613 to £80,002 a year
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 1171). ONS rates this estimate precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Managers” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only Medical and health services managers, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 1. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
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Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Administration and Management
- English Language
- Customer and Personal Service
- Personnel and Human Resources
- Education and Training
- Computers and Electronics
- Administrative
- Medicine and Dentistry
A day in the life
You start the day at the hospital with a quick check on bed occupancy, staffing levels and any overnight incidents. At the morning huddle with nursing and department heads you adjust staff schedules to cover a busy ward. Mid-morning you review the monthly budget, examining spending on supplies and equipment and approving a request for a new diagnostic machine. You then meet the records team about upgrading the patient data system. After lunch you interview candidates for a senior nursing post and discuss a new training plan for staff. In the afternoon you walk the wards to talk with patients and staff about how services are running. Late in the day you prepare a report on waiting times for the board. The pressure and paperwork can be heavy. But improving how patients are cared for behind the scenes, even when they never see your role, is deeply satisfying.
Illustrative: one typical day, written from the O*NET task statements for this occupation. Real days vary by employer and seniority.
What you'd actually do
- Direct, supervise and evaluate work activities of medical, nursing, technical, clerical, service, maintenance, and other personnel.
- Develop and maintain computerized record management systems to store and process data, such as personnel activities and information, and to produce reports.
- Plan, implement, and administer programs and services in a health care or medical facility, including personnel administration, training, and coordination of medical, nursing and physical plant staff.
- Conduct and administer fiscal operations, including accounting, planning budgets, authorizing expenditures, establishing rates for services, and coordinating financial reporting.
- Maintain awareness of advances in medicine, computerized diagnostic and treatment equipment, data processing technology, government regulations, health insurance changes, and financing options.
- Establish work schedules and assignments for staff, according to workload, space, and equipment availability.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Medical and health services managers do?
Plan, direct, or coordinate medical and health services in hospitals, clinics, managed care organizations, public health agencies, or similar organizations.
What does a typical day look like in Medical and health services managers?
You start the day at the hospital with a quick check on bed occupancy, staffing levels and any overnight incidents. At the morning huddle with nursing and department heads you adjust staff schedules to cover a busy ward. Mid-morning you review the monthly budget, examining spending on supplies and equipment and approving a request for a new diagnostic machine. You then meet the records team about upgrading the patient data system.
How much does Medical and health services managers earn?
The median annual salary for Medical and health services managers in the US is $117,960.
What is the job outlook for Medical and health services managers?
The role is projected to grow 23% over the next decade (much faster than average). Current US employment is approximately 616,200 workers.
How do I become medical and health services managers?
The typical entry education is a Bachelor's degree. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Medical and health services managers need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include Critical Thinking, Speaking, Active Listening, Management of Personnel Resources, Monitoring, Reading Comprehension. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Medical and health services managers?
Our AI-durability model gives Medical and health services managers a score of 0.52 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Medical and health services managers has moderate barrier to entry — moderately gated — a bachelor's degree or equivalent training is typically required.