Maine Careers in Healthcare Management - ME

By Bonnie Walker, allied health world contributing writer
Published: July, 12 2010

Well trained and well educated healthcare managers are essential to the efficient and effective operation of healthcare institutions and medical practices.  Healthcare administration jobs in Maine include crucial management positions in large hospitals, long-term care facilities, nursing homes, rehabilitations centers, mental health facilities, research institutions, and multi-professional offices and clinics.  The best healthcare administrators are well-rounded multi-taskers.  Administration involves making frequent, complex decisions relating to budgets, personnel, training, and other issues related to the facility’s daily operations.  Those who occupy management positions in hospitals and other medical institutions must be familiar with the basic principles of medicine and patient care.  However, they must also be knowledgeable about accounting and finance, human resource management, healthcare information systems, and laws and regulations related to healthcare.  Becoming an effective healthcare administrator requires obtaining an education that provides a solid grounding in all these areas.

A bachelor’s degree is a prerequisite for a job in the healthcare management field.  However, health care administrators, particularly those who rise to the top of their profession, typically have an advanced degree, generally a master’s degree.  With the appropriate educational credentials, prospective healthcare administrators in Maine can look forward to working at top-flight healthcare institutions, including Maine Medical Center, Mercy Hospital, and Brighton Medical Center in Portland, and St. Joseph’s Hospital in Bangor.