With a rapid increase in the number of patients, as well as the new health issues that emerge regularly, a healthcare manager (HM) must face a range of new requirements. For example, a greater emphasis must be placed on transparency in the context of healthcare facilities. In other words, the information management process must be based on the principles of knowledge sharing (Hisrich et al., 2017).
The ability to embrace diversity and make a cultural change is another essential characteristic that defines a good healthcare manager. With increasingly high diversity rates in contemporary communities, a healthcare manager must be able to cater to the needs of an extremely diverse population. Therefore, the ability to recognize the current issues within the target community and determine what tools can be used to manage the said problems is crucial.
The development of the necessary leadership qualities is another crucial characteristic of a healthcare expert. While the responsibilities of a manager and those of a leader are slightly different, the one of a manager implying administrative decision-making rather than shaping people’s organizational behavior, it is also essential that a healthcare manager should encourage knowledge acquisition among employees and patients alike (Hisrich et al., 2017). Thus, not only the quality of services but also the levels of awareness among the target population will be increased.
Finally, a healthcare manager must have the skills of maintaining interdisciplinary communication. As stressed above, employees must excel in their abilities. Therefore, new perspectives and opportunities must be opened in front of them. By promoting interdisciplinary cooperation, a healthcare manager is likely to contribute to a consistent improvement of the staff’s skills (Meyer et al., 2014).
References
Hisrich, R., Peters, M., & Shepherd, D. (2017). Entrepreneurship (10th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.
Meyer, R. M., O’Brien-Pallas, L., Doran, D., Streiner, D., Ferguson-Pare, M., & Duffield, C. (2014). Boundary spanning by nurse managers: Effects of managers’ characteristics and scope of responsibility on teamwork. Nursing Research, 27(2), 42-55.