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Health sector management is about managing the cost, delivery and quality of healthcare services, eg in a hospital, GP service or community health service.
Skills and characteristics required will include leadership, financial management, motivation, problem solving and communication.
The main employer in the UK is the NHS (National Health Service), but there are also private healthcare providers, medical, biotech and pharmaceutical companies, and voluntary sector organisations.
Find out what working in health services management really involves and make sure that you have a realistic understanding of the nature of the work. What would the day to day activities involve? What are the opportunities for career progression?
Typical required skills include:
Work experience in the NHS is not essential (prior to the NHS management scheme), but any experience in an administration, health or social care setting may be useful. Experience related to the individual NHS management schemes will also be helpful (eg finance, HR, informatics, etc).
The NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme generally opens for applications in late September until the end of October, to start the following September. You can specialise in:
Applications are open to graduates with a 2:2 or above in any subject area, except for the DHSC Policy Fast Track Scheme (2:1 or above). Applications are accepted from candidates currently on a Student visa who will need visa sponsorship. The recruitment process includes an application form, strengths-based online assessment, work-based scenarios, virtual assessment centre. The NHS graduate scheme has a blog to give you an insight into the scheme. There are similar schemes in Scotland and Wales.
Alternatives to the Graduate Management Training Scheme include: health informatics (eg librarians, statisticians), operational management, engineering, HR, finance
Register with NHS Jobs to get alerts for graduate opportunities.
Jobs are advertised on:
It can be possible to move into management from gaining experience in a more junior position or administrative role, which may also help you develop an understanding of how the organisation works.
You may choose to study for a Masters in Health Management - universities may offer courses to new and recent graduates, but some healthcare work experience may be advantageous.