If you have experience overseeing the operations of a medical facility, you know that a lot of work goes into ensuring the organization’s clinical functions run efficiently.  As a result, you must also understand or have the ability to imagine the scope of work that must be done to get a medical organization started from the ground up.  A new facility not only needs a team of medical professionals to treat patients, but also a strong team of practice administrators to oversee the strategic plan, facilitate policy making, and maintain office systems (scheduling patients, billing, managing staff, etc.) to ensure the practice’s needs are being met from a clinical standpoint.  If you are ready to make your next career move, and the idea of being an integral part of something new excites you, then the rise of community health may present you with the perfect opportunity to do so.

“We started to experience a rise in demand for practice administrators a little over 2 years ago when some of our clients began to develop community health centers,” explains Kelly Mattice, Vice President of The Execu|Search Group’s Health Services division.  “Today, this demand from clients has reached unprecedented levels, and we only expect it to grow as more community health centers are developed.”

For those who are unfamiliar with community health, the primary difference between it and a traditional practice is that rather than focusing on patients with shared characteristics, community health focuses on bringing healthcare into a geographic area.  “Since the goal of community health is to increase access to healthcare in underserved locations, look out for open positions at urgent care centers,” advises Kelly.

Qualifications

If you are interested in making the transition to a community health center, you’ll want to ensure your resume highlights the experience and skills that employers are looking for, and that you can discuss them during the interview process.

“Practice administrators who have experience in ambulatory care with a strong business development background are in especially high demand as they can oversee the center’s growth,” says Kelly.  “Applicants should also have the ability to demonstrate a strong understanding of their state’s healthcare regulations.”

As practice administrators are often considered the face of the facility, Kelly also recommends that job seekers emphasize certain soft skills such as their written and verbal communication skills, organizational skills, and attention to detail, while maintaining a polished and professional demeanor at all times.  In addition, since this role often reports to a center’s CEO and/or CFO, it’s important to highlight any applicable leadership experience and presentation skills.   Finally, if you are proficient in a second language, make sure you make this known.  Many community health patients do not speak English as their first language, so this skill could mean the difference between you and another candidate who doesn’t.

“Community health is expected to play a large role in the implementation of the Affordable Care Act,” says Kelly.  “However, in order for it to successful, new centers need to build a clinical support structure, making it an excellent time to be a practice administrator.”