Department manager to medical practice manager
A department manager already meets 70% of what the medical practice manager role asks for. The move turns on 4 required skills not yet in the profile.
34.1/ 100
1 How much of what a medical practice manager is expected to do is already part of a department manager’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the medical practice manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A medical practice manager role treats 16 of its required skills as things a department manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- align efforts towards business development
- analyse business plans
- analyse business processes
- analyse financial risk
- assume responsibility for the management of a business
- build business relationships
What stands in the way is 4 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 23 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A medical practice manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a department manager background worth leading with.
- already held manage office facility systems working with computers
- already held assume responsibility for the management of a business management skills
- already held develop company strategies management skills
- already held develop revenue generation strategies management skills
- already held business law business, administration and law
- already held analyse business processes information skills
All 23 carried skills, including the 16 the medical practice manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 15 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn healthcare administration required
- still to learn manage healthcare staff required
- optional, not held health records management optional
- still to learn manage employee complaints required
- optional, not held coach employees optional
- still to learn gather feedback from employees required
- optional, not held manage healthcare users' data optional
- optional, not held manage a multidisciplinary team involved in patient care optional
- optional, not held discharge employees optional
- optional, not held manage accounts optional
- optional, not held manage medical supply chains optional
- optional, not held manage supplies optional
- optional, not held motivate employees optional
- optional, not held answer patients' questions optional
- optional, not held patient record storage optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a medical practice manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 healthcare administration study this
- 02 gather feedback from employees practise this
- 03 manage employee complaints practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 23 skills that carry over
- already held align efforts towards business development skill
- already held analyse business plans skill
- already held analyse business processes skill
- already held analyse financial risk skill
- already held assume responsibility for the management of a business skill
- already held build business relationships skill
- already held business law knowledge
- already held business management principles knowledge
- already held control financial resources skill
- already held cost management knowledge
- already held create a financial plan skill
- already held develop company strategies skill
- already held develop revenue generation strategies skill
- already held financial management knowledge
- already held make strategic business decisions skill
- already held recruit employees skill
- already held accounting knowledge
- already held evaluate employees skill
- already held financial forecasting knowledge
- already held maintain relationship with customers skill
- already held manage budgets skill
- already held manage office facility systems skill
- already held plan health and safety procedures skill
11 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held answer patients' questions optional
- optional, not held health records management optional
- optional, not held manage a multidisciplinary team involved in patient care optional
- optional, not held patient record storage optional
- optional, not held coach employees optional
- optional, not held discharge employees optional
- optional, not held manage accounts optional
- optional, not held manage healthcare users' data optional
- optional, not held manage medical supply chains optional
- optional, not held manage supplies optional
- optional, not held motivate employees optional
57 held skills the medical practice manager role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role abide by business ethical code of conducts skill
- not needed by the target role analyse market financial trends skill
- not needed by the target role apply business acumen skill
- not needed by the target role banking activities knowledge
- not needed by the target role business loans knowledge
- not needed by the target role business process modelling knowledge
- not needed by the target role collaborate in company's daily operations skill
- not needed by the target role company policies knowledge
- not needed by the target role conclude business agreements skill
- not needed by the target role corporate law knowledge
- not needed by the target role corporate social responsibility knowledge
- not needed by the target role create a financial report skill
- not needed by the target role create a work atmosphere of continuous improvement skill
- not needed by the target role describe the financial situation of a region skill
- not needed by the target role develop organisational policies skill
- not needed by the target role develop professional network skill
- not needed by the target role ensure lawful business operations skill
- not needed by the target role establish communication with foreign cultures skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate performance of organisational collaborators skill
- not needed by the target role execute marketing plan skill
- not needed by the target role exercise stewardship skill
- not needed by the target role financial jurisdiction knowledge
- not needed by the target role financial statements knowledge
- not needed by the target role follow company standards skill
- not needed by the target role follow the statutory obligations skill
- not needed by the target role human resource management knowledge
- not needed by the target role impart business plans to collaborators skill
- not needed by the target role integrate headquarter's guidelines into local operations skill
- not needed by the target role integrate strategic foundation in daily performance skill
- not needed by the target role interact with the board of directors skill
- not needed by the target role international trade knowledge
- not needed by the target role keep updated on the political landscape skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with local authorities skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with managers skill
- not needed by the target role manage contracts skill
- not needed by the target role manage financial risk skill
- not needed by the target role manage staff skill
- not needed by the target role market entry planning knowledge
- not needed by the target role marketing management knowledge
- not needed by the target role marketing principles knowledge
17 further entries not listed here
4 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn healthcare administration required
- still to learn manage healthcare staff required
- optional, not held health records management optional
- optional, not held patient record storage optional
Common questions about this move
Can a department manager become a medical practice manager?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A department manager already covers 70% of what a medical practice manager is expected to do: 23 skills carry over, 16 of which the medical practice manager role treats as required.
What skills does a department manager need to become a medical practice manager?
4 required skills are missing, plus 11 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by business, administration and law. The single most important is healthcare administration.
How hard is the move from department manager to medical practice manager?
Its learning distance is 34.1 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.