What Is the Role of a Human Resources Manager?

Delivering high-quality patient care is a fundamental goal for any health care facility. Reaching this goal depends on employing the right staff and cultivating a professional environment that allows workers to grow and thrive.

Central to this is the work of a human resources (HR) manager. These individuals affect the stability and satisfaction of a health care facility’s workforce. For those interested in beginning their health care careers by earning a bachelor’s in health management, pursuing a human resources manager role can be a rewarding choice.

What Does a Human Resources Manager Do?

Human resources managers oversee an organization’s administrative functions. They coordinate critical components of the employment process, such as recruiting, interviewing and hiring staff members. They are often also part of a company’s training and development program. Human resources managers may also assist in an organization’s strategic planning by helping management apply employees’ skills to the best effect.

Typically, human resources managers also coordinate aspects of the employee’s work experience, such as overseeing payroll, administering benefit programs and ensuring regulatory compliance. They also usually handle components designed to build an equal, stable company culture, such as resolving conflicts and disputes among employees and directing disciplinary action.

In health care, a human resources manager’s role carries an additional layer of responsibility. By selecting skilled employees and fostering a positive work experience, HR managers contribute to an environment where clinical workers and their administrative supporters deliver the best possible care. A healthy work environment can also reduce employee burnout, which can help facilities mitigate the effects of ongoing nursing and physician shortages. This makes the human resources manager role one of the many rewarding health care management jobs available to those with the right education and experience.

How to Become a Human Resources Manager in Health Care

The path to becoming a human resources manager in health care can differ slightly from the path in other industries, but it shares the same fundamental elements.

Education Requirements

Individuals must typically have at least a bachelor’s degree in order to pursue a role in human resources management. While some pursue a degree in human resources, others choose an area that correlates to the industry they plan to work in, such as finance, education, business technology or health care management.

Work Experience

Several years of relevant work experience is typically required to become a human resources manager. Entry-level roles such as human resources specialist or human resources assistant allow graduates to apply their classroom education in a practical environment. Gaining experience on the ground floor prepares people for mid-level roles such as human resources generalist or human resources coordinator. In health care, experience in human resources management can prepare individuals to pursue higher administrative roles such as health care executive.

Certifications

Usually, certifications are not necessary to pursue a career as a human resources manager. However, earning certification can serve as further verification of a candidate’s knowledge and skills. It can also lead to more opportunities, as some employers may prefer to hire certified applicants.

Some popular certifications include the CHHR (Certified in Healthcare Human Resources) offered by the American Society for Health Care Human Resources Administration, the Professional in Human Resources® (PHR) from the Human Resource Certification Institute and the SHRM-CP® (Society for Human Resource Management Certified Professional).

Human Resources Manager Salary and Job Growth

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the 2023 median annual salary for human resource managers, including those in health care, was $136,350. Factors that can affect salary include education level, years of experience and location.

The job outlook for HR managers is promising, with the BLS projecting a 6% increase in positions between 2023 and 2033, higher than average growth for all professions.

Play a Prime Role in Care Delivery

Human resources managers in health care may not see patients or administer medications, but their work is critical to optimal patient care. By overseeing staffing, training and retention, they help create a positive work environment conducive to job satisfaction and burnout prevention, which contributes to the quality of patient care.

Make App State Online’s Bachelor of Science in Health Care Management degree your first step on the path to this rewarding career. Our program is designed to immerse you in a curriculum that covers key components of the health care business, including health care economics, health informatics, health care law, organizational behavior and ethics in health care.

With a flexible online schedule offering multiple start dates for each term, App State Online offers expert faculty, a dynamic community and professional development — mentoring and coaching that can help you turn your education into a career.

Find out how we can help equip you for success.

Recommended Readings

Health Care Management vs. Health Care Administration

A Look at Health Care Management and Nutrition

What Is a Logistics Coordinator?

Sources:

Academy to Innovative HR, “The Human Resources Coordinator: All You Need to Know”

American Association of Colleges of Nursing, Nursing Shortage Fact Sheet

American Society for Health Care Human Resources Administration, Certified in Healthcare Human Resources (CHHR)

Association of American Medical Colleges, New AAMC Report Shows Continuing Projected Physician Shortage

Human Resource Certification Institute, Professional in Human Resources®

Indeed, Learn About Being an HR Manager