Medical Administrators are clinicians who have undertaken additional training in health system leadership and management with the aim of influencing health outcomes for patient populations. Some continue in clinical roles while also taking on senior leadership functions, such as a Head of Department or Clinical Co-director. Others will transition to full time non-clinical work that informs patient experience and clinical safety, while their specialist advice is sought by clinical and executive colleagues.
Roles may include Chief Medical Officer, Director of Medical Services, Chief Executive of a hospital, Consultant to a government or private sector health service, etc. The role could involve responsibilities such as managing medical programs and clinical services in hospitals or other health care facilities, contributing to health service planning and workforce planning, providing leadership to ensure an appropriately skilled workforce and working closely with your clinicians to improve patient safety, care pathways, and even mediate between units.
Medical administrators provide the bridge between clinicians and management. They provide leadership for programs using their medical knowledge and practical knowledge of clinical work, together with their medical management and leadership skills and knowledge.
Fellows of the college may also work in other areas such as policy, pharmaceutical companies, digital health, private not for profit companies, aged care leadership roles and insurance companies, just to name a few.
To be a good medical administrator you need:
Medical administration is a non-clinical role that commonly includes working in an office, working in a team, meetings, involvement in drafting and implementing organisational procedures and leading and rolling out projects, such as electronic medical records transition.
Although there is no clinical, after hours or shiftwork, your role may expect you to cover some on call requirements. Generally, the roles fit into office hours.
You will get the opportunity to work at the forefront of big complex health system problems, and you get this exposure as a registrar too. The role provides you with exposure to understand the broader health environment including politics, economics, ethics, social change and so much more.
Training to become a medical administrator is facilitated through the Royal Australian College of Medical Administrators (RACMA). Further information about the training program can be found here.
It is a three-year program, with one standard pathway through the College. However, if you have completed a masters or have any previous experience in management, you can apply for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). Those with more seniority/experience can apply for RPL, and those with prior qualifications or experience in medical administration may only be required to undertake one or two years of supervised practice and/or may have some other course requirements waived.
The College stipulates you need at least three years of postgraduate clinical experience to get onto the program. In addition to the mandatory three years of clinical time, it’s very valuable to have practiced as a clinical registrar where you will provide some leadership to interns and residents. This allows you to test your management skills and know if you have what it takes to be a medical leader where you can make a change, not just for one patient, but an entire population.
Each trainee can expect a different experience throughout their training, as the College offers a really customisable training program based on individual needs and interests, and where you want to eventually work as a medical leader. For example, you could complete your training in a health department, public system, private system and community and another trainee could work in a tertiary hospital along with a secondary hospital.
There are options to do dual training. Many people work part-time, or you work full-time completing your medical administration and then add further years on to complete a different specialty training. As long as both colleges can work collaboratively, it’s possible to do dual training. For example, physician, paediatrics or general practitioner pathways. You do have double the responsibilities, and it may require double the time to complete both the fellowships.
Here in WA, they like to have a one-on-one discussion with potential trainees to provide them with some career advice as to what sort of masters they’d like to complete. They also encourage you to speak with the national college prior to enrolling in a master’s program.
The WA Government Job Portal and RACMA publish medical administration career opportunities based in WA and nationally.
N.B. Career prospects are dependent on both the supply of specialists and the projected future demand for services provided by medical specialists (including general practitioners). The complex interplay of supply and demand is currently being modelled at both a state and national level and will be included when it's available.
