Patient Care Manager: Salary and Job Description
Written by:
North Carolina Central University
• Feb 28, 2025
Patient Care Manager: Salary and Job Description
Health care facilities rely on the knowledge and skills of many people to succeed. Patient care managers are among the skilled professionals who ensure patients receive the quality care and assistance they need. By monitoring and assessing patient health and coordinating the necessary resources for treatment, patient care managers can improve their patients’ health and quality of life.
Depending on the type of facility and the seniority of their position, a patient care manager’s salary, day-to-day duties, and patient demographics can vary. For graduates looking to take on a management role in health care, pursuing higher education, such as earning a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Health Administration, can prepare them for the demands of senior-level roles, helping them to reach their personal and professional goals.
What Is a Patient Care Manager?
Patient care managers play a key role in the day-to-day operations of many medical organizations. Working in facilities ranging from hospitals to long-term care facilities, nursing homes, public and private practices, clinics, and health agencies, patient care managers oversee the coordination and administration of medical care.
Tasked with responsibilities ranging from managing resources to assessing patients and deciding on treatment plans to coordinating with other medical professionals, patient care managers provide the highest quality of patient care and ensure facilities have the resources they need to succeed.
Becoming a patient care manager is a great example of what to do with a health care administration degree and how higher education can open doors to senior-level roles in the field. Their work can directly affect the quality of care in their facility and the health outcomes of their patients in a meaningful way.
Patient Care Manager Job Description
The daily tasks, responsibilities, and general patient care manager job description can vary based on the type of facility they work in and their level of interaction with patients. Those working in facilities focused on the care of older patients will have different responsibilities than those based in hospitals, private practices, government agencies, or organizations focused on specific illnesses and diseases.
In some facilities, patient care managers may be in supervisory roles, managing other care professionals and overseeing a department. Others may be more clinical or hands-on, working more closely with individual patients. For the most part, however, patient care managers will be tasked with duties that include the following:
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Assessing patients and creating care plans
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Coordinating with other medical professionals to provide patients with treatment
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Monitoring patient progress and adjusting care strategies
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Educating patients and their families or support systems on a patient’s medical status
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Maintaining patient records
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Ensuring patients have the resources they need and are receiving the treatments and support they need
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Keeping up to date with their own continuing education and health care training
In management roles in health administration, patient care managers may also be required to complete oversight tasks such as hiring, training, and coordinating medical professionals within their department — as well as administrative tasks. This can include securing funding or budgeting, coordinating with other departments, and ensuring treatments comply with health care laws and regulations.
How to Become a Patient Care Manager
Patient care managers don’t need a specific background or degree. However, a candidate’s level of education and experience can directly affect factors such as a patient care manager’s salary, their level of seniority, or their responsibilities.
Many facilities look to graduates who have completed a postsecondary degree, such as a bachelor of science in a related field like health administration, public policy, or nursing. Some graduates seeking senior-level management roles may also pursue an advanced degree, such as a master’s degree or a doctorate.
Pursuing specialized certifications can also help candidates stand out when applying for competitive patient care manager roles. These designations can include certifications in nursing, finance, management, or basic life support (BLS) licensure. Depending on the state they work in, patient care managers may need specific certifications to be eligible for certain roles.
Patient Care Manager Salary and Career Outlook
Demand for patient care managers is on the rise nationwide. According to the Population Reference Bureau, the population in the U.S. is older than it has ever been, and the number of Americans aged 65 or older is expected to increase by 47% by 2050. As the population ages, skilled health care practitioners, like patient care managers, are needed in facilities both large and small across the country.
Depending on the type of facility, location, level of education, and work experience, salary figures can vary. While the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics does not report on a patient care manager’s salary specifically, they do provide salary figures for medical and health services managers, including patient care managers. Their median annual salary was $110,680 as of May 2023, according to the BLS. These professionals are expected to see a job growth of 29% between 2023 and 2033.
Make a Positive Difference as a Patient Care Manager
Patient care managers play an instrumental role in our health care system. Whether working closely with individual patients, overseeing the management of a department or facility, or coordinating with other care professionals, patient care managers make sure health care facilities and providers have the resources they need to provide the highest quality of care.
By pursuing a postsecondary degree like the online Bachelor of Science in Health Administration from North Carolina Central University, graduates can work toward the career and patient care manager salary that meets their goals. As the only historically Black university that offers an undergraduate degree in health administration, NCCU’s program is uniquely qualified to not only educate students on the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in health administration but also to teach them in a way that addresses inequity and underrepresentation in health care.
With classes that prepare graduates for careers in health care management and administration, a degree in health administration can be the key to opening doors to senior-level roles.
Explore what you can do with a degree from NCCU and how you can make a positive impact in the lives of others.
Recommended Readings
Health Leadership in Community-Based Organizations
What Can You Do With a Health Care Administration Degree?
What Does a Health Care Manager Do?
Sources:
Betterteam, Care Manager Job Description
Indeed, “How to Become a Medical and Health Services Manager”
Indeed, “How to Become a Manager In Health Care (With Skills)”
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Medical and Health Services Managers
ZipRecruiter, “What Is a Patient Care Manager and How to Become One”