With the help of support staff, a medical superintendent oversees daily operations at a health care facility. Budgeting, patient care, and human resource requirements are all part of this. Medical superintendent positions require a variety of qualifications, including an advanced degree or formal medical training, depending on the facility. Several years of administration and management experience are also advantageous, though this is not required of all applicants.
Administration of staff members is one aspect of the job. Medical superintendents establish employee policies, create manuals, and train new employees or those transitioning departments. When positions become available, this employee posts them on the company’s website and may be involved in the hiring process. Human resources personnel collaborate closely with the medical superintendent to ensure that staffing requirements are met with people who are fully qualified and capable of performing the job.
A medical superintendent’s responsibilities also include budgeting. This includes figuring out how much money the facility has and how to best allocate it. The medical superintendent may consider these options if more funding is available through grants, accepting new types of insurance, or participating in government programs. Individual departments can be given operating budgets, and facility staff can discuss major expenses, such as purchasing new equipment, to see if they are in the organization’s best interests.
The medical superintendent may establish operating procedures, which may include how to handle a variety of situations. The facility’s chain of command is also clearly defined to ensure that employees know what to do if they have problems or questions. A formal set of procedures is available to ensure that situations are handled fairly and appropriately when a manager or administrator is required, such as when staff members want to accept a charity case.
A medical superintendent’s working hours are usually set, though in an emergency, staff members may call in administrators for assistance. A typical working environment includes an office for paperwork and other administrative tasks, as well as roaming the floor to observe people at work, attend meetings, and collaborate with employees to solve facility problems. Support staff, such as secretaries and personal assistants, are usually on hand to assist with report preparation, scheduling, and other tasks. Insurance and retirement accounts may be available as part of the compensation package, which can be negotiated as part of the compensation contract.