How To Write a Health Care Management Resume
When writing your resume for health care management jobs, it’s important to show in each section how you can run and improve complex health services and your experience, such as training nursing teams and patient care. The tips and examples below will help you capture these skills on your resume to get you interviews for your next health care management position.
1. Write a dynamic profile summarizing your qualifications
Catch recruiters’ and hiring managers’ interest by naming the top three to five reasons you’ll succeed in your target health care manager job. What is your approach to overseeing the complex world of a modern medical facility, and why is that approach effective?
Naturally, your answer will depend on your work background and the types of health services you now wish to run. For instance, maybe you’re knowledgeable and diligent when planning treatment and support for people struggling with addiction. Or maybe you’ve earned a reputation for streamlining and motivating teams of nurses in large hospitals. You could also mention non-work highlights, such as an advanced degree in your field. Whatever your top qualifications, cite them in your profile to help make your resume stand out.
(Note: most job seekers find it easier to write this resume section last.)
Profile Example
Patient-focused nurse manager with over seven years of experience. Offer advanced expertise in complex clinical operations, case management, acute care, and team motivation. Train and coach diverse nursing teams to consistently improve patient care and achieve positive outcomes. Skilled at finding novel ways to cut costs and balance competing priorities in a complex health care setting. Master of Science in Nursing from Harvard University.
Profile Example
Forward-looking nurse manager with over eight years of experience. Offer advanced expertise in patient care, health care administration, and policy development and interpretation. Strong background managing cross-functional teams and guiding delivery of complex patient care services. Adept at building a highly collaborative, accountable work culture. Master of Science in Nursing from Columbia University. Bilingual: fluent in English and Spanish.
2. Add a detailed professional experience section
Under each past health care job, give examples of your success running operations and solving complex problems.
Like any management role, these highlights will likely include cutting costs, raising efficiency, or improving service quality. But try to get more specific and cover areas that likely factor into your target health care facility. For instance, maybe you improved your team’s handling of health insurance, new regulations, language barriers, or medical ethics questions. Or maybe you found ways to expand staff coverage or enhance communications between day and night shift personnel. The goal here is to give recruiters and hiring managers a sense of your positive impact on the health care management role they’re trying to fill.
Professional Experience Example
Nurse Manager, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA | July 2015 to present
- Oversee various clinical operations for this 245-bed hospital
- Build and manage a highly engaged team of over 25 registered nurses
- Coordinate 24-hour operations for seven patient care units, including Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICUs), Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICUs), Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICUs), ambulatory care, and neonatal intensive care
- Improved patient room turnover rate by 10% during periods of over 90% occupancy while maintaining compliance with infection prevention and COVID-19 safety protocols
- Drove change initiatives to improve nursing metrics, utilization, patient flow, and operating room (OR) staffing
- Reduced average length of stay from four to three days
Professional Experience Example
Nurse Manager, St. Matthew Nursing Home, New York, NY | June 2014 to present
- Hold varied management role at this 200-bed nursing home providing long-term care, short-term rehab, and hospice care services
- Oversee and develop a cross-functional team of 30 health care professionals, including dieticians, social services workers, nurses, physical therapists, and medical assistants
- Develop clinical policies, standards, and initiatives to improve patient advocacy and health outcomes
- Educate patients and families on short- and long-term treatment plans, and develop customer service plans based on cultural, emotional, and spiritual needs
3. Include relevant education and certifications
In addition to basic details on your college degree(s), consider naming your major, minor, or individual courses if they speak strongly to your target health care management role.
Also, don’t forget to include any required credentials in your field (such as a state-issued license for nursing home administrators), so employers do not doubt your readiness to work.
Below are templates and examples to help you format your education and certification details. Note, optional template areas appear in [brackets].
Education
Template:
Degree Name — [Major, Minor], School Name, City, ST | [Year]
[Select Coursework]
Example:
Master of Science (MS) – Social Work, University of Los Angeles, CA
Certification
Template:
Certification Name or Title, [Awarding Organization] | [Year]
[Description]
Example:
Licensed Nursing Home Administrator, New York State
4. List key skills and proficiencies
Develop a key skills section to show the many ways you can contribute as a health care manager. Aim for variety here. Consider including your soft skills, technical skills, clinical expertise, medical knowledge, or management strengths – as long as each item overlaps with some part of your target job.
Below are just some of the skills you might mention in your resume’s skills section.
| Key Skills and Proficiencies | |
|---|---|
| Case management | Client relations |
| Clinical operations improvement | Complex problem-solving |
| Cross-functional coordination | Efficiency improvement |
| Employee morale and retention | Expense reduction |
| Human resources (HR) management | New system implementation |
| Patient and family relations | Patient flow |
| Patient-centered care | Personnel management |
| Policy development and implementation | Process redesign and improvement |
| Regulatory compliance | Staff training and development |
| Task prioritization | Treatment planning |
How To Pick the Best Health Care Management Resume Template
As with most vocations, health care managers should use a resume template that’s clear and straightforward. Opt for a layout that lets the recruiter or hiring manager quickly review your best career details. Select a traditional resume font, and avoid any template with a colorful or elaborate design. Also, make sure the template complies with applicant tracking systems (ATS) used by employers to screen resumes.
Health Care Management Text-Only Resume Templates and Examples
Years of Experience
- #1
- #2
- #3
John Bergsen
(123) 456-7890 | [email protected] | Boston, MA 12345 | www.linkedin.com/example
Profile
Patient-focused nurse manager with over seven years of experience. Offer advanced expertise in complex clinical operations, case management, acute care, and team motivation. Train and coach diverse nursing teams to consistently improve patient care and achieve positive outcomes. Skilled at finding novel ways to cut costs and balance competing priorities in a complex health care setting. Master of Science in Nursing from Harvard University.
Key Skills
- Change management
- Clinical operations improvement
- Cross-functional collaboration
- HR management
- Patient flow
- Staff coaching and mentoring
Professional Experience
Nurse Manager, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA | July 2015 to present
- Oversee various clinical operations for this 245-bed hospital
- Build and manage a highly engaged team of over 25 registered nurses
- Coordinate 24-hour operations for seven patient care units, including SICUs, PICUs, MICUs, ambulatory care, and neonatal intensive care
- Improved patient room turnover rate by 10% during periods of over 90% occupancy, while maintaining compliance with infection prevention and COVID-19 safety protocols
- Drove change initiatives to improve nursing metrics, utilization, patient flow, and operations room staffing
- Reduced average length of stay from four to three days
Education
Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Master of Science (MS) – Nursing
Bachelor of Science (BS) – Nursing
Sarah Johnson
(123) 456-7890 | s[email protected] | New York, NY 12345 | www.linkedin.com/example
Profile
Forward-looking nurse manager with over eight years of experience. Offer advanced expertise in patient care, health care administration, and policy development and interpretation. Strong background managing cross-functional teams and guiding delivery of complex patient care services. Adept at building a highly collaborative, accountable work culture. Master of Science in Nursing from Columbia University. Bilingual: fluent in English and Spanish.
Key Skills
- Clinical operations management
- Cost reduction and elimination
- Cross-functional collaboration
- Patient-centered long-term care
- Policy development and enforcement
- Process improvement
- Task prioritization
Professional Experience
Nurse Manager, St. Matthew Nursing Home, New York, NY | June 2014 to present
- Varied management role at this 200-bed nursing home providing long-term care, short-term rehab, and hospice care services
- Oversee and develop a cross-functional team of 30 health care professionals, including dieticians, social services workers, nurses, physical therapists, and medical assistants
- Develop clinical policies, standards, and initiatives to improve patient advocacy and health outcomes
- Educate patients and families on short- and long-term treatment plans, and develop customer service plans based on cultural, emotional, and spiritual needs
Education
Columbia University, New York, NY
Master of Science (MS) – Nursing
Bachelor of Science (BS) – Nursing
Certification
Licensed Nursing Home Administrator, New York State
Language
Fluency in Spanish
Alicia Jones
(123) 456-7890 | alici[email protected] | Los Angeles, CA 12345 | www.linkedin.com/example
Profile
Case Manager with over eight years of experience in treatment planning, community outreach, mental health services, and substance abuse issues. Committed to providing clients with essential support and resources for recovering from addiction. Skilled at engaging with diverse populations and building long-term relationships with clients. Quickly adapt to new work challenges and circumstances. Master of Science in Social Work from the University of Los Angeles.
Key Skills
- Case management
- Client relations
- Community outreach
- Cross-functional collaboration
- Mental health services
- Substance abuse treatment
- Task prioritization
- Treatment planning
Professional Experience
Case Manager, Los Angeles Rehabilitation, Los Angeles, CA | May 2014 to present
- Oversee more than 150 cases related to substance abuse and alcoholism
- Partner with cross-functional teams to find appropriate treatments based on each client’s background, addiction, and mental health assessment
- Coordinate treatment plans and patient stays, serve as client advocate during treatment and court hearings, and meet with state agencies and law enforcement as needed
- Collaborated with program management teams on new clinical approaches to substance abuse treatment, helping improve patient outcomes by 30%
Education
Master of Science (MS) – Social Work, University of Los Angeles, CA
Bachelor of Science (BS) – Social Work, University of Santa Cruz, CA
Frequently Asked Questions: Health Care Management Resume Examples and Advice
What are common action verbs for health care management resumes? +
You don’t just manage health care functions – you coordinate, develop, and improve them in many ways. The following action verbs will help you brainstorm resume points that capture your work’s true, varied nature.
| Action Verbs | |
|---|---|
| Balanced | Configured |
| Coordinated | Created |
| Decreased | Developed |
| Engaged | Enhanced |
| Implemented | Improved |
| Increased | Launched |
| Motivated | Organized |
| Partnered | Planned |
| Prevented | Prioritized |
| Ranked | Reduced |
| Streamlined | Strengthened |
| Trained | Won |
How do you align your health care management resume with a job posting?+
The Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts that jobs for medical and health services managers will increase by about 28% between 2021 and 2031, far above the average for all jobs.
You can get more interviews in this field if you tailor your resume for each application. One great way to do this is by briefly describing the facilities where you’ve worked. You can place each description in brackets right next to or below the facility name in your professional experience section. (Alternatively, you can work the facility details into the first line of your job description.)
Facility descriptions let you show any overlap between your past employers and the one that posted the job. For instance, maybe you’ve worked with a similar patient population or led health care teams providing similar services. Working these details into your descriptions makes your resume more relevant to the job opening.
What is the best health care management resume format? +
In nearly all cases, use a combination (or hybrid) resume, because it’s easiest for hiring managers to learn about your pertinent skills and experience – it’s also simplest for you to align with your job goals.
In the combination format, you present your most relevant skills and highlights in your experience and intro sections. (This combination of work history and intro content is where the format gets its name.) Your resume intro should include a profile summary and key skills section, but you may also add a career highlights or awards section. By carefully choosing intro details, you can position yourself for your target job and give hiring managers a clear, quick view of what you offer.
Expert advice: include a cover letter with your resume
To increase your chances of an interview, write and submit a strong cover letter. The key to a good cover letter is tailoring it to each job opening. Read our Health Care cover letter guide to learn how. For other related examples, see our RN Case Manager and Manager cover letter guides.
