Project manager [1]
NHS project managers set up and lead projects that are vital to patient care being of the highest possible standard.
In project management, gaining management qualifications while working will improve your career prospects and performance greatly. It is encouraged in most healthcare organisations. The Association for Project Management provides a range of qualifications, incorporating a mix of tools, techniques, processes and skills.
Staff in the NHS will usually work a standard 37.5 hours per week. They may work a shift pattern. Most jobs in the NHS are covered by the Agenda for Change (AfC) pay scales. This pay system covers all staff except doctors, dentists, and the most senior managers (where very senior managers pay apply). Your career in project management in the NHS could start at Agenda for Change Band 6 or 7, with the most senior roles rising to Band 9. Terms and conditions of service can vary for employers outside the NHS.
You’ll typically need an ability to influence others to adopt proposals and implement solutions; ability to use your own initiative and work as part of a team; good negotiating skills; ability to lead change management and innovation; effective business acumen; the ability to stick to deadlines; good communication skills; leadership skills; organisational skills; a willingness to work with others and respect their views; confidence with numbers; confidence with information technology; the ability to challenge the way things are and find better alternatives; a commitment to the ideals of quality and fairness in delivering healthcare.
With further training and/or experience, you can develop your expertise in project management further into more senior managerial roles, including those at director level.
Related roles
Clinical manager [2]
You will be the head of your own department, ensuring that our patients get the possible treatment and care.
The training and qualifications you'll need will depend entirely on the role you're applying for. The majority of clinical managers are qualified and registered healthcare professionals, and for some posts you will need to have gained experience in areas such as clinical audit or clinical governance.
Most jobs in the NHS are covered by the Agenda for Change (AfC) pay scales. This pay system covers all staff except doctors, dentists and the most senior managers. In the NHS, your career in clinical management would typically start at Agenda for Change band 6 or 7, with some positions at band 5, and the most senior roles rising to band 9 for, for example, a professional manager for a clinical service. NHS staff will usually work a standard 37.5 hours per week. They may work a shift pattern. Roles in integrated urgent care/NHS 111 services are aligned to Skills for Health qualification levels. Terms and conditions of service can vary for employers outside the NHS.
As with any managerial role, you'll need leadership skills, a willingness to work with others and respect their views, good communication skills, effective organisational skills, negotiating skills, the ability to challenge the way things are and find better alternatives, honesty and fairness in dealing with other people and a commitment to the ideals of quality and fairness in delivering healthcare.
In clinical management, you could progress to more senior positions, with a variety of responsibilities at operational or strategic level. For example, NHS trusts and the NHS 111 service have a medical director and a director of nursing, or other senior clinical management roles.