Medical Administration

I stumbled across medical administration through my advocacy for improved working conditions for myself and my colleagues. A role model suggested that I should seek to be part of the solution. Medical administration offers opportunities to be involved in medical leadership in various areas and across multiple settings.

You can make a difference on a large scale while maintaining sight of individual patients and their families. I bring my experience as a patient and a health professional with me every day and use this to influence improvements in the complex adaptive system that is healthcare.

Medical administration is a fascinating specialty and not often thought of by new graduates. It gives you a great set of skills which can be applied across a wide range of settings. For me, this included as a medical officer in the military (both in Australia and overseas), as a medical admin registrar in a major metropolitan hospital, as a country hospital medical superintendent, as a disaster team leader at the Sydney Olympics, as a clinical evaluator with the Therapeutic Drugs Administration, as a private hospital Director of Medical Services and finally as the Director of Medical Services Workforce in a regional university teaching hospital.

My career has been extraordinarily satisfying and never boring! Being a successful medical administrator is about embracing the 3 C’s – compassion, courage and curiosity.