Aesthetic & Plastic Surgery Center Manager - Education & Responsibilities

The field of aesthetic and plastic surgery deals with procedures that alter the appearance of the face and body, whether it’s following a disfiguring accident or simply to make someone more attractive. These procedures include breast augmentation, abdominoplasty, eyelid surgery, breast reduction, nose reshaping, rhinoplasty, face lift, and liposuction. Private aesthetic and plastic surgery practices rely on a series of complex SOPs, human resources policies, and regulatory frameworks to keep their business above-board. This is where the aesthetic and plastic surgery center manager comes in.

An aesthetic surgery center manager is the person who coordinates all of the administrative, day-to-day needs of the center or office. They inform practice partners, employees, and investors on how the clinic is keeping up with changes in the fields of plastic surgery and physical aesthetics. They secure cutting-edge surgical and operational technologies and they also mediate in an HR department-type capacity. These professionals are highly-skilled at maneuvering around the social complexities of high-profile, strong personalities.

Keep reading to learn all about how these skilled managers help aesthetic and plastic surgery facilities stay on top of their duties to patients; how they stay abreast of industry developments; and how they help keep their facilities compliant with state and federal regulations. In addition, there is a useful list of resources for upskilling and certification in this occupation.

The daily responsibilities of aesthetic and plastic surgery center managers involves the direction, operation, and supervision of all activities at a facility. Following strict quality guidelines in accordance with local, state, and federal laws is integral to this role. The scope of a manager’s responsibility includes the administration of operating budgets, material control, equipment control, resource distribution, management of the environment of care, management of human resources, mediation of personnel conflict, conflict resolution, and the maintenance of care delivery systems.

Aesthetic and plastic surgery center managers identify, evaluate, analyze, and modify their business’s SOPs to assure safe and transparent patient-focused operations. They also organize orientations, staff meetings, safety announcements, policy changes, personnel changes, and general staff guidance. They communicate with and provide feedback to their staff, acting as both delegator and liaison when necessary.

They are also responsible for bringing the concerns of personnel to the attention of a practice’s senior administration or staff. It is expected that an aesthetic and plastic surgery center manager be able to communicate clearly and with purpose, explaining expectations, desired results, and reasons for resource utilization in the office setting. They hold their entire team accountable to the practice’s standards by establishing codes of conduct that cannot be misinterpreted.

These managing professionals engage in a variety of team- and management-building activities which typically concern matters of capital expenses, strategic economic planning, and strategic budgeting, as well as inspection and occasional maintenance of the facilities themselves. They exhibit development planning skills, possibly utilizing advanced theories of expansion of service parameters based on patient or personnel needs, in addition to matters of benefit planning and staff compensation.

There are some additional qualifications that employers seek in competent aesthetic and plastic surgery center managers. It is common for candidates to have three years of clinical, nursing, or general healthcare administration experience, along with a demonstrated history of mature decision-making, proactive problem identification, and a thorough understanding of the principles of personnel management. It is important that any aesthetic or plastic surgery manager be highly creative and resourceful. As managers, these professionals maintain a constant air of professionalism, problem-solving, and critical thinking. It is essential that they stay composed in circumstances which may be time sensitive or qualify as true emergencies.

Some of the most common qualities among successful aesthetic and plastic surgery center managers include strong analytical and problem solving skills, in addition to the ability to lead and manage direct reports, work with multiple departments to achieve maximum compliance, lead ongoing and overlapping projects, direct several projects concurrently, and work independently.

Other requisite traits include an intermediate-to-extensive knowledge of basic statistical principles and methods, exceptional communication skills, extensive experience with data systems, general administrative skills, and professional-level writing and speaking talents.

Additionally, skills in computers, databases, data science, payroll, and scheduling are critical for center managers. Cities like Rochester, St. Louis, Salt Lake City, Richmond, Tucson, Miami, San Francisco, and Beverly Hills have several aesthetic centers.

Aesthetic and plastic surgery center managers are generally expected to have a minimum of three years of medical or surgery center experience in that role or a related position, with many centers seeking a total of five years of experience.

A bachelor’s degree in health administration, healthcare management, business administration, public health, management, or health services is a must, though additional clinical experience may be accepted in place of educational credentials by an employer. Having worked in a fast-paced, high-functioning, and lucrative clinic or surgery center is obviously a benefit.

From an accredited public or private university, pursue a course of study to obtain a BS degree in health administration, healthcare management, business administration, public health, management, health services, or a related field. Classes and subject foci will include business, economics, medical history, business administration, administrative theory, health informatics, data analytics, management, human resources, physiology, anatomy, nursing, and more.

The next step is to gain work experience with a focus on administrative and managerial skill sets. This could be in any field and in almost any sort of managerial setting, from offices to restaurants to working as a personal assistant. What matters most is that your professional background reflects growth in obtaining supervisory skill sets and a managerial mindset.

Certain industries offer a myriad of opportunities to grow and learn, and many of them are in tech-heavy fields. Varied background experiences prime professionals for careers that involve a good deal of social capital and the ability to manage diverse and talented teams. Gaining work experience with a focus on administrative and managerial skills is a plus.

For example, seek a job as a clinical or medical group manager. Since the medical field shows no sign of slowing growth, it can be expected that the need for aesthetic and plastic surgery center managers will continue to go at least partially unmet. There are many useful websites that list open positions for aesthetic or plastic surgery center managers or practice managers, clinic supervisors, or operations managers. Some of these sites include:

• HealthECareers.com
• NEJMACareerCenter.org
• Medzilla.com
• HealthcareJobSite.com
• PracticeLink.com
• ZipRecruiter.com
• Indeed.com
• LinkedIn.com
• Glassdoor.com

Also, completing a master’s degree in any number of fields could potentially make a person stand out as a promising job candidate. While a master’s degree is not mandatory for an aesthetic or plastic surgery center manager, many employers prefer that those candidates seeking roles in management have a postsecondary degree because such programs typically focus heavily on human resource theory, health informatics, data management, advanced health care administration, and other skills relevant to a management position.

Another way to gain knowledge and experience is by attending conferences and presentations by respected leaders in the fields of project management, product management, personnel, resourcing, production, healthcare administration, health sciences, and whatever other fields might be relevant to your chosen career path.

A background in healthcare administration, records management, data science, human resources, medical science, or nutrition is ideal for someone looking to broaden their horizons by becoming an aesthetic and plastic surgery center manager.

Depending on credentialing and education levels, aesthetic and plastic surgery center managers can expect to enter a field with room for upward mobility. New aesthetic and plastic surgery centers crop up every day, so there’s bound to be a steady flow of patients.

Leading salary and jobs database PayScale lists the average practice manager’s salary at $59,437 annually, with significant room for growth if an employee possesses a graduate degree. It should be noted that the figure is based on a candidate with a bachelor’s degree, not a master’s degree. Those with MBA, MS, or other advanced degrees could find their expertise in the fields of management, medical theory and ethics, computers, automated systems, and medical lab technology put to good use.