Senior medical directors are high-level professionals who are responsible for all operations that occur within their medical facilities. These professionals might be responsible for determining which kinds of treatments patients receive, monitoring the quality of service, budgeting and recruiting and training staff members. A senior medical director often heads a board or committee of fellow directors and tends to be the professional among them who has spent the longest time in the medical profession or working for a particular facility. To become a senior medical director, it is essential that you earn a medical degree and gain years of experience in a medical or healthcare field.
After you have earned the degrees and have gone through the training that is necessary to pursue becoming a senior medical director, you should plan on working for at least five to 10 years as a medical professional who works directly with patients and who might also perform administrative and research work. To become a senior medical director, it is essential that you work toward certain distinguished accomplishments. Apply for grants and positions that give you more responsibility and that will help you get to the forefront of your particular field.
A person who wants to become a senior medical director must have excellent administrative and management skills. Although it is important to become a well-respected medical doctor and researcher, it also is important to make an effort to show that you can run a facility. It might be possible to do this by volunteering at community health centers or by seeking promotions that introduce you to medical facility management.
It is common for a person who wants to become a senior medical director to take courses in hospital administration and management. In many cases, it is possible to earn certification in a related field. This is a great way to learn methods and principles of organizational theory that might be difficult to grasp without proper academic training.
In many cases, a person who wants to become a senior medical director might also need to get special certification in his or her field of specialization. For instance, if you are a professional who specializes in cardiology, you should concentrate on earning various levels of certification from boards that are led by top cardiologists. Joining professional medical associations can give you invaluable networking opportunities and can help you keep up with new developments and ideas in your field.