Health Care Administration Degrees
If you love working in health care and are already a practicing nurse, you might want to improve your salary, your opportunities for a leadership role, and your ability to impact your particular healthcare field by pursuing a degree in health care administration. The degree is offered under a variety of titles, such as Health Care Management or the Healthcare MBA, but regardless of the particular label applied by the institution of your choice, the outlook for jobs for people with a master’s degree in health care administration or management is very promising. read more »
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| American InterContinental University offers an Associate of Arts in Business Administration with a concentration in Healthcare Administration degree program. In this program, students learn how to identify essential practical, ethical, and theoretical issues related to medical records. In addition, they learn how to perform an array of clerical and organizational duties within a healthcare office. |
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| A.T.
Still University offers a Master of Health Administration (M.H.A.)
degree program online. The program is designed to enhance the leadership
skills of students who are currently working in the health administration
field. Coursework includes managerial epidemiology, law and ethics,
information systems, and human resource management. |
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| Capella University offers a Master of Science (MS) in Human Services—Health Care Administration degree program. This program is designed for administrators, caregivers, nurses, physical and occupational therapists, and other human services professionals. Students learn the fundamentals of health care management and how to successfully manage in health care settings. |
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| The University of Phoenix Online offers a Bachelor of Science/Health Administration program, a B.S. Health Administration/Health Information Systems program, a B.S. Health Administration/Long Term Care program, a Master of Business Administration/Health Care Management program, a Master of Health Administration program, and a Doctor of Health Administration program. |
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Within the last 10 years or so, hospitals, clinics, nursing homes and other health care facilities have been made increasingly aware that health care is a business. Whether the concept sits well with us or not, the fact is health care must be administered to both meet the needs of the patients and to make a profit. Without profit, the hospitals cannot invest in the newest and most effective treatment methods, cannot raise the pay of professionals—thereby keeping them on staff—and cannot afford to expand to keep up with growing populations in their areas. Therefore, people who understand how business concepts apply to the health care field and are able to effectively lead and direct the staff in cost saving procedures that do not sacrifice patient well-being are sought after by hospital boards, government sponsored health agencies and others.
Before you can start working on a degree in health care administration, you need at least a bachelor’s degree in your particular health field. Health Care Administration degrees are themselves graduate degrees, but some institutions require either a master’s degree in business or health care—such as the Master of Science degree in Nursing—in order to be admitted into a degree program in health care administration. Many of the required courses will be business related—such as general management courses, courses in computer applications, accounting, finance, communication, project management, and more. However, the courses will all be focused on application to the management of health care facilities.
The following list shows just a few of the responsibilities a health care manager could have:
- Direct activities in clinical areas such as surgery, therapy or patient records;
- Oversee the administration of resident care while also managing personnel, finances and operations of the facility;
- As a clinical manager, establish and implement policies for specific departments; prepare reports and budgets;
- Help coordinate activities among managers
- Maintain health care databases, keeping patient records up to date and complete;
- Handle billing and collection in an office with multiple physicians; maintain equipment records and needs and monitor patient flow;
- Plan and implement community outreach and preventive care.
Healthcare management is not for the faint hearted or for the person who prefers a well defined schedule. The hours can be long and irregular, and the expectations can be demanding. However, the more effectively the facility is managed, the fewer problems there are, and the easier and more rewarding the work becomes.
