A bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration can lead to a variety of jobs in the medical and commercial fields.
Health administration, also known as healthcare administration, healthcare management, or hospital management, is the field concerned with the leadership, management, and administration of public health systems, health care systems, hospitals, and hospital networks at all levels of education.
Medical records, budgeting, billing, and legal or regulatory difficulties are all topics that healthcare managers/administrators deal with.
Rather than working directly with patients, a healthcare administrator typically works behind the scenes in healthcare environments.
Continue reading as we lead you to all the possible things you can do with a healthcare administration degree.
What Can I Do With a Degree in Healthcare Administration?
Healthcare administration graduates commonly serve as leaders in healthcare organizations, collaborating with medical staff to plan, coordinate, and enhance healthcare delivery.
Graduates of healthcare administration colleges obtain the information and abilities required for management and supervisory roles.
Medical and health services manager, medical records and health information technologist, human resources manager, and training and development manager are examples of possible roles.
Hospitals, nursing homes, behavioral health groups, and pharmaceutical businesses are all possible work locations for healthcare administrators.
What Are The Types Of Degrees Needed to be Acquired By A Healthcare Administrator?
Students can get an associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate in health administration.
The type of healthcare management degree a student pursues is determined by their job aspirations, academic interests, and the amount of time and money they have to devote to their education.
Some students may complete all four levels of a healthcare administration degree, allowing them to develop their jobs more swiftly and they include:
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Healthcare Administration Associate’s Degree
Associate’s degrees in healthcare administration provide students with a taste of the field.
An associate degree can prepare students for entry-level jobs in fields such as medical billing, transcribing, or coding, depending on the curriculum and focus of the program.
This type of work experience can lead to more career changes in the future, which is why transferring to a four-year school is common to associate degree holders.
Thus, an associate’s degree in healthcare administration usually takes two years to accomplish and involves a total of 60 courses.
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Bachelor’s in Healthcare Administration
In the context of healthcare administration, bachelor’s programs in healthcare administration look at management and administration, research, human resources, and legislation.
A bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration usually takes four years to finish and involves 120 credits.
Students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in health administration take courses in healthcare quality management and assessment, healthcare statistics, and research, healthcare human resource management, and long-term care systems.
After completing a bachelor’s degree, graduates can start working in a variety of healthcare administration positions. Some jobs may necessitate appropriate work experience.
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Master’s in Healthcare Administration
Master’s degrees in healthcare administration build on the core knowledge learned in a bachelor’s program by delving deeper into strategic planning, healthcare legislation and policy, informatics, and finance.
Students who get a master’s degree in healthcare administration are prepared for non-clinical leadership roles in the healthcare industry.
Healthcare administrators, medical and health services managers, and healthcare executives are among the jobs that graduates are qualified for.
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Doctorate in Healthcare Administration
Doctoral students study advanced concepts in healthcare administration and research, allowing them to become specialists in a particular field. In addition, they develop superior research, analytical, and instructional abilities.
Students seeking a high-level career in research or as a university professor of healthcare administration often pursue a doctorate or PhD in healthcare administration. In the field of healthcare management, a PhD is the highest degree.
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What Are My Major Responsibilities As A Healthcare Administrator?
A healthcare administrator is essential in any setting, including nursing homes, private medical practices, hospitals, and corporations.
Healthcare administrators deal with the business side of medicine, ensuring that their employers have the resources they need to provide the best healthcare possible.
Administrators in the healthcare field are tasked with a variety of important responsibilities. The following are the top five:
1. Management of Operations
The healthcare administrator is to develop, monitor, and revise the entire business strategy as needed.
Healthcare administrators oversee the organization and management of both buildings and staff. Other operational responsibilities could include:
- Planning for the future
- Putting together a master budget
- Establishing a secure, high-quality working environment
- Discovering and managing external expertise and outsourced business services
- Managing technical advancements, such as software, electronic record systems, and lab reporting.
2. Financial Planning and Management
Any organization’s financial health is critical not only to its success but also to its survival. Given this, it’s no surprise that financial management takes up roughly a quarter of a healthcare administrator’s time.
Qualified administrators, according to the Medical Group Management Association, will be conversant with billing codes, reimbursement procedures, and the billing cycle.
Also, managing cash flow, controlling accounts payable, handling payroll, evaluating and approving departmental budgets, and supervising audits are all tasks that need to be completed.
3. Management of Human Resources
The healthcare administrator supports this resource in a variety of ways, from ensuring that they hire the most qualified administrative personnel to doing whatever it takes to motivate and retain courageous employees.
For example, healthcare administrators ensure that they have everything they need to do their jobs properly, encourage employee engagement in the workplace, provide training and advancement opportunities, and provide incentives and employee help.
4. Legal Obligations
One of the most critical roles of a healthcare administrator is to stay updated on legislation and regulations.
In addition to risk management and creating a safe working environment, the administrator will:
- Create and manage a federal and state law and regulation compliance program
- Develop and maintain strategies and procedures for dealing with adverse events, putting those plans into action as needed.
- Be familiar with and follow accreditation and licensure requirements.
- Have a current understanding of healthcare regulations.
5. Communication
Information management, internal communication, and community interactions are the responsibilities of healthcare administrators. Every employee’s proposals and comments are channeled through them as human resource managers.
Healthcare administrators build and maintain open lines of communication that allow the system to run quickly and efficiently because they serve as amours between boards of trustees, medical staff, departments, and business employees.
The healthcare administrator conveys the practice’s vision and aim effectively to the community, attends local fundraisers, and attends professional conventions to strengthen community ties.
Career Opportunities For A Healthcare Administrator
Healthcare administration is a large topic of study, with many rewarding job options. A healthcare administration degree educates students to assist in the management of everyday operations in a medical facility, and other administrative activities.
Some specialists like to work directly with patients, while others prefer to concentrate on figures and statistics. Here are some of the most prevalent employment paths for health administration graduates:
1. Nursing Home Healthcare Administrators
They are in charge of healthcare administrators, supervising nursing home personnel and residents, conducting financial and administrative tasks, and ensuring compliance with local, state, and federal requirements.
Most nursing facility administrators have a master’s degree.
2. Clinical Supervisors
A healthcare administrator’s job as a supervisor is to oversee the day-to-day operations of medical clinics by keeping track of personnel schedules, delegating work, monitoring clinical records and patient reports, maintaining inventory, and enforcing quality standards.
A bachelor’s degree may be required for this professional path.
3. Medical Record and Health Information Technician
As a medical record and health information technician, you may oversee office records, maintain patient files, keep computer systems up to date, and develop record-keeping organizational processes.
Most of these technicians have an associate’s degree.
4. Medical Billing Managers
They are in charge of documentation for healthcare businesses. Negotiating insurance contracts, employing and training new billing department staff, and tracking insurance and patient payments are some of their responsibilities.
A bachelor’s degree in health administration is commonly held by these professions.
5. Human Resources Manager
As a human resources manager at a medical facility, you will select candidates for open positions and advise management on employee compensation and benefits.
These supervisors frequently deal with staff problems and help find solutions. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree in health administration may be qualified for this position.
6. Practice administrator
Practice administrators are in charge of medical facility staff, including recruitment, contract negotiations, and budgeting for employee employment and training.
These specialists may manage finance, reports and contracts, employees and supplies, and office facilities.
They frequently hold both bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
7. Healthcare Consultant
These experts conduct research, identify problems, and develop solutions for health care facilities.
They could assist with insurance compliance, patient confidentiality, and malpractice issues. A master’s degree in health administration is common among health care consultants.
8. Medical Office Manager
A healthcare administrator is in charge of the administrative functions of a healthcare facility. They keep track of expenses and finances, deal with scheduling issues, and organize papers and files.
These individuals often hold a bachelor’s degree in health management, with some earning a master’s degree.
Few Tips To Know Before Starting A Career Journey As A Healthcare Administrator
If you’re considering a career in healthcare administration, there’s a lot you can learn from people who have already made it. That’s why we asked seasoned healthcare administrators what shocked them about the sector and what advice they would give to those just starting.
- Some numerous regulations and policies must be followed.
- This field offers a wide range of options.
- Having a senior mentor can be beneficial.
- It can be difficult to negotiate internal politics.
- There will be mistakes made, and plans will fall apart.
- Above all, your eagerness to learn is a valuable asset; treat it as such.
Conclusion
It’s simple to see why healthcare administrators are important members of any medical team, given their wide range of responsibilities.
While medical staff has the most direct impact on patient care, healthcare administrators build and maintain the environment in which they can accomplish their jobs.
FAQs
A graduate with a health administration degree is often qualified to work in the following fields:
Hospitals
Clinics
Offices of doctors
Homes for the elderly
Of course, you can study and gain a certificate online from a free online study site like Coursera for healthcare administration in the comfort of your home and at your convenience schedule. Enroll now
Some recent studies have even suggested that online students have a minor advantage over regular students.
It is advisable to consider what professional prospects are available and the path you wish to take before deciding on a degree. Although some positions can be gotten with a bachelor’s degree, increasing levels of responsibility and higher income will cause a graduate degree.
Hospital Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Epidemiologist
Chief Financial Officer
Hospital Administrator
Health Informatics Manager
Medical and Health Service Manager
Reference
- indeed.com – Career opportunities for healthcare administrator
- coursera.org – online courses on healthcare administration
- healthcare management degree.net – The best area to work in as a healthcare administrator
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