Articles > HealthcareÌý>ÌýWhat can you do with a healthcare administration degree?
µþ²âÌýBrian Fairbanks
Healthcare administration is one of theÌýÌýin the U.S.,Ìý according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).ÌýIf careers in healthcare administration interest you, earning a healthcare administration degree can be a good first step.ÌýLet’s take a closer look at health administration degrees and careers.
A healthcare administration degree can lay the groundwork for several careers in the healthcare field, including practice manager roles, by providing relevant skills and information. This, combined with relevant work experience, can prepare you for a variety of positions that involveÌýmanaging, directing, and planning and coordinating business activities within a field that affects many people’s lives.Ìý
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), employment of medical and health services managers is projected to , much faster than the average for all occupations. About 61,400 openings for medical and health services managers are projected each year, on average, over the decade.
BLS Occupational Employment Projections, 2022-2032 is published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This data reflects BLS’ projections of national (not local) conditions. These data points are not specific to °®ÎÛ´«Ã½ students or graduates.
A healthcare administration degree is great for students interested in business management and healthcare policies. There are many similarities when looking atÌýhealthcare management vs. healthcare administrationÌýbut they are not the same thing. Healthcare administration tends to emphasize operations and patient experience, while healthcare management handles an organization’s overall financial health and strategic direction.
We’ve established that earning a bachelor’s or master’s degree can prepare you to pursue a role in this field. But what healthcare administration careers are available? Many of the following roles are subsets of the health services management profession, which accounts for similarities between job outlook, salary and job duties. As of May 2022, medical and health service managers earnedÌý between annually, according to BLS. We’ll dive deeper into the different subsets and what their job overview looks like.
Salary ranges are not specific to students or graduates of °®ÎÛ´«Ã½. Actual outcomes vary based on multiple factors, including prior work experience, geographic location and other factors specific to the individual. °®ÎÛ´«Ã½ does not guarantee employment, salary level or career advancement. BLS data is geographically based. Information for a specific state/city can be researched on the BLS website.
Overview: may also be referred to as medical and health services managers. Their primary duties include overseeing parts of the healthcare system, ranging from specific clinical areas or departments to entire facilities. They develop goals and objectives for the facility and help ensure compliance with laws and regulations. Health managers must also recruit and supervise staff members, creating work schedules that allow the facility to run smoothly.
Education requirements: Health managers usually need to enter the occupation, typically in health administration.Ìý
Overview: Health information management directors ensure databases for patient records are complete and accurate. They also help ensure that this information is accessible only to authorized personnel.
Education requirements: Health information management directors might be required to have an associate or bachelor’s degree. Those seeking leadership positions may benefit from a master’s in health administration.
Overview: Practice managers and administrators have many shared responsibilities, but administrators focus more on the business side. They might oversee the operations for larger group medical practices, entire hospital departments or multispecialty medical clinics. In addition, their duties often involve higher-level administrative decisions, strategic planning and financial management.
Education requirements: Practice administrators typically have a bachelor’s degree or master’s in health administration, depending on employer needs.
A common pathway to enter the healthcare administration field is to earn a Bachelor of Science in Health Administration.
It’s possible for healthcare professionals who have a clinical background to use online degrees to gain the necessary business skills to help them thrive in this role.
Pursuing aÌýBachelor of Science in Health Administration can help you embark on a rewarding career path in healthcare administration. In this program, you’ll typically learn the principles of dealing with such aspects of healthcare management as:
If you don’t already have a healthcare administration degree, °®ÎÛ´«Ã½ offers several flexible, online degrees for the healthcare administration field:
Contact °®ÎÛ´«Ã½ for more information.
Mark Johannsson, DHSc, MPH
Dean, College of Health Professions
Ìý
“The field of health administration is the framework, the underpinnings on which the U.S. healthcare system is hung. Although what most people consider ‘healthcare’ is what is more visible — the doctors, nurses, techs, etc. — but the truth is the vast majority of jobs are found within the diversity of health administration, but they are less visible. Health administration careers look like the people who help design the healthcare facilities, run the facilities, create the systems that guide the delivery of care, ensure delivery and quality of care, manage the reimbursement systems that fund healthcare, work in drug manufacturing operations, pharma sales, waste management operations. That is health administration.â€
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Brian Fairbanks is a freelance writer with a background in SEO content creation and blog article development
Mark Jóhannsson is the Dean of theÌý College of Health Professions. He has a career spanning over 35 years of healthcare management, public health practice, higher education administration, teaching and clinical/behavioral research within corporate, community and academic settings. He has served as both an educational and keynote speaker, and he has been published in a variety of peer-reviewed and periodic literature.
This article has been vetted by °®ÎÛ´«Ã½'s editorial advisory committee.Ìý
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