Degree Spotlight: Healthcare Administration

Whether you just finished a nursing program or are exploring potential opportunities in healthcare, the healthcare administrator is an essential part of the healthcare industry as a whole. It's also a great place to build and utilize organizational and management skills you have learned.

The job of the healthcare administrator is to plan and oversee efficient healthcare delivery within a healthcare organization. A healthcare administrator may oversee a department within a healthcare facility or groups of departments.

The departments could include:

• Nursing
• Surgery
• Medical records
• Information systems

A healthcare administrator may also specialize in supervising certain medical specialty areas.

Key Areas of Knowledge for Healthcare Administrators

The healthcare industry is constantly evolving. As the means by which healthcare is delivered continue to change, healthcare administrators are tasked with ensuring that facilities maintain the quality of their patient care. In order to adapt to a constantly shifting landscape, the healthcare administrator needs knowledge in areas such as:

• The different ways in which healthcare is delivered
• The technology used in the delivery of healthcare
• The regulations that must be adhered to in the delivery of healthcare
• The environment in which care is provided to patients
• The importance of preventative care

Educational Requirements for Healthcare Administrators

In order to work in the field of administering healthcare, it will be necessary for an individual to earn a bachelor's or a master's degree. While a bachelor's degree may be enough for a small practice, many larger employers will require a healthcare administrator to have a master's. Nurses and other healthcare personnel may earn a degree in healthcare administration in order to qualify for a supervisory role.

Healthcare Administration Degree Requirements

In order to get into a healthcare administration master's degree program, it will be necessary to have a good academic record. Ideally, a student should have a grade point average of about 3.0 along with a bachelor's degree. To gain entry to some programs, it may be necessary to score above average on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). It may also be necessary for them to supply the school with a resume as well as letters of recommendation.

Most states require healthcare administrators to have a combination of state-approved training and on-the-job experience. A license is not needed for most areas of healthcare administration with the notable exception being the administration of long-term care facilities. While these licensing requirements differ depending on the state, most will require that an administrator have at least a bachelor's degree in healthcare administration, pass the licensing examination, and successfully complete a training program.

The content of the typical healthcare administration degree course will include subjects such as:

• Finance
• Healthcare Delivery Systems
• Community Health
• Healthcare Research
• Managed Care
• Long-term care Administration

The coursework is designed to provide the student with a solid knowledge of the job's various aspects.

Additional Areas of Specialization

The recent move to electronic medical records within the healthcare industry has created a new role for workers with knowledge of information systems. Healthcare administrators with training in this area can help their organization to comply with the subsequent regulations. They will also ensure that data is available to personnel on the front lines so that they can properly diagnose and treat patients.

Public health is another important area. The spread of infectious diseases among groups that are unable or unwilling to seek healthcare have made public health a priority for many communities. Administrators in this area may be responsible for managing the business aspects of public health organizations.

Workplace Atmosphere

Roughly 40 percent of healthcare administrators work in hospitals, with the rest working in a range of environments including physicians' practices, clinics and long-term care facilities. In most cases, they work regular regular business hours, but that depends on the needs of the facility. Some facilities operate on a 24-hour basis and in those cases, administrators may be expected to work at nights or on weekends.

If you are interested in a future in Healthcare Administration, the Medical Careers Institute, College of Health Science at ECPI University can provide students with the knowledge and hands-on experience to work as healthcare managers in a number of settings. To learn more, visit our website TODAY! It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!

DISCLAIMER - ECPI University makes no claim, warranty or guarantee as to actual employability or earning potential to current, past or future students or graduates of any educational program we offer. The ECPI University website is published for informational purposes only. Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information contained on the ECPI.edu domain; however, no warranty of accuracy is made. No contractual rights, either expressed or implied, are created by its content.

For more information about ECPI University or any of our programs click here: http://www.ecpi.edu/ or http://ow.ly/Ca1ya.