Healthcare Administration Career Options

Healthcare Administrators can also be referred to as Healthcare Executives, or Medical and Health Services Managers. It is easy to note the passion for saving lives that individuals who decide to pursue a degree in Healthcare Administration have. In addition to the passion, you can opt to enroll in this degree program based on the projections by the U.S. Department of Labor that the employment rate for the administrators could grow 17% by 2024, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Here are important details about the profession.

Locations Options for Healthcare Administration Degree Holders

While your work as a healthcare administrator will be similar no matter where you are, there's still a question of where to work. When thinking about healthcare, most people think of hospitals, but healthcare administrators can work in many other locations. Some of these include long-term care facilities, medical units, and outpatient centers.

This career is not only growing, but can also be well paid. Salary, of course, depends on your experience, certifications, and education, among other factors. But in 2015, the BLS reports the median pay for medical and health services managers was $94,500 per year. Not bad at all for a career with such flexibility.

The Roles of Healthcare Administrators

The general scope of work and roles that these administrators perform revolve around planning, directing, and coordinating health and medical services. However, when you dig deeper, the specific duties of health services managers include:

• Coming up with ways to improve efficiency and quality in healthcare services delivery
• Set departmental objectives and goals
• Make sure their working environments meet new laws and regulations
• Recruiting, training, and supervising new employees
• Oversee expenditure and financial records like patient fees and billing
• Create work schedules for upcoming tasks
• Budget for the different departments to ensure they operate within allocated funds
• Play the role of bridge between staff and departmental heads in terms of communication
• Attend and represent their facilities at investor meetings
• Track the records of the facility’s services

While performing the mentioned roles, medical services managers have to work closely with other professionals in their facilities. The professionals include registered nurses, physicians and surgeons, technicians, and medical and clinical laboratory technologists. Another notable aspect regarding the roles of the professionals under discussion is that their titles tend to vary based on their current area of expertise, area, or facility in which they work.

Important Skills and Qualities

Just as one would expect, the level of experience plays a role in how they deliver their services. At the same time, it is common for employers to give weight on the number of years a Healthcare Administrator has before employing them. Apart from that, there are skills that will come in handy if one wants to succeed in this profession. The important skills and qualities are:

• Detail oriented
• Analytical
• Impressive communication skills
• Solid interpersonal skills
• Good technical skills
• Leadership qualities

The mentioned qualities and skills are helpful in the different administrative roles that Healthcare Administrators have to undertake. For instance, they always need to pay close attention scheduling and financial information to avoid small but critical mistakes that can jeopardize the operations of large hospitals. On the other hand, one of the ways that the leadership skills will prove important is in finding solutions to problems in the working area.

Additional Requirements

Graduating with a degree in healthcare administration is usually the base requirement. Before you can fully start practicing, you will need extra things like licenses and certifications. To get these documents, you have to check the specific requirements for each state. However, the general approach is to take a national licensing exam after passing your training program. In other cases, a graduate will have to get some experience before getting the license.

It is worth noting though that not all roles in the working space will need you to produce a license to get employed. Having said that, it is always a good idea to have the license if you want to boost your chances of getting a job.

Have you ever wanted to take part in life-saving situations? If so, consider ECPI University's Bachelor of Science in Health Science with a concentration in Healthcare Administration. If you have any questions or want to discuss your options, contact ECPI University today to talk to a trained admissions advisor.

It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!

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Gainful Employment Information – Healthcare Administration - Bachelor’s

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