What is Healthcare Administration?
If you want to help sick people get well while putting your stellar organizational skills to good use, you could earn a degree in healthcare administration. One great aspect to this field is that you could find yourself working in a variety of settings. From small offices to entire healthcare facilities, healthcare administrators work to ensure patients get the treatment they need and the medical staff get the information they need to treat the patient.
What Is a Healthcare Administrator?
Healthcare administration is a demanding but rewarding field. You can expect to work in a dynamic environment, negotiating between specialized groups that sometimes have competing interests. The successful healthcare administrator needs top skills in budgeting, decision-making, and human relations. You will need to know how to earn the respect and cooperation of diverse special interest groups that may be adversely affected by your decisions.
You will also have to know how to establish healthcare standards, charting your organization's way through challenging situations brought on by developments in the economic or regulatory climate. You may also need to make quick decisions in the midst of epidemics, natural disasters, pharmaceutical shortages, lawsuits, or other problems. You'll need to think fast, react strategically, and know how to be firm but diplomatic in dealing with employees, patients, government officials, or other organizations.
Successful healthcare administrators are also expected to participate in the life of their communities, getting involved in civic or professional organizations and promoting the community's welfare. They may need to be involved in the development of healthcare policies, providing input on new regulations, or testifying on behalf of healthcare policies.
What does a Healthcare Administrator Do?
- Healthcare records
- Budgets
- Staff
- Human resources
- Accounting
- Health systems
- Organizations
- Hospital or clinic operations management
- Relations with organizations
- Marketing
Besides hospitals and clinics, healthcare administrators might work for local, state, or federal agencies, such as the Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services, or even national associations involved in healthcare, such as the American Hospital Association or the Red Cross.
What It Takes to Be a Healthcare Administrator
While healthcare administrators usually do not deal directly with patients, they benefit patients by contributing to the improvement of our nation's healthcare systems. Changes in this realm happen at a rapid pace so those in the field must keep themselves informed of trends and developments in order to adapt as needed.
Those who enter this field should work to develop leadership skills. In addition, they will need an understanding of medical language and healthcare delivery. They may also need to know about the structure of patient care organizations, as well as the financial structure of the healthcare organization they work for.
Healthcare administrators usually enter the field in entry-level positions after graduating with a bachelor's degree, although depending on the size of the organization, some recent graduates might expect to enter the field as mid-managers in positions such as these:
- Vice President of Human Resources
- Director of Admissions or Marketing
- Risk Management Analyst
Individuals who earn their bachelor's degrees in this field may expect to work in large cities as well as small rural communities, where facilities and organizations may have trouble meeting staffing requirements.
Earning a Bachelor's Degree in Healthcare Administration
Earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in Healthcare Administration is one of the best ways to enter this field. As you research programs, be sure to look for one that includes the following basics:
- Community health
- Technology
- General finance
- Long-term care administration
- Epidemiology
- Global health
- Healthcare research
- Healthcare delivery systems
- Accounting
The healthcare administration student can also profit from studying epidemiology, nutrition, communications, algebra, composition, economics, statistics, psychology, and sociology.
Students may also want to do an externship in their field.
Most bachelor's programs in health administration will take at least four years to complete, although some accelerated programs might allow you to complete your studies in far less time.
Could you see yourself as a healthcare administrator? If you have the passion and the interest in earning a Bachelor of Science in Health Science with a concentration in healthcare Administration, consider ECPI University for the education you need to make a difference. With classes available both online and on campus, you can choose the learning environment that suits your needs. For more information, contact a friendly admissions advisor today.
It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!
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