A Career in Healthcare Administration

A Career in Healthcare Administration provides you the opportunity for leadership in hospitals, physician group practices, nursing home and healthcare agencies.

A Career in Healthcare Administration

As a healthcare administrator you will direct the operations of hospitals, healthcare systems and other organizational aspects. Healthcare administrators typically have the responsibility for facilities, patient services, programs, budgets, staff, public relations and other management functions including the overall financial and operational performance of the organization.

Healthcare Administration

A career in healthcare administration is invigorating and will provide a vast variety of opportunity. Individuals who were good at healthcare administration are in high demand and compensated very well. The job outlook for this position is excellent and these positions can earn up to and even over $110,000 per year.

Having experience in local state or federal agencies is also a plus. Many healthcare administration executives have previous experience with the FDA, Center for disease control, centers for Medicare and Medicaid services or other health-related national associations such as the Red Cross.

Benefits of a Career in Healthcare Administration

There are many benefits for pursuing a career in healthcare administration. Sometimes this career is also called healthcare management.

Benefits of a career in healthcare administration for healthcare management include:

 Career flexibility

Flexibility in career. A degree in healthcare administration for healthcare management can take your career in many exciting directions. The traditional direction would be healthcare management and hospital administration. However, many graduates of a healthcare administration program can work in the pharmaceutical industry, health insurance companies, banks, financial institutions, long-term care facilities, federal and state agencies, and other professional societies.

Community Involvement

Increase community awareness. Healthcare administration executives typically are highly respected members of their communities. They are well known and often sought after for board memberships of local companies. Because of the positive impact that a healthcare professionals organization has on a normal population, they are well respected and welcomed into the community.

 Opportunities

Expansive opportunities. Healthcare is the largest industry in the United States and is the second largest employer with more than 11 million jobs. Virtually all new private sector jobs came from healthcare in the past five years. Healthcare opportunities continue to grow at a faster rate than other market segments because of the wide range of opportunities including leadership responsibilities and large hospitals ranging to small community hospitals in rural areas, a degree in healthcare administration will prove to be very valuable.

Income Potential

Earning potential. Graduates from healthcare administration programs have an opportunity to earn a substantial income. The median income according to the bureau of labor statistics is $88,580 per year as of 2012. This can easily grow to over $200,000 depending on the opportunity and the city of employment.

The lowest 10% of healthcare administrators earn in the mid $50,000 per year while the upper 10% earned more than $150,000 per year.

 Impacting Lives

Making an impact.  As a healthcare administrator, your decisions will impact the lives of hundreds perhaps even thousands of people. Therefore, healthcare administration executives have a deep sense of mission as they care about people and serving their local communities. As a hospital executive, your mission will be to provide health care services to those in great need. Many times, your hospital will be the place where families are changed and lives are saved.

Continuous Learning

Continuous learning. One of the benefits of a career in healthcare administration is that the market and business opportunities continue to change. Therefore, it is important for healthcare executives to continue to learn new strategies and policies for improving the overall performance of the organization that they are leaving. Continuous learning and innovation will be a part of each of these positions.

Below is a list of specific articles discussing the types of colleges and universities that provide college health degrees.

College and University programs preparing you for a career Nursing.

College and University programs providing a Masters in Nursing.

College and University programs preparing you for a career Healthcare Administration or Healthcare Management.

College and University programs preparing you for a career Healthcare Information Technology.

College and University programs preparing you for a career Dental Assistant.

College and University programs preparing you for a career Physical Therapy.