Online Health Administration Degree Programs

Health administration is an important part of many different fields. Online health administration degree programs enable students to develop a sound understanding of health administration concepts and the analytical tools that are required to succeed in many different careers. Students develop and build upon the essential decision making, communication, leadership, management, business planning, and critical thinking skills to improve the efficiency of organizations. Read more about online health administration degree programs.

Some Stats

In 2006, 3,839 bachelor degrees, 5,069 master degrees, and 96 doctorate degrees were conferred in health/healthcare administration/management. There were 1,110 bachelor, 671 master, and 1 doctorate degrees in hospital and health care facilities administration/management; 644 bachelor and 30 master degrees in health information/medical records administration/administrator; and 539 bachelor, 295 master, and 11 doctorate degrees in other health and medical administrative services (1). In 2006, health and medical services managers held 262,000 jobs with 37% working in hospitals and occupational health and safety specialists and technicians held 56,000 jobs with most employed in the private sector (2).

Employment Outlook

Employment outlook for health administration jobs varies greatly among field, degree, and position. Employment of health and medical services managers is projected to grow faster than average for all professions from 2006 to 2016, increasing 16% and 43,000 new jobs. Occupational health and safety specialists and technicians are expected to experience about as fast as average employment growth, increasing 9% and adding 5,200 new jobs (2).

Specialties

Health administration is a large field and students can choose a specific specialty including healthcare administration, mental health administration, informatics, healthcare ethics, medical records, clinical research, healthcare management, hospital administration, long term care administration, gerontology, health communication, healthcare education, and health information systems. Students that are interested in a particular specialty should choose a school that offers a strong program in that specific area.

What to Expect

Health administration degree programs provide students with an overview of the healthcare industry and the concepts and theories of management. Undergraduate programs require general education courses in English, composition, mathematics, science, history, and electives. Core coursework varies by program, but most programs require courses in leadership, economics, law, financial management, healthcare organizations, ethics, healthcare documentation, organizational behavior, human resources, and healthcare policy. Master degree programs provide more in-depth instruction and prepare students for upper-level administrative positions. Doctorate degree programs allow students to pursue critical studies addressing advanced healthcare administration issues.

The End Result

Health administration degrees open the door to many different diverse career opportunities in a variety of fields such as finance, human resources, government relations, information systems, patient care services, and medical staff relations. Health administration professionals commonly work in hospitals, group practices, home health agencies, nursing homes, medical laboratories, dentist offices, and insurance companies. Master degree programs prepare students for management positions and doctorate degrees prepare students for research and teaching positions.  Career opportunities for health administration degree graduates include:

Hospital Administrator
Healthcare Consultant
Practice Manager
Nursing Manager
Medical Secretary
Occupational Health Specialist
Hospital Staffing Coordinator
Patient Registration Representative
Administrative Coordinator
Human Resources Payroll Coordinator
Executive Assistant
Patient Liaison
Nursing Administrator

A career in health administration will be rewarding for individuals who wish to make a significant contribution to healthcare organizations and citizens of their communities. Health administration professionals use their healthcare background and education to make sure their organizations is running effectively and efficiently. They must have excellent communication and interpersonal skills because they interact with many different people such as patients and other medical personnel.

(1) SOURCE: U.S. National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics
(2) SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook 2008-2009 Edition