Recently we explored what healthcare administration is, we explained what healthcare administrators do, and here we’ll outline how to get a job as a professional healthcare administrator.
Whether you’re looking for an entry-level position in the field, or you already have experience in the industry and would like to find a new leadership or management-level job in healthcare administration, this post will help you figure out the specific path you’ll want to consider to maximize the chances of landing a great role in the industry.
We’ll go over whether or not you need a degree in healthcare administration, what type of degree you should consider based on your personal career goals and objectives, what you can do with a bachelor’s degree vs. a master’s degree, and why you should consider completing your degree program online.
If you want to join or secure a promotion in one of the fastest growing industries, and you’re interested in developing the business and healthcare skills needed to deliver effective leadership in the industry, then healthcare administration may be the perfect field for you.
After you’ve learned about how to become a healthcare administration professional, we encourage you to fill out our information request form to receive details about our 100% online programs in healthcare administration. If you’re ready to get started, submit your application today.
Is Healthcare Administration a Good Career?
Yes, healthcare administration is a great field that you should certainly consider pursuing a career in, especially thanks to the explosive growth that this industry is projected to continue experiencing over the next several years.
According to the BLS, employment for medical and health service managers is likely to grow by 28% between 2021 and 2031, which is a much faster rate of growth compared to the average of all occupations, at just 4%.
This is a strong sign that healthcare administration is an excellent field for establishing a solid, long-term career with plenty of room for growth.
If you do choose to pursue a career in the industry, then completing a Bachelor’s Degree in Healthcare Administration, or a Master’s Program in Healthcare Administration is one of the best ways to increase the odds that you’ll find success in the field.
By completing an accredited academic program in healthcare administration, you’ll develop the critical knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to serve as an effective and efficient healthcare administration professional.
What Do Healthcare Administrators Actually Do?
Healthcare administrators are responsible for ensuring that their parent organization’s day to day operations and tasks are completed successfully, with healthcare services delivery occurring as planned, and business interests being protected at all times.
That makes roles in healthcare administration challenging, as individuals serving in this capacity can’t simply be good at business or healthcare—they need to be well-versed in disciplines.
They have to be capable of weighing the opportunity costs and benefits of any decisions that impact business operations and healthcare delivery to ensure that the right choices are being made in both areas.
Accordingly, if you’re interested in breaking into the field, it will be critical that you first develop a robust understanding of essential business functions, like:
- Management, supervision, and decision-making.
- Policy and communication.
- Project management.
- Strategic planning, operations, and finance.
But you’ll also need a detailed understanding of the way that the U.S. healthcare system works, and you’ll certainly have to understand some of the critical pieces of healthcare services delivery as well, including:
- Quality assurance.
- Risk management.
- Insurance.
- Ethical, legal, and regulatory issues.
- Other practices essential to managing in a healthcare environment.
Developing this knowledge will ensure that you’re capable of rising to the challenge when faced with the complicated problems healthcare administrators are asked to solve on a daily basis.
Working in the industry, you can expect to be regularly tasked with responsibilities like:
- Leading teams of healthcare professionals who will rely on you to make important decisions that can have a major impact on your organization’s financial situation, as well as its delivery of health services.
- Understanding and critiquing areas of healthcare finance, policy, and operations management, including fully comprehending ethical and strategic dilemmas faced by the organization and its employees.
- Analyzing the impact of population health, information systems and technology on patient outcomes.
- Evaluating existing healthcare management industry and organizational best practices.
Do I Need a Degree to Get a Job in Healthcare Administration?
While you don’t necessarily have to hold a bachelor’s or master’s degree in healthcare administration to get a job in the industry, there is certainly a benefit to earning your academic credentials in the field.
Not only does getting your degree prepare you to provide effective leadership in this challenging industry, but it also helps send a strong signal to hiring managers that you understand the complexities, challenges, and tasks that you’ll face on the job.
We certainly advise completing an academic program so that you enter the field fully capable of providing effective business and healthcare leadership, as this is perhaps the very best way to set yourself up for long-term career success in the field.
Simply put, getting a degree in healthcare administration, at either the bachelor’s or master’s level, will increase the chances that you’re capable of bringing value to an organization from day one, and it is also likely to improve your marketability when applying for positions in the industry.
When it comes to choosing an academic program in healthcare administration, you have two excellent options available from CSU Global, one at the undergraduate, and the other at the graduate level.
Which Healthcare Administration Degree Should I Get?
You should choose the healthcare administration degree program that best meets your professional needs and career goals, and which best complements your current knowledge, skills, and prior experience in the field.
CSU Global offers two excellent, fully accredited and well-respected programs in healthcare administration: a Bachelor’s Degree in Healthcare Administration and Management, and a Master’s Degree in Healthcare Administration.
To make your choice a little easier, our advice is that if you’re new to the healthcare industry and are looking to get your foot in the door, or if you only have a little experience in the field, but lack a bachelor’s degree needed to secure more advanced roles, then you will likely want to pursue our undergraduate degree in healthcare administration.
However, if you already have some experience in healthcare, especially in management or leadership roles, or if you already have a bachelor’s degree in another field, then you may be better suited for our master’s program in healthcare administration.
The big difference between the two programs is that the undergraduate program will include instruction in other fields, along with the specific classes in healthcare and business, whereas the master’s program is going to be more specifically focused on healthcare and business courses, as well as providing additional leadership and management training.
Whichever program you choose to pursue, you can rest assured that you’ll be well on your way to developing the knowledge, skills and abilities needed to establish a successful career in healthcare administration, as both of our programs were designed to provide training that delivers real-world value in the workplace, not just academic instruction.
What Can I Do With a Bachelor’s Degree in Healthcare Administration?
Completing a B.S. Degree in Healthcare Administration will help you develop the critical foundational knowledge in business and healthcare, allowing you to serve as an effective employee at any healthcare organization, and in a variety of roles, like:
- Practice administrator.
- Clinical IT application support.
- Medical staff credentialing analyst.
- Managed care specialist.
- Program manager.
- Hospital HR generalist.
Please note that this is just a very short list of some of the more common roles bachelor’s program alumni may pursue, and that getting your B.S. in the field will allow you to apply for a much wider variety of relevant roles.
What Can I Do With a Master’s Degree in Healthcare Administration?
Getting your M.S. Degree in Healthcare Administration is an excellent way to prepare for leadership, managerial and senior-level positions in the industry, including:
- Administrative services manager.
- General and operations manager.
- Hospital HR manager.
- Managed care director.
- Medical and health services manager.
- Medical staff credentialing analyst.
- Practice administrator.
- Program manager.
As a master’s program graduate, you can expect to be better prepared for leadership tasks like managing teams of other healthcare administration professionals, as well as providing effective leadership for more critical or complex teams and departments.
If your goal is to develop a long-term career in the industry, and you have your eye on moving into management or executive-type roles, then you may want to consider completing our Master’s program in Healthcare Administration.
Is Getting a Degree in Healthcare Administration Really Worth It?
Yes, getting your degree in healthcare administration really is worth it.
While it may take hard work and dedication to complete a bachelor’s or master’s program in the field, this is one of the most reliable ways to develop the foundational knowledge and skills needed to find success in the industry.
Not only will adding the academic credentials to your resume make you more attractive to potential hiring managers, but the knowledge and skills that you develop in your bachelor’s or master’s program will help set you up to find long-term success in the industry.
Can I Get My Degree in Healthcare Administration Online?
Yes, you can get a well-respected and regionally-accredited Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Healthcare Administration entirely online from CSU Global.
Our accelerated degree programs offer more flexibility and freedom than a traditional in-person program, as they were designed specifically for online students, and to make it easier for you to juggle your educational pursuits with existing work and family responsibilities.
Choosing to get your degree online from CSU Global offers several advantages over earning it from a traditional school, including not needing to appear at any set times or locations, having access to monthly class starts, and being able to take accelerated, eight-week courses.
If you’re looking for convenience in your degree program, there is no better option than choosing to study with CSU Global.
What Makes CSU Global the Best School for Healthcare Administration?
CSU Global’s Bachelor’s and our Master’s Programs in Healthcare Administration are both regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, and well-respected by industry professionals.
These programs were designed to provide working professionals with the knowledge, skills and abilities needed to build a successful career in the field, and our alumni from each program report excellent results following the successful completion of their programs.
Alumni from our B.S. in Healthcare Administration and Management program report receiving an average salary increase of 39% one year after graduation, and alumni from our Master’s Program in Healthcare Administration report that their median salary four years after graduating is 30% higher than the national average for all master’s degree holders.
Our healthcare administration programs also rank exceptionally well, with each of them having earned several top 5 rankings, including:
- A #2 ranking for Best Online Bachelor’s in Healthcare Management from Online Schools Center for our B.S. Program.
- A #4 ranking for Top Online Master’s in Healthcare Administration from Best Master Programs for our M.S. Program.
Furthermore, CSU Global itself has also recently received several distinguished rankings, including:
- A #1 ranking for Best Online Colleges & Schools in Colorado from Best Accredited Colleges.
- A #1 ranking for Best Online Colleges in Colorado from Best Colleges.
- A #10 ranking for Best Online Colleges for ROI from OnlineU.
Finally, CSU Global offers competitive tuition rates and a Tuition Guarantee to ensure your rate won’t increase as you're getting a degree in the desired field.
To get additional details about our fully-accredited, 100% online healthcare administration programs, please give us a call at 800-462-7845, or fill out our Information Request Form.
Ready to get started today? Apply now!