Recently, we wrote about what healthcare administrators do, then we explained how to get a job as a healthcare administrator, and here we’re going to explore what makes healthcare administration and management so important in the first place.

As part of this discussion, we’ll cover what healthcare administration entails, what role healthcare administrators play in the delivery of modern healthcare services, and why you should consider launching a career in the industry.

After you’ve learned everything you need to know about what makes healthcare administrators and managers so important, fill out our information request form to receive additional details about CSU Global’s 100% online Bachelor’s Degree in Healthcare Administration and Management, or our online Master’s Degree in Healthcare Administration, or if you’re ready to get started, submit your application today.

What is Healthcare Administration and Why is it so Important?

Healthcare administration and management is the process of overseeing a healthcare system and the delivery of healthcare services.

The reason this is such an important discipline is that healthcare administrators are essentially responsible for ensuring the continuation of healthcare delivery.

This role requires expertise in traditional business processes, as well as expertise in healthcare best practices. A healthcare administrator is responsible for managing both the business and healthcare components of an organization’s activities, including:

  1. Making sure that the organization, department, or services they oversee deliver effective healthcare services.
  2. Protecting the organization, department, or services that they oversee to make sure that they remain profitable and can continue operating.

Any organization that fails to accomplish either of these objectives isn’t going to last, which is the reason that healthcare administrators are so important to modern medical organizations.

Where do Do Healthcare Administrators work?

Healthcare administrators can find work in a wide variety of organizations.

You might think they’d be limited to hospitals and health clinics, but in reality, they can work in a much wider range of environments, and regularly find employment at:

  • Hospitals
  • Medical laboratories
  • Medical practices
  • Long-term nursing care facilities
  • Home health care agencies
  • Physician’s offices
  • Insurance companies
  • Government agencies
  • Non-profit organizations
  • Pharmaceutical corporations
  • Outpatient clinics or centers

Due to their ubiquitous need, you’ll find healthcare administrators at various types of organizations, including public and private corporations, nonprofit organizations, and state or federal government agencies.

What Do Healthcare Administrators Actually Do?

Healthcare administrators are responsible for mission-critical tasks on both the business side and the healthcare side of modern medical practices, which makes this an especially challenging role.

On the business end, healthcare administrators need to develop knowledge, skills, and experience in:

  • Strategic planning, operations, and finance
  • Human resources
  • Project management
  • Policy management
  • Operations management, supervision, and decision-making

And from the healthcare perspective, they also have to develop proficiency in healthcare systems and the delivery of healthcare services, as well as healthcare-related topics, like:

  • Ethics
  • Healthcare finance
  • Risk management
  • Quality assurance
  • Other practices essential to managing in a demanding healthcare environment.

As a result of all these responsibilities, healthcare administrators play a critical role at any organization where they’re employed, since they’re responsible for ensuring continued organizational success.

Should You Pursue a Career in Healthcare Administration?

Like any field, it depends on what you want to do, what you’re good at, and what you’re trying to achieve with your career.

If you’re interested in playing a central leadership role in healthcare, then this would be the perfect industry for you to get involved in.

There are three main reasons to consider a career in healthcare administration and management, including:

  • Demand for healthcare administrators and managers is projected to rise quickly over the next decade.
  • Healthcare administrators play an essential role in healthcare organizations, as they’re central to operational success.
  • Top jobs in the industry pay excellent salaries, making this a great career field for anyone who prioritizes income potential.

To help you understand the opportunity presented by pursuing a career in healthcare administration, let’s look at each of these areas in further detail.

Demand for Healthcare Administrators is Projected to Continue Growing

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the employment of healthcare administrators will rise substantially over the next decade and that the growth should occur across several of the industry’s most prominent positions.

Looking at some of the most common, senior-level roles in the industry, it’s clear that there is a great deal of opportunity for anyone interested in getting into healthcare administration.

Below are the projected growth rates for 4 of the best jobs in healthcare administration and management, with estimates of the growth in employment these positions will see between 2020 and 2030:

Knowing that demand for healthcare administrators is going to rise so sharply in the next decade, you can be confident that you’ll graduate from a healthcare administration program with skills and abilities that are relevant to the real-world job market.

Rising demand also signals that it’s a great time to get into the industry, as such substantial growth should stimulate more roles at all levels, from basic, entry-level jobs to management-level positions. 

Healthcare Administrators Are Critical to Organizational Success

Because healthcare administrators are responsible for keeping organizations working from both the business and healthcare delivery side of things, they play a critical role in virtually every healthcare organization.

No matter what type of healthcare services the organization delivers, it’s likely that a healthcare administrator or manager is responsible for decision-making behind the scenes.

Nearly everything that a healthcare administrator does could be considered a mission-critical task, with responsibilities including overseeing important processes like:

  • Helping medical organizations adapt to change.
  • Managing medical practices, clinics, and departments.
  • Keeping staff up to date on new laws and regulations.
  • Ensuring that healthcare delivery standards are met.
  • Designing, implementing, and overseeing plans for healthcare service delivery.

Without the capable guidance of an effective healthcare administrator, many medical facilities and organizations would be at risk of failing to maintain both their profitability and their medical effectiveness.

Healthcare Administrators Have Excellent Earnings Potential 

Skilled healthcare administrators and managers are paid extremely well, especially once they've reached the top of their industry.

The BLS reports excellent compensation rates for some of the best jobs in the field, including:

This is just a very short list of some of the best healthcare administration jobs, so keep in mind that there are many other relevant positions that you could pursue after completing a degree in the field.

Those roles may not be quite as lucrative as the positions listed above, but they’d be much easier to get into right after graduating. Once you’ve managed to build some expertise and experience in the field, then you’ll be able to aim for the more prominent positions like those listed above.

The important thing to remember is that if you’re looking for a career that offers opportunities to earn an excellent salary, this could be the perfect fit. 

How to Launch Your Career in Healthcare Administration 

While you might be able to get an entry-level role in the field without completing a degree program, you’ll likely have an easier time breaking into the industry after you’ve earned a degree in the field.

Why? Because the role that healthcare administrators play is so important to organizational success that hiring managers looking to fill open positions are likely to prefer people who have completed an accredited degree program.

Getting your degree proves you’ve spent the time and effort needed to develop your skills, abilities, and knowledge of the industry and its best practices, increasing the odds that you’ll be able to deliver real value to any organization from your first day on the job.

To jumpstart your efforts, consider enrolling in one of CSU Global’s 100% online degrees in healthcare administration and management, where we’ll provide you with everything you need to launch a successful lifelong career in this challenging, competitive, but especially rewarding industry.

Should You Get Your Healthcare Administration Degree Online?

Yes, you can and should consider getting your degree in healthcare administration online at CSU Global.

Our accelerated online programs were designed to be completed entirely online, meaning they’ll provide you with far more flexibility and freedom than a traditional on-campus program.

Studying online with us will make it much easier to juggle your studies with existing work and family responsibilities, as our programs offer several excellent benefits, including:

  • No requirements to attend classes at set times or locations.
  • Monthly class starts.
  • Accelerated, eight-week courses.

If you’re looking for a streamlined, flexible online degree program that interferes as little as possible with your existing responsibilities, then you should choose to study with us.

Why Should You Pick CSU Global’s Online Healthcare Administration Program?

Our online degree programs were designed to provide you with the skills and knowledge you need to launch a lifelong career in the challenging field of healthcare administration.

You can be sure that your degree will be respected by potential employers since both of our healthcare administration programs are regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, and because each of them has also earned excellent rankings, including:

For our Bachelor’s in Healthcare Administration and Management program:

  • A #5 ranking for Most Affordable Online Bachelor Degrees in Healthcare Management from Best Medical Degrees.
  • A Top 19 ranking for Best Online Schools for Bachelor of Healthcare Management Degree Programs from Online Schools Center.

For our Master’s in Healthcare Administration program:

CSU Global itself has also recently received several important rankings, including:

  • A #10 ranking for Best Online Colleges for ROI from OnlineU.
  • 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.

Our faculty all have recent, real-world experience in the field, ensuring that you’ll develop useful and relevant job skills and abilities, while our alumni report excellent results from the workplace, including:

For our Bachelor’s program:

  • 91% of alumni report working in the field after graduating.
  • Alumni report an annual salary increase of 39% one year after graduating.
  • Alumni report a median annual salary that is 4% higher than the national average income for all bachelor’s degree holders one year after graduation.

And for our Master’s program:

  • Alumni report an annual salary increase of 11% one year after graduating.
  • Alumni report a median annual salary that is 30% higher than the national average for all master’s degree holders four years after graduation.

Finally, to save you on the cost of getting your degree, we offer competitive tuition rates and a Tuition Guarantee that ensures your affordable tuition rate will not increase between enrollment and graduation.

To get additional details about our fully accredited, 100% online degrees in healthcare administration, please give us a call at 800-462-7845, or fill out our Information Request Form.

Ready to get started today? Apply now!