August 17th, 2022
What Can You Do with a Healthcare Administration Degree?
Doctors and nurses may care for patients, but the healthcare facilities where they work need care too. Healthcare administrators are the people who make sure hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare organizations serve patients well. They make decisions that keep medical facilities in good financial health, while following rules about patient safety and privacy. They also set policies that enhance the experiences and safety of both patients and staff. If you want to work in the growing field of health services management, a degree in healthcare administration is a good place to start. Your education can set you up for success in a variety career paths.
Medical and Health Services Manager
As a health services manager, you plan, oversee, and coordinate the services your facility provides. In this role you, you might manage an entire facility, but there is also demand for practice, clinical area, and department managers. Among your day-to-day responsibilities might be:
- Develop goals and objectives to improve the quality and efficiency of the healthcare services your organization provides
- Manage budgets and oversee medical billing and coding
- Recruit, hire, train, schedule, and supervise staff
- Represent your department or facility at staff and board meetings
- Ensure compliance with regulations such as Health Insurance Portability and accountability Act and Occupational Safety and Health Administration
- Communicate with internal and external stakeholders
Hospital Business Manager
A hospital is a business and needs to be aware of its finances to stay profitable while also serving the public. As the hospital’s business manager, you develop a long-term strategy for fiscal management that adheres to your organization’s mission. You are responsible for general accounting, budgets, forecasting, accounts payables and receivables, budget analysis, and financial reporting. You would need to understand revenue cycles and be able to measure revenues and expenses against budgets. And you would serve patient financial services and serve as a health information management liaison.
Healthcare HR Manager
In large facilities with many employees, there is often a Human Resources team that handles all the functions required to recruit, hire, train, and discipline staff. As an HR manager, you see that your facility is well-staffed with professionals who do their jobs with a passionate focus on your patients. And you also see that those employees are well taken care of, with the resources that will keep them satisfied and working to the best of their abilities. You may develop or refine training materials, help new employees acclimate on the first day, or handle payroll and employee benefits.
Nursing Home Director
More than 1.4 million people live in nursing homes in the U.S. And there are more than 15,000 facilities! Each and every one of them needs a robust staff and someone to direct operations. As the director of a nursing home, you handle strategy, planning, budgeting, and a multitude of tasks that go into day-to-day care of residents. You would have similar responsibilities to a healthcare manager, but you would also need to adhere to specific guidelines for elder residents, including standard of care and quality assurance. You oversee the staff and also bring in specialists and event planners. For example, to provide stimulation, you might bring in an area musician. Or you might have regular family nights with activities related to upcoming holidays. Especially important for the role is an understanding of the physical and psychological effects of aging and the importance of having empathy for your residents.
Home Healthcare Administrator
When patients and the elderly cannot go to a facility for treatment or illness, home health services can come to them. Sometimes, the services are provided short-term. But for the elderly, homecare can be an alternative to a nursing home. As an administrator, you would orchestrate services, overseeing personnel, budgeting, and medical care. Among your responsibilities might be:
- Plan, develop, and administer the home health services for your organization
- Manage the budget and establish ways to evaluate, track, and report on it
- Implement and adhere to governing body directives and policies
- Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, standards of practice, policies, and procedures.
- Recruit, hire, train, assign, and evaluate staff
- Represent your organization to other agencies and the general public
- Create and disseminate accurate public information materials
- Evaluate the quality and effectiveness of the care your organization provides
- Establish and maintain effective channels of communication
A background in healthcare administration can also help you build a career with insurance, medical devices, and pharmaceutical companies. And healthcare marketing needs people who can combine knowledge of the field with creativity.
Are you ready to be part of the multi-trillion-dollar healthcare industry? Limestone University offers a variety of healthcare programs including a Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Administration program that can prepare you for entry-level jobs in the field. Get started on the path to the future of your dreams.
Bachelor of Science (B.S.)
The Limestone Health Care Administration program prepares those pursuing a career in administrative positions in the health care industry. This program is ideal for students interested in management and administration, as well as contributing to the well-being of others.
