Health Administration Degree

Health administration is an area of the health care and medical industry. Individuals within this field work directly with people and must possess organizational, management and business skills. A degree in health care administration can provide career growth and advancement opportunities for health care professionals. Health care administrators operate in both large and small facilities, ranging from small physician's offices to large hospitals and care facilities. Administrators work in all areas of medical facilities, from financial services to human resources to nurse administrators to CEOs and more.

Responsibilities vary widely for health administrators based upon their work title and the size of the facility they work for. While health care administrators in larger facilities will run everything from employee benefits plans to scheduling nurses� shifts, those in a smaller facility can help with patient intake, accounts payable and receivable, and office finances. These administrators use their education in health administration and their experience to ensure their medical facility runs smoothly and efficiently.

Curriculum for Health Administration

A health administration concentration prepares individuals on multiple levels, from entry-level health administration positions to more experienced, management roles for those health care professionals who already have experience and are looking to develop specializations within the field to assume an administrative role.

For those interested in entering the health administration field, students will learn to identify key ethical, practical and theoretical issues related to medical records. They will be taught the ability of how to perform necessary clerical and organizational tasks within a Nursing Degree">healthcare office, and may pursue entry-level positions such as Admitting Clerk, Healthcare Supply Coordinator, Patient Services Representative, Front Office Medical Assistant, Medical Records Clerk and many other high demand positions. Individuals pursuing health administration who already have experience within the medical field may pursue curriculum addressing the basic body of knowledge, skills and understanding to be relevant specifically to health administration, or pursue studies in medical technology, pathology or medical research. They may also look to move into administrative or supervisory levels, in which they will critically examine and evaluate issues and trends that influence the global health care system.

Career Opportunities in Health Administration

Health care administrators will be in high demand for the next seven years. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, health care human resource managers averaged $87,850 in 2004, while a CEO averaged a salary of $139,920, and nurse administrators made approximately $75,140 in 2004. The need for well-educated and experienced health care administrators will ensure that properly educated individuals within the field will be compensated fairly for the position they take on and the responsibilities that fall within their role at the facility they are working for.

In addition to the challenges of long, hard hours, health care managers and administrators face the additional pressures and demands of working with private and public health plans, HMOs, managed care, elder care, alternative health care providers, public health care agencies, safety and other health-related programs. A specialization in health administration ensures that these professionals can successfully lead and manage health care organizations.

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