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What Types of Healthcare Administration Jobs are Available? What Degree is Necessary to Land them? Is Healthcare Administration a Good Career?
Professionals who start careers in health administration with an associates degree are often employed as traditional administrators. They organize schedules, order supplies, support senior staff members, and navigate medical software – usually with respect to medical billing, bookkeeping, patient records and other office management functions.
With experience and/or additional education (like a Bachelor in Hospital Administration Degree), healthcare administrators can assume more holistic, managerial roles, like assistant manager or assistant administrator. Instead of dealing with individual patient files or reimbursement claims, experienced administrators might oversee the entire office – its employees, procedures, finances, and compliance with federal regulations, like HIPAA.
With a master degree or an MBA in health administration, professionals can qualify for more prominent and higher-paying positions. Such professionals may obtain roles in large hospitals, balancing department budgets, reviewing expansion projects, or managing a group practice with multiple locations. Master’s level graduates might also land executive jobs in medical equipment sales, nonprofit groups, or state and national health agencies.
What are Some Types of Specialization in Healthcare Administration Careers?
Healthcare “administrator” is a general term used to qualify the roles of healthcare employees who are not doctors, nurses or aides. But there are many different types of administrators, and their work load isn’t strictly focused on the numbers and figures of healthcare facilities. They also hire, train and schedule employees. They research and recommend technology upgrades for their facilities. They work closely with physicians and nurses to improve patient care. They may be responsible for alerting the public or establishing crisis plans for emergency situations.
Some health administrators are known as “clinical managers.” Usually, they are professionals with background knowledge of a specific clinical area – for example, radiology or neonatal care. After completing a health administration leadership degree, former clinicians – like radiologists or nurses – may land roles as clinical leaders of such departments because they already understand much of the terrain and the daily objectives.
Other administrators concentrate their efforts as “health information managers.” These professionals maintain and secure patients’ electronic medical records. They may oversee a team of medical coding employees, or they may work with IT professionals to ensure that records are accurate, legally compliant, and appropriately accessible.
Clinical research is a fast-growing area of medicine, bolstered by scientific advancements and new technologies. But it’s also a complex undertaking that requires the coordination of numerous researchers, doctors, study participants, pharmaceutical executives and federal oversight measures. Students who pursue HA degrees with a focus on clinical research can become “clinical research managers,” representing the first generation of health administrators to tackle this dynamic field.
Finally, public relations and social media campaigns are often integral parts of the healthcare business. Students can study health communications or health marketing (as opposed to general marketing studies) to effectively land roles as social media directors, PR specialists, or health facility marketing managers.
What’s the difference between an Associate Degree in Health Administration and an Associate Degree in Medical Billing and Coding?
Many of the associate level degrees in health administration do include course work in medical billing and reimbursement. Usually however, A.A. and A.S. degrees in health administration are more comprehensive than billing and coding degrees. They often include course work in office administration, medical laws and compliance issues, plus a fair amoun