It is a great time to be equipped with a degree in healthcare administration. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts healthcare management jobs will rise 17% between 2014 and 2024, which is much faster than many other fields. It adds up to about two million additional jobs in ten years. Further, the BLS reports the median salary among healthcare administration professions in 2015 was $94,500.
The types of jobs available in healthcare administration can vary, but there are certain positions that are experiencing growth thanks to demographic shifts in the US. For instance, as the bulk of the baby boomer generation enters its sixties and seventies, geriatric care and nursing home services are growing in demand. See more about these and other positions that are seeing a significant uptick in need:
Nursing Home Administrator
Nursing home executive-level careers represent a broad range of jobs: directors, assistant directors, medical certification supervisors, and human resources managers, for example. Administrators may oversee entire operations, or they may focus on patient care issues, communications and marketing, family relations, staff improvement, regulatory issues, or other facets of running a successful operation.
Health Information Technology Professional
Technology managers may oversee a staff of IT professionals who are responsible for a lot more than keeping computers up and running. In the healthcare field, IT administrators make sure their organizations adhere to regulations, keep pace with advancements in telemedicine and other means of remote patient care, as well as the migration of patient information to the digital realm. However, IT executives may be most in demand to help ensure the security of sensitive patient information.
Practice Manager
The trend is moving away from small one- and two-physician practices to larger groups of doctors and other healthcare providers. These practices seek managers equipped with superb organizational and interpersonal skills who can oversee all non-medical aspects of the business, including hiring, patient relations, regulatory compliance and insurance.
Health Insurance Manager
Healthcare organizations place a premium on executives who can help them and their patients make sense of the labyrinthine ins and outs of health insurance. Insurance professionals may help with or oversee patient billing, coding, the development of benefit plans.
Training and Development Director
Few, if any, industries are more fluid in terms of product advancements, regulations and compliance issues than healthcare. The demand for staff training and development never ends. Top organizations invest heavily in ensuring their staff remains up to date with the latest certifications, techniques, and professional knowledge.
These five job types by no means represent all the promising career paths in healthcare administration. To learn more about career opportunities for MHA degree holders, visit the University of Southern California online.
Sources
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/medical-and-health-services-managers.htm