Health care is the largest industry in the country, providing close to fifteen million jobs. It is an industry that will continue to grow as our population grows both larger and older. Among the universe of health care workers, management and pure administrative personnel are a relatively small segment. That ratio is going to change somewhat, as more health care in this country becomes public health care due to the rising cost of health insurance and the reduction of employee benefits in American business.
Nevertheless, the pure administrative positions in health care comprise less than ten percent of the total jobs in the field. There are some interesting trends emerging in the private sector that indicate the need for administrative personnel in the field is rising, and will continue to do so.
Because of the reluctance of insurance companies to pay for hospitalization, outpatient care has become more predominant. So, while health care providers are struggling to keep their hospital beds full, at the same time they are diversifying their facilities. Hospitals are laying off mid-level management personnel as outlying clinics are opening their doors and hiring managers. From a U.S. Labor Department report on health care employment:In some management, business, and financial operations occupations, rapid growth will be tempered by restructuring to reduce administrative costs and streamline operations. Office automation and other technological changes will slow employment growth in office and administrative support occupations; but because the employment base is large, replacement needs will continue…In many cases, it may be easier for jobseekers with health-specific training to obtain jobs and advance…Specialized clinical training is a requirement for many jobs in health care and is an asset even for many administrative jobs that do not specifically require it.
All of this suggests that a master’s degree in health care administration will have notable employment value. It suggests further that people who have had some specific medical background prior to pursuing a management role will be in sharp demand. That suggests that if you’re in the service or technical end of the medical industry, a return to school might be well worth considering.
If you’re working, online colleges are the best way to go about pursuing that master’s. Previous college credits should transfer into a non-science oriented business major such as health administration. Even without previous credits, it won’t take nearly as long as you might think.
University of Phoenix Online has the perfect degree to match up with that last projection from the Labor Department. They have two master’s degrees with double majors: one is an MBA with a master’s in nursing, and the other combines a master’s in nursing with a master’s in health administration. University of Phoenix Online also offers a master’s in health care administration and an MBA with emphasis on health care administration.
Capella University offers a master’s in health care administration. Kennedy- Western University has a master’s program in health care administration that does not overlook the competitive side of the health care business: among their areas of study are managed care, marketing, policy analysis, quality management and advanced financial systemic processes. These management degrees approach health care as the business it has become.