Doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals save and improve the lives of others when they diagnose or cure illnesses, perform surgeries, and provide other types of patient care. But these medical professionals aren’t the only people in the healthcare field who can make a positive impact on people’s lives. Professionals in healthcare management also play an integral role.
Part of the healthcare industry’s business operations, healthcare management helps to ensure the system keeps working for healthcare providers and patients alike. It’s a rewarding field you can enter with a BS in Healthcare Management. Some of the skills you can gain in a healthcare management program include the ability to:
- Apply epidemiology to the study of disease and injury in certain populations
- Analyze the implications of changing demographics and cultural and behavioral factors on healthcare
- Manage finances and carry out fiscal evaluation
- Articulate critical issues in healthcare from the perspectives of both patient and practitioner
- Conduct health-related research
- Critique and improve the concepts of healthcare delivery in and outside of the U.S.
With a BS in Healthcare Management, you can put yourself in a position to become a medical and health services manager, healthcare executive, or healthcare administrator. As a medical services manager, you will work with physicians, nurses, technicians, and/or other healthcare workers to improve the efficiency and quality of services. Depending on the specifics of your position, you might recruit, train, or supervise staff members; create work schedules; or keep and organize records of your facility’s services. Health services managers also monitor budgets and manage finances for departments or organizations, including managing patient fees and billing. For this reason, you might even work with patients or insurance agents.
Based on the area of healthcare you work in, your official title may vary. Three of the most common types of medical and health services managers include:
Nursing home administrator: Manages staff, admissions, and finances at a nursing home facility. Every state requires varying licensure for nursing home administrators.
Clinical manager: Oversees a healthcare department/specialty. These managers evaluate the quality of work and manage budgets and financial reports.
Health information manager: Responsible for the maintenance and security of patient data and records. These managers use information technology to carry out their job duties and ensure databases are accurate and only accessible to authorized users.
Other healthcare settings a BS in Healthcare Management can lead you to work in include:
- Hospitals
- Physician practices and clinics
- Outpatient care centers
- Consulting firms
- Health insurance organizations
- Wellness centers
- Mental health organizations
- Universities and research institutions
- Health charities and foundations
- Public health departments
- Group homes
The healthcare administration field is rapidly growing. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the medical and health services manager occupation is projected to grow 20% between 2016 and 2026.1 That is much faster than average. And in 2018, the median annual pay for medical and health services managers was $99,730.
How Do I Earn My Bachelor’s Degree in Healthcare Management?
If you’d like to join the healthcare field and immerse yourself in the ins and outs of its business operations, consider earning a BS in Healthcare Management. Walden University offers an online bachelor’s degree program with optional field experience, an Accelerate Into Master’s (AIM) option so you can earn credit toward your master’s degree while working on your bachelor’s, and undergraduate pathways designed to reduce your time to degree completion.
And thanks to online education, you can complete your BS in Healthcare Management on your time. Earning a degree online allows you to attend classes from wherever you are, as long as you have an internet connection, making your college degree and future career within reach.
Walden University is an accredited institution offering a BS in Healthcare Management degree program online. Expand your career options and earn your degree in a convenient, flexible format that fits your busy life.
1Source: www.bls.gov/ooh/management/medical-and-health-services-managers.htm#tab-1
Walden University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission, www.hlcommission.org.