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Why Earning a Doctor of Healthcare Administration Can Be Great for Your Career

A DHA degree can prepare you to lead healthcare organizations through times of crisis and calm.

Healthcare leaders are facing urgent challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic as they strive to meet the needs of medical personnel delivering frontline patient care.

“Now more than ever, it’s important for health systems and healthcare organizations to create and ensure an infrastructure and resources to support physicians, nurses, and care team members,” the American Medical Association writes in “Caring for Our Caregivers During COVID-19.”1

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This is the critical work of healthcare administrators and other leaders during times of crisis, as well as during routine operations. Earning a Doctor of Healthcare Administration (DHA) degree can help you build and strengthen your knowledge and leadership ability so that you’re ready for these and other career challenges and opportunities.

Earning a DHA degree also can be great for your career, as it can prepare you for a robust employment picture. An active, aging population is fueling job growth in the healthcare sector, and through 2028, opportunities for medical and health services managers are projected to grow at a much faster than average pace, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.2

As you chart your course to future career opportunities, you may look to build skills and knowledge in five key competency areas identified by the Healthcare Leadership Alliance. This organization of professional healthcare administration associations3 says these are the “most appropriate” competencies for healthcare leadership: communication and relationship management, leadership, professionalism, knowledge of the healthcare environment, and business skills and knowledge.4

A healthcare administration degree program can help you develop these skills and competencies so you’re ready for executive-level leadership. Depending on your background and previous training, with a DHA degree you may choose to pursue roles as a CEO, CFO, or COO, in settings that include:

  • Ambulatory care facilities
  • Consulting firms
  • Healthcare associations
  • Home health agencies
  • Hospices
  • Hospitals and hospital systems
  • Integrated delivery systems
  • Long-term care facilities
  • Managed care organizations (e.g., HMOs, PPOs)
  • Medical group practices
  • Mental health organizations
  • Public health departments
  • University or research institutions

Choose an Online DBA Degree Partner

Walden University, a leader in adult learning for 50 years, offers a fully online Doctor of Healthcare Administration (DHA) degree program. It’s a smart option for working professionals who want to continue working while earning a degree.

Walden’s innovative DHA degree program offers working professionals the holistic knowledge and advanced business strategies to help manage current and future healthcare delivery demands. Walden’s multidisciplinary curriculum blends theory with research, helping you learn how to become an effective healthcare leader and problem-solver.

Walden’s online DBA degree program offers two tracks:

  • Track I is a program of study for students who have a Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA). This allows you to forgo foundational healthcare administration courses and complete the program in a shorter amount of time.
  • Track II is designed for students who have a master’s degree in a discipline other than healthcare administration.

As a doctoral degree candidate, you’ll develop the knowledge and skills to help lead with vision and impact. Since its founding in 1970, Walden has been committed to empowering the greater good. And when you choose Walden’s online DHA degree program, you’ll join the accredited university in its mission of creating positive social change on a global level.

With the healthcare industry looking for leaders, earning a healthcare administration degree may well be the next, great step for your career—and for the communities you serve.

Walden University is an accredited institution offering a Doctor of Healthcare Administration (DHA) degree program online. Expand your career options and earn your degree using a convenient, flexible learning platform that fits your busy life.

1Source: www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/public-health/caring-our-caregivers-during-covid-19
2Source: www.bls.gov/ooh/management/medical-and-health-services-managers.htm#tab-1
3Source: www.healthcareleadershipalliance.org/about.htm
4Source: www.healthcareleadershipalliance.org/Common%20Competencies%20for%20All%20Healthcare%20Managers.pdf

Walden University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission, www.hlcommission.org.

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