A bachelor in health care administration degree online program or healthcare management degree program prepare students to manage doctors' offices, hospitals and other medical facilities.
A health care administration degree focuses on the business elements of medical care, such as office administration, crisis management, human resource management and other business aspects of health care.
Accredited Online Bachelor in Health Care Degrees
Bachelors in health care degree online programs from accredited online universities and colleges give non-traditional students and professionals who are currently working in administrative roles in health care, an opportunity to advance in the health care field. Education by distance learning leads to improved career options and opportunities that might not be available for non-degree-holders.
This degree is ideal for students who want to begin new careers in health care administration as well as those currently working in the health care industry and want to advance in their profession.
A health care management degree program provides a great education for students who are interested in the business and management elements of health care facilities. Health care administrators manage other office employees and sometimes doctors, so good management and leadership skills are an asset to students pursuing this degree.
A bachelor in health care administration degree curriculum focuses on teaching students about the business elements of running a health care facility. Students learn courses such as: office administration skills, health care economics skills, human resources skills, critical thinking skills, health care marketing skills and other aspects of running and maintaining a health care facility.
Students may expect to complete general business courses and health-care-specific courses, such as: current health issues, health care economics, health information systems, introduction to epidemiology, health planning and the legal aspects of health care. Each of these courses plays a vital role in the development of a health care administration professional, as all of these skills are utilized in managing a health care facility.
Most health care administration degree holders are employed in health care facilities. Health care administration professionals may work in public or private facilities, handling a wide range of responsibilities. Healthcare professionals may choose to work in many settings, from clinics handling specialty services to large hospitals or general physicians' private practices.
A healthcare degree holder may administer benefits, for example; verifying that patients are eligible for services, submitting the proper paperwork to insurance companies and following up to ensure the office gets paid for services rendered. Other health care admin professionals may create schedules for the staff, managing other administrative personnel and dealing with the internal responsibilities of human resources management. Health care administrators may also manage the facility's budget, handle communications, public relations, marketing, evaluating costs and managing programs to keep the facility running profitably.
Health care administration jobs are projected to grow at a rate of 29 percent over the next decade due to an aging population, the demand on health care is growing, necessitating more health care administration professionals to handle the business aspects of these facilities.
The median income for health care professionals varies depending on whether it's a public or private practice, and the level of employment attained by the individual. Nursing home administrators and administrators of small physicians' practices average a median income of $53,000. Heads of clinical departments have salaries between $54,000 and $70,000, depending on the size of the department, facility and region. Administrative professionals managing physicians' group practices with more than seven members have a median salary of $77,000. Health care administrators of large facilities, or upscale private facilities, may have incomes over $100,000.
Return to the top of Online Bachelor in Health Care Administration Degree Program