When most people think of working in healthcare, they think of graduating from a medical school or earning a degree in any of the numerous allied healthcare fields. What most need to know, however, is that administrative roles simply require a health administrator degree.
Moreover, these roles can be just as challenging and fulfilling, with a high-paying salary and a high possibility of growth in the healthcare industry.
Below, we look at some of the most in-demand of these jobs. We also look at the different types of administrator degrees and the best ones to pursue to enjoy a significant increase in employment potential.
What is a Health Administrator Degree?
Health administrator degrees are administered to students who have been trained to take up leadership roles in various kinds of healthcare organizations. A typical health administration degree teaches students how to facilitate the smooth running of a healthcare organization, improve patient care, and enforce high-quality standards, among others.
While all health administrator degrees teach health administration, it is possible to specialize in several fields, as shown below.
Generally, health administration degrees can include associate degree programs that can be completed in two years, bachelor’s degree programs that can be completed in four years, and master’s degree programs that require two more years of study.
Candidates can also further their careers by pursuing a doctorate in health administration.
Health Administrator Degree Careers in the Industry
The following are some of the most prominent fields in health administration:
Nursing Home Administrator
A nursing home administrator is responsible for managing staff and residents of a nursing home. Along with their management duties, they are also responsible for performing financial audits to ensure the home’s finances are in order.
You will also find a nursing home administrator carrying out primary administrative duties and ensuring that the organization follows local, state, and federal regulations.
To have an easier time securing employment as a nursing home administrator, it is usually advisable to pursue a master’s degree. Nursing home administrators earn an annual average salary of $113,661.
Clinical Supervisor
A clinical supervisor is in charge of overseeing the day-to-day operations of medical clinics. As the name implies, a clinical supervisor supervises clinical operations and ensures optimal running of the establishment by carrying out tasks such as creating schedules for employees, delegating critical tasks to the most suitable operators, managing clinical records, and keeping patient reports up-to-date and well organized.
It is also common to find a clinical supervisor performing additional tasks like managing inventory and ensuring the entire organization adheres to strict quality standards. Pursuing a bachelor’s degree before starting a career in the field is advisable.
The annual average salary for clinical supervisors is $76,635.
Medical Billing Manager
As a medical billing manager, you will primarily be in charge of handling paperwork for an array of healthcare organizations. Most of this paperwork will be billing-related but may also include contract negotiation, insurance tracking, and patient payment tracking. Also, medical billing managers may hire new employees for the billing department and train them on their specific tasks and the organization’s ethos.
Most medical billing managers secure a job with a bachelor’s degree in health administration.
Medical Office Manager
Medical office managers’ primary day-to-day responsibilities will usually be geared towards performing administrative duties in their specific healthcare center.
These duties will include financial-related tasks such as reviewing expenses, monitoring accounts, and organizing files and paperwork. They may sometimes also be responsible for scheduling concerns and enforcing quality standards in a medical office.
Prospective medical office managers will likely have to obtain a bachelor’s degree and further their careers by earning a master’s degree. The average medical office manager earns an annual average salary of $60,534.
Human Resources Manager
As one would expect, a human resource manager at a medical facility plays a role similar to what human resources managers generally do. This includes selecting perfect candidates and liaising between employees and management regarding essential employee salary and benefits issues.
A human resource manager will also have to address conflicts between staff, figure out solutions to these conflicts, and find out approaches to ensure that no such situation arises.
Most human resource managers in medical establishments begin their careers with a bachelor’s degree in health administration.
Practice Administrator
A practice administrator usually manages staff at medical facilities. Their specific tasks tend to include recruiting and negotiating contracts. They may also sometimes be in charge of developing a budget for hiring and training prospective employees.
Additionally, practice administrators must often manage the facility’s finance contracts and supplies. An undergraduate degree should be enough to become a practice administrator, but most tend to possess a bachelor’s degree.
The annual average salary for a practice administrator is $75,917.
Healthcare Consultant
Healthcare consultants are professionals conducting research and identifying problems within healthcare facilities. Naturally, they are tasked with solutions to not only fix these problems but also prevent them from reoccurring.
Additionally, healthcare consultants will ensure that the facility complies with insurance payments, patient confidentiality, and ethical standards.
The field requires a master’s degree in health administration and offers an annual average salary of $65,419.
Records and Information Technician
Records and information technicians are in charge of medical records and health information in a medical establishment. Their duties include maintaining office records and patient files.
They are also in charge of keeping digital records of these files and ensuring that the computer systems upon which the information is stored are regularly updated. They are also charged with developing an organizational structure that makes record-keeping and retrieval more convenient.
The role requires an associate degree, at the very least.
