Healthcare Management Supports Primary Caregivers
Everyone having a cursory thought about healthcare careers typically conjures up images of doctors and nurses busily setting about helping people with their medical needs. However, there exists an incredible behind-the-scenes workforce that labors tirelessly in support of any primary caregivers making sure that all aspects of health services get delivered effectively and smoothly. Many if the men and women involved have chosen the roles of healthcare administrators. These professionals are the oil that keeps the finely tuned operation successfully running.
What Do Administrators Do?
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, 10 of the top 20 fastest growing occupations are related to the healthcare industry. And, many of the positions that need to be filled in today’s market are those for managers and administrators. People selecting careers as healthcare administrators are charged with the supervising, coordinating, directing, planning and delivery of healthcare services. These professionals are the people who execute the administrative and business functions that are necessary aspects running any healthcare enterprise so primary caregivers can tend to patients’ needs.
Why is Healthcare Management a Great Career Choice?
Anyone seeking to enter or change careers in at this point in time will find it an exciting moment to consider obtaining a healthcare administration degree. It is common knowledge that an increasingly aging population is putting incredible demands for more healthcare professionals. Of all healthcare positions needed in the coming decade, the Department of Labor predicts a 16 percent need for administrators. However, job openings and excellent earning capabilities are just two reasons for choosing a healthcare administration career. Additionally, the healthcare industry is experiencing incredible advances in innovative technology applied to delivery and environmental regulatory systems that make the job of administering more complicate and complex each day. This makes the position of a healthcare administrator extremely more challenging than ever before.
Education and Training is Easily Available
Some people contemplating a career in healthcare administration have erroneously believed there is a need to go to college for six or seven years to gain the necessary education and credentials to pursue such a career. Entry into this highly attractive career can be completed through obtaining a bachelor’s degree. Healthcare administrators have to be familiar with standard management practices and principles. Pursuing a course of study leading to a bachelor’s degree prepares students with management training in clinical and business aspects for healthcare administration. Students learn and develop skills in people management, resource management, leadership skills development, strategic planning, financial management, medical terminologies and all aspects of successful office and clerical procedures. Graduates obtaining a bachelor’s degree can begin a career as an administrative assistant or a facility assistant department head in large operations. In smaller operations, individuals with a bachelor’s degree are hired as department heads.
There are Plenty of Jobs Out There
While individuals pursue a bachelor degree-course of healthcare administration study, they need not worry about getting that post-graduate job. Healthcare facilities continue to be constructed everywhere, specifically to meet the needs of a growing aging population. Facilities such as hospitals, physician offices, clinics, nursing care operations, residential care facilities, home healthcare services, rehabilitation centers and much more are growing rapidly in the U.S. The Department of Labor classifies healthcare administrators as either specialist or generalist managers. A specialist is someone trained for a specific type of treatment service or facility and sometimes referred to as clinical care managers. Generalists typically manage an entire facility or possibly an entire healthcare system. In a smaller facility, they typically serve in some type of an assistant capacity helping the chief administrator run the operation. In a smaller facility such as a doctor’s office, the person will typically be in charge of the day-to-day operations. Furthermore, the Labor Department reported the annual average income for a healthcare manager in 2008 was $80,240.
Therefore, if you believe you have the right stuff to handle the management of a healthcare organization, pursue at least a bachelor’s degree that will open the door to a wide variety of opportunities for personal and financial reward.