Making the Most of Healthcare Administration Education and Training

Advance your career by making the most of healthcare administration education and training

Healthcare administration tackles the business side of healthcare, dealing with costs, hiring and facility management. Anyone interested in healthcare administration needs a degree in a related field. For those pursuing a master's degree, an undergrad degree in business, health services or public administration is beneficial. An undergrad degree can help graduates gain entry-level employment in the healthcare field, but a master's degree is required for senior level positions.

Healthcare management training consists of hands-on experience with technical education. Once you have an undergrad degree, there are hospital administration courses online that help you work toward a masters degree. When continuing health care administration training and education consider the following:

1. The more practical experience the better. Look for opportunities to expand your knowledge base, such as internships.

2. All online courses should be accredited. There's a risk of an employer or future school not accepting your credit hours due to the granting institution being unaccredited.

3. Healthcare administration is a growing field, meaning competition will get tighter as more people consider a healthcare management degree.

 

Look for a healthcare administration fellowship

One of the best ways to take advantage of healthcare administration training is to apply for a fellowship. Fellowships for graduate students exist all over the country at different facilities. By obtaining a fellowship, you get in-depth training and can advance your education by working directly with experienced healthcare management professionals.
Try: Check out the listing of fellowships available by state at ACHE. Read the requirements and find out how to apply for a very competitive fellowship at The University of Pennsylvania Health System website.

Take healthcare administration online classes

There are a variety of healthcare administrator online courses that you can complete in the comfort of your own home. The advantage of online classes is that you don't have to commute and can continue working while completing your education. Some programs are for a beginning two-year degree, while other programs offer only masters or doctoral level classes.
Try: The courses listed at AcademicInfo are for two-year degrees in healthcare management, billing and coding and medical assisting. All of these courses can give you a head-start on a healthcare administration career. All Star Directories has a whole listing of online healthcare administration programs and schools.

Use your health care administration education to get certified

There are a couple certifications that graduates of a healthcare administration program can obtain to advance job prospects and increase salary. The certification requires sitting for an exam and meeting eligibility requirements.
Try: The American Health Information Management Association offers an exam that designates graduates as a registered health information administrator. The American Association of Healthcare Administrative Management, also known as AAHAM, offers a few tests for clinical manager and technician certification.

 

• Many graduate programs in healthcare administration accept students who have a liberal arts degree. This is a good option if you're not sure if you want a masters degree in general healthcare administration or want to focus on a specialized area.

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