You know you need to make a career change and you’ve heard plenty of good things about career opportunities in healthcare. After all, people will always need medical treatments, and it’s an industry you can feel good about working in.
If you've been paying attention to the world of healthcare administration, you know that healthcare facilities are famously tricky to manage. Many hospitals operate literally in the red. The larger networks of a healthcare organization are complex enough to make your head spin. But at the same time, healthcare services are a human need, not a want.
These truly-essential organizations are unlike any other business.
Keeping healthcare organizations afloat is hard enough before you factor in the challenges of quality assurance, patient satisfaction, attracting and retaining healthcare professionals (amid shortages) and more.
You'll see lots of different healthcare management positions out there, from healthcare finance managers to quality and improvement managers. But one thing all these roles have in common is the need for brilliant and dedicated people.
Earning a Healthcare Management degree and finding a role within the business side of healthcare could be the satisfying career move you've been looking for.
Take a look at what you can do with a Healthcare Management degree and address some of the most pressing questions you might have about healthcare management jobs.
What can you do with a healthcare management degree?
You'll see tons of variation in healthcare management job titles and roles between different employers.
Healthcare managers spend their days managing and coordinating health services in clinics, hospitals and nursing homes. It’s a job that’s rewarding both philanthropically and financially.
One thing they all share is the need to improve quality and safety for patients and healthcare workers, reduce expenses, increase efficiency and discover new ways to make healthcare better for everyone involved. Easy-peasy right?
You could use this degree to work for a healthcare system, hospital or clinic. AND you could also work outside the healthcare sector—in government roles, for insurance companies and more. To make it clearer, we've broken the job options into two categories: inside and outside the healthcare industry.
Applying your degree inside the healthcare industry
If you graduate from a Healthcare Management Bachelor’s degree program, here are some of the job titles you could look into.
- Healthcare manager
- Healthcare administrator
- Hospital director of admitting
- Clinic manager
- Assistant administrator
- Nursing home administrator
These are only the tip of the iceberg, however. Depending on where your interests lie, you can find far more specific job titles and roles dedicated to every kind of healthcare facility and need.
Are you passionate about mental health? You could search for job opportunities at mental health facilities, rehabilitation centers and more.
Love kids? You could focus your efforts on children's hospitals, birth centers or specialty pediatric facilities.
Are cancer patients on your heart? Look for job opportunities at cancer centers or research facilities.
The possibilities for a healthcare management position go far and wide.
Applying your degree in other industries
You might assume that a healthcare management degree means you're going to look for a healthcare employer. But that's not always the case! Healthcare branches into many other areas—insurance, government, public health and education.
You could get a Healthcare Management Bachelor’s degree and choose a Public Health specialization, for example. Professionals in these areas often work in:
- Finance/insurance
- Educational services
- Healthcare and social assistance
- Public administration
If you want a closer look at some of these career options, check out A Closer Look at Public Health Careers That Make a Difference.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the job outlook for these roles is strong as well, with employment projected to grow at the much-faster-than-average rate of 28 percent through 2032.1 (For context, the average projected growth rate for all occupations is 3 percent.)
Let’s take a closer look at how a Healthcare Management degree can help you take advantage of such spectacularly rising industry.
Where do healthcare management professionals work?
Most healthcare managers find jobs in a hospital or outpatient setting.1 A smaller clinic or physician’s office setting may provide healthcare managers the opportunity to oversee many disciplines— from marketing to human resource or budgeting— while a large hospital may provide advancement opportunities to move into roles like CFO, CEO or CMO.
Healthcare managers should note that advanced degrees and many years of experience are necessary for executive roles.
Healthcare managers can also work in nursing and residential care facilities which, in addition to the administrative and business responsibilities that come with running a healthcare facility, includes maintaining relationships with patients and families.
(For more inspiration toward places that need healthcare administration, check out 14 Types of Healthcare Facilities Where Medical Professionals Provide Care).
Some lend their expertise to insurance companies while others can work for the local, state or federal government—conducting research, addressing public health concerns or overseeing health education programs.
What should you expect from a Healthcare Management degree program?
Sometimes a degree looks great on paper, but you have no idea what to expect when it comes to coursework, program requirements and other important details. This information, however, can be helpful in your decision-making process.
Here's a run down.
Healthcare management courses
Every program will have different course options. Here are a few of the courses you’ll encounter while working toward a Bachelor’s degree in Healthcare Management at Rasmussen University:
- Quality Improvement in Healthcare
- Foundations of Managed Care
- Healthcare Marketing
- Advanced Healthcare Law and Ethics
- International Healthcare
- Business Project Management
(For more, check out other Healthcare Management courses at the Rasmussen University course catalog.)
The coursework in these classes will incorporate hands-on experience. Your curriculum will involve scenario-based simulations to give you lots of practice balancing priorities, making decisions and leading a team of healthcare workers.
When you choose a program in this field, make sure that they've built their curriculum in collaboration with relevant industry expertise. The world of healthcare is very different from other sectors—and to thrive in this role, you need to practice skills employers are looking for.
Check out our article, “4 Healthcare Management Courses Targeting the Skills Employers Want to See.”
How long does a Healthcare Management degree program take?
Most healthcare management jobs require a Bachelor’s degree. Depending on your prior academic achievement level, you could earn a Healthcare Management Bachelor’s degree in as few as 18 months.2
You can also aim for higher positions in the field if you pursue a Master’s degree. A Master of Health Administration program is a good option for people who already have a Bachelor's degree. This program can also be completed in as few as 18 months.2
You’ll also find a variety of different learning formats when researching Healthcare Management programs. Whether you prefer to learn in the classroom, online or a blend of both, there’s a program out there that will fit.
What should you expect in healthcare management jobs?
Take a look at this overview of the top skills and jobs in healthcare management—it may help you decide if this is the right field for you.
In-demand healthcare management skills
Your ideal career will put all your inherent skills to good use. You might assume you need a lot of technical skills to succeed in the healthcare industry, but a talented healthcare administrator will have plenty of well-developed soft skills, too.
This career will place you in collaboration of a team of healthcare workers. It could involve physicians, nurses, technicians, pharmaceutical quality managers, physician practice managers and more. This requires a unique blend of skills.
The Burning Glass Institute used real-time job analysis software to examine 78,00 management job postings³. This data helped to identify the exact skills employers are seeking in healthcare management candidates.
Top transferable skills3:
- Research
- Problem solving
- Collaboration
- Public speaking and communication
- Planning
Top technical skills3:
- Budgeting
- Business administration
- Staff management
- Scheduling
- Basic patient care
Common healthcare management job titles
Once you’ve mastered these in-demand skills, you’re undoubtedly curious about what kind of job prospects you can expect. This sampling of healthcare management jobs from the U.S. Department of Labor will give you a preview:
- Clinical director4
- Cancer center director
- Mental health program manager
- Medical records managers
- Office managers
- Practice administrator
The good news about launching a career in healthcare management is that you don’t have to remain in the same position forever. This field features a variety of potential routes for change. The BLS states healthcare management professionals can expand into advanced roles with more responsibilities—for example overseeing a hospital’s entire health information system or working as an executive within the organization.1
For senior level positions additional work experience and or/education is required. A Master’s degree may be required.
Is a Healthcare Management degree right for you?
You don’t have to be on the front lines of healthcare to work in an industry that saves lives on a daily basis. Earning a Healthcare Management degree is your first step toward working your way up the ranks of the administration of a healthcare facility. From there, you’ll be eligible for these types of advanced positions—but it’s up to you to make the most of the opportunities a Healthcare Management degree may offer you.
If you’re ready to acquire the knowledge and training needed to succeed in this field, learn more about how the path you’ll need to follow in our article, “Your 5-Step Guide on How to Become a Healthcare Manager.”
Related Articles:
- What Does a Nursing Home Administrator Do? A Closer Look
- 4 Healthcare Management Courses Targeting the Skills Employers Want to See
- 6 Benefits of Working a Holiday in Healthcare
1Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, [career information accessed February, 2024] www.bls.gov/ooh/. Employment conditions in your area may vary.
2Time to completion is dependent on number of transfer credits accepted and number of courses completed each term.
3 The Burning Glass Institute, (analysis of 11,599 healthcare management job postings, December 1, 2018 – November 30, 2019). [accessed November, 2019].
4The Bureau of Labor Statistics notes this job title under healthcare management. But it may require additional education beyond a Bachelor’s degree. Clinical director is a listed career outcome of Rasmussen Master’s of Healthcare Administration program.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was originally published in 2017. It has since been updated to include information relevant to 2024.
