There are a variety of careers that you can do with a healthcare administration degree. Healthcare is a constantly changing field, one that requires individuals who are not only up with the latest trends and research but also understand the structure of the business.
You love taking care of people, whether it’s in the operating room or at church. With a healthcare administration degree, you can spend more time helping people while also focusing on growing your career.
Healthcare administration, which is also known as health services management, deals with the administrative aspects of running a healthcare organization.
It includes a wide range of activities, including strategic planning, staffing, record management, and budgeting.
Finding a career that best fits your passions, likes, and abilities is difficult. In this article, you can read about some of the different healthcare administration careers you can pursue with your degree.
1. Be a Clinic Manager
If you’re interested in a career that requires both business acumen and medical knowledge, then becoming a clinic manager is the role for you.
Clinic managers are healthcare administrators who apply management skills to the oversight of clinic operations. These professionals usually work at free-standing clinics or those affiliated with medical centers.
Management of clinics involves hiring, firing, and evaluating staff as well as ensuring the clinic is properly staffed.
In addition, clinic managers oversee the training of new employees and may be responsible for conducting patient satisfaction surveys.
Clinic managers ensure that standard operating procedures are in place to deal with common medical issues.
You may also have responsibilities like inventory control, record keeping, public relations, grant writing, and financial management activities such as billing patients and account payable.
Clinic managers average between $60,000 and $80,000 a year. A clinic manager’s salary depends on the experience and the size of the clinic where you work.
2. Consider Becoming a Health Care Consultant
A healthcare consultant may also be known as a healthcare risk manager or patient safety manager. These professionals work to reduce the threat of financial, legal, and regulatory risk to their employers.
Risk management, accreditation readiness, and government inquiries are all part of a healthcare consultant’s job responsibilities.
They usually have at least a bachelor’s degree in health care administration or a related field, as well as significant experience in hospitals.
Becoming a health care consultant means more than just earning an advanced degree. It requires that you possess a combination of skills within the business discipline and experience within the healthcare field.
If you’re interested in a healthcare administration career and have pursued a degree, then chances are you want to make as much money as possible.
With that in mind, you may want to consider becoming a healthcare consultant. This job typically pays anywhere from $50,000 for people just starting out to $250,000 for the most experienced professionals.
3. Become a Community Organizer
Do you enjoy working with large groups of people and planning events? If so, a career as a community organizer might be for you.
Community organizers work with individuals such as business leaders, elected officials, and union leaders to set the agenda for issues affecting large groups of people.
It can cover a very broad range of issues in healthcare, from setting up fitness or nutrition programs to ensuring low-income families have equal access to medications.
To become a community organizer, you will typically need to build your resume through internships and volunteering.
A strong leadership skillset and experience managing meetings, committees, or events will further help you develop a competitive advantage.
A community organizer can make, on average, $50,000 per year, with a range between $45,000 and $60,000. Since community organizers generally work in non-profit settings, they might also receive benefits like pensions and health insurance.
4. Work as a Public Relations Specialist
A public relations specialist is an entry-level administrative position that is great for a recent healthcare administration degree holder. If you have a knack for communication, you can become a public relations specialist (also known as a communications specialist).
As a public relations specialist, you may find yourself interacting with patients, the press, and other officials, proactively addressing negative issues before they become problematic.
You’ll be responsible for motivating staff and increasing public awareness, as well as protecting the reputation of the company.
They typically hold bachelor’s degrees and earn an average annual salary of $59,300.
5. Become a Lobbyist
If you’re looking for a healthcare administration career that involves political policy, it may be a good idea to consider becoming a lobbyist.
Through lobbying governmental bodies, and becoming an advocate and voice for a company or branch of a healthcare organization, lobbying is one career option you can pursue with your healthcare administration degree.
Lobbyists have plenty of educational and professional paths available to them, though all will lead to some kind of elected official’s office.
Around Washington, D.C., and other state capitals, lobbyists are always needed, especially in the healthcare industry, to help organize new policies and lobby for new laws.
Working as a lobbyist requires business acumen, an aptitude for research, and a talent for persuading people—skills you can develop while earning your degree.
Money isn’t everything, but it is a big draw towards becoming a lobbyist. Lobbyists usually earn between $30,000 and $156,000 per annum. A successful lobbyist can earn up to half a million dollars annually.
6. Work as a Health Insurance and Billing Specialist
If you’re interested in working in the healthcare administration field but don’t want to work directly with patients, becoming a health insurance and billing specialist may be a great option for you.
Health insurance and billing specialists play an important role in the healthcare system as they ensure that patients receive payments from their health insurance plans.
In short, these people keep the cash flowing in any kind of healthcare organization.
A degree in healthcare administration or business administration puts you on the path toward this career. If you have strong attention to detail and love to work with numbers, this just might be the perfect job for you.
Your job prospects are excellent if you have a degree in health insurance administration or billing. In this role, you can earn an average annual salary of $38,000 to $63,000, depending on the industry.
7. Consider Working with Human Resources
Working in human resources (HR) is one of the many jobs that you can get with a healthcare administration degree.
With a healthcare administration degree and a focus on human resources, you can work in any field that requires the hiring of staff in a department.
In this HR role, you could manage health benefits and help employees navigate insurance plans, as well as oversee any employee training programs.
This job will also involve filling and exiting open roles at hospitals or clinics, as well as managing employee payroll.
To work in human resources, an individual must possess and demonstrate interpersonal and leadership skills as well as technical proficiency.
Depending on the specific job they’re hired to fill, they may need a degree in human resources or training in business management, among other qualifications.
You can earn an average of about $71,000 per year, depending on where you live, your industry, and your education.
8. Get a Job as a Health Information Manager
A health information manager oversees the day-to-day operations of a healthcare facility’s information system.
A health information manager ensures that all patient records are accurate and confidential. They also help physicians diagnose and treat patients, as well as plan long-term care by using specialized medical coding software to keep a record of the clinical information.
On the business side of healthcare, a health information manager oversees healthcare practices’ patient data, ensuring its accuracy and availability. You’ll likely need a master’s in health administration to get this position.
According to Glassdoor, the national average salary for health information managers is $60,000. Not bad. Depending on the industry, location, and company you work for, you can expect to make between $55,000 and $75,000.
9. Work as a Nursing Home Administrator
If you want to work with senior citizens and help them lead healthier, happier lives, consider a job as a nursing home administrator. You’ll help run an assisted living facility and ensure the quality of care for residents.
You might think that working in a nursing home would simply mean being a caregiver for the elderly. A closer look, however, reveals a surprising number of management-level positions at these facilities.
Nursing home administrators help ensure that every aspect of operations runs smoothly from day to day as well as over the long term.
Expect to make between $60,000 and $150,000 a year as a nursing home administrator. As with any job, your potential income is relative to your experience and education level.
Industry experts estimate the average annual salary for an entry-level nursing home administrator is around $80,000.
10. Become a College Professor
Healthcare administration is an essential field that is constantly evolving and growing. And if you have a passion for teaching and being present during students’ transitions into the field, consider becoming a college professor.
A healthcare administration degree can get you started on a healthy career as an educator at a post-secondary school.
As a teacher, you’ll be able to prepare students for careers in the field. Most community colleges and larger universities offer associate, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees in health care administration.
You can teach courses in healthcare management or public health, or add value to courses on related subjects such as business, communications, and finance.
A college professor typically earns between $60,000 and $95,000 a year. As you gain experience, your starting salary will increase.
Depending on where you attend school, you may earn more, while at other institutions you may earn much less.
11. Get a job as a Medical Records Officer
If you’d prefer to do more behind-the-scenes work, a job as a medical records officer is another great way to make use of your healthcare administration degree.
Medical records officers are responsible for maintaining patients’ electronic and paper medical records and health information.
These professionals work in the records room of a hospital or care facility, keeping patient files organized and up-to-date.
They are also tasked with answering questions from patients or doctors who need information on specific files, handing out individual medical records when requested, and maintaining the confidentiality of all records.
In a hospital or large practice, managing patient records can be a full-time job.
The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports a median income of $57,250 for medical records officers, with jobs expected to grow by 10.8% before 2026.
FAQs
What is one major advantage of getting a health administration degree?
One great advantage of getting a degree in health administration is that you will be able to move up within your organization.
By completing a healthcare administration degree, you are eligible for positions such as manager and director. Those with more experience can even go on to become CFOs, CEOs, and top executives at hospitals and other healthcare organizations.
What kinds of jobs can you get with a degree in healthcare administration?
There are a number of jobs you can get with a healthcare administration degree. You will be qualified to work in a hospital, in a doctor’s office, and in nursing homes.
The job possibilities are endless, from overseeing an entire hospital to managing an outpatient clinic to running day-to-day operations at a nursing home.
How long does it take to become a healthcare administrator?
The length of time it takes to become a healthcare administrator will depend on the program and pathway you choose.
An online Associate degree in Health Administration can be completed in as little as two years, while bachelor’s degrees are generally four-year programs.
Most students obtain their bachelor’s degree first, then go on to graduate school. The prestige and benefits of having a graduate degree will be well worth the extra time you spend in school.
Final Thoughts
A healthcare administration degree will prepare students for a variety of healthcare-related careers. Depending on the career path, students could find themselves working in hospitals, outpatient care centers, medical clinics, and more.
Those with a broad-based healthcare administration degree may become medical insurance coordinators in hospitals or medical records clerks in physicians’ offices.
Furthermore, there are many healthcare companies with great opportunities to advance your career through education. Make the choice of getting a healthcare administration degree, and you will be well on your way to a rewarding career in the industry.
This website offers information on career prospects after graduating from a specific course, as well as information on other courses, should you wish to pursue another degree.
See the degrees section for more information. You, along with a few of your friends, will find it helpful. Let them know about it.
