Healthcare is one of the industries with the highest growth rate worldwide. The unique nature of healthcare means diverse roles and opportunities are available. Additionally, the competitive salary structure and job growth indices make healthcare an attractive career choice. However, not everyone wants to work as a nurse or doctor. Healthcare administrators play a crucial role in the field. Here, we’ll explore the best jobs for those with a bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration or management.
Article Navigation: What is Healthcare Administration and Management? | Difference Between Healthcare Administration and Healthcare Management | Healthcare Administration and Management Responsibilities | Work Environment for Healthcare Administrators and Managers | Who Is a Healthcare Administrator or Manager? | Skills for Healthcare Administrators or Managers | Bachelor’s Degree Careers for Healthcare Administrators or Managers | Reasons to Become a Healthcare Administrator or Manager
What is Healthcare Administration and Management?
Healthcare administration and management is such a broad field that encompasses everything that involves decision-making in a healthcare facility or business. Professionals in this field coordinate, plan, and direct the business activities of healthcare organizations and clinics. With such a broad range, there are so many career opportunities to choose from.
Difference Between Healthcare Administration and Healthcare Management
Many people often mistake healthcare administration for healthcare management. Although there are many similarities between the two, they are distinct fields.
The significant difference between the fields lies in their focus. Healthcare administrators deal with the day-to-day running of facilities, individual departments and their budgets, and staffing. On the other hand, healthcare managers supervise the general direction of healthcare systems and facilities, implement organization-wide measures, and tend to the big-picture needs of healthcare facilities.
In a nutshell, healthcare administration focuses on individual segments and departments and how to make the best of the resources and personnel of particular departments. Meanwhile, healthcare management directs organizational procedures and policies and supervises the entire facility or system.
Healthcare Administration and Management Responsibilities
Healthcare administrators and managers have a wide range of duties and responsibilities. Some of the roles they perform include:
- Creating budgets
- Managing teams
- Handling community outreach
- Setting business goals
- Recruiting and training staff
- Improving efficiency in healthcare facilities
- Managing employee schedules
- Helping with facility regulation
- Maintaining and analyzing records
Work Environment for Healthcare Administrators and Managers
People with a bachelor's degree in healthcare administration work in various organizations. Typical workplaces include insurance companies, private medical offices, medical sales companies, and clinics. Other places where professionals in healthcare administration work are:
- Long-term care facilities
- Nursing homes
- Health insurance agencies
- Nonprofit organizations
- Ambulatory services
- Healthcare facilities
- Health information organizations
- Pharmaceutical development firms
Who Is a Healthcare Administrator or Manager?
Healthcare administrator and manager jobs allow workers to blend a passion for the healthcare industry with business or administration. This career is best suited for those who enjoy working in the administrative section of the health field. Also, people with high organizational, financial, and managerial skills should consider this career.
Job Titles for Healthcare Managers
Some jobs in healthcare management include:
- Executive director
- Hospital administrator
- Public health director
- Social welfare administrator
- Practice administrator
- Health advocate
Job Titles for Healthcare Administrators
Standard job titles for healthcare administrators include:
- Hospice care director
- Clinic director
- Practice administrator
- Health services manager
- Medical records manager
- Office manager
Skills for Healthcare Administrators or Managers
Healthcare administration and management professionals often work at the executive level. As a result, they need to display leadership skills to be successful. Additionally, healthcare managers and administrators must have a firm grasp of medical processes, language, and the medical environment.
Some of the skills healthcare management and administration specialists need are:
- Problem-solving skills
- Communication skills
- Analytical skills
- Interpersonal skills
Bachelor’s Degree Careers for Healthcare Administrators or Managers
Healthcare Clinic Managers
Healthcare clinic managers play an essential role in the smooth day-to-day running of small to midsize healthcare facilities. Apart from being the link between patients and healthcare providers, their responsibilities include coordinating patients’ care plans. Other duties include budgeting, hiring, and training of personnel, billing, development of marketing campaigns, conducting staff meetings, implementing policies, and maintaining clinic facilities.
They also order stock and supplies for the clinic, manage internal and external communication, and create staffing schedules to ensure adequate coverage. Apart from the necessary educational qualification, they should have exceptional skills in organization, relationships, and written/verbal communication. The average annual base salary is $72,612.
Healthcare Consultant
Sometimes, for healthcare-related organizations to run smoothly, they need a professional to provide expert-level advice and knowledge. Healthcare consultants work closely with their clients, usually for short periods. They identify problem areas, research possible solutions to the problems, monitor results, and change processes to improve outcomes.
They also work to improve organizational efficiency to reduce costs, increase revenue, and ensure patient satisfaction and safety. Critical personal skills for healthcare consultants include flexibility, self-motivation, good communication skills, use of basic computer applications, ability to research and analyze data, and present findings and solutions. It is an important job that pays an average annual base salary of $79,504.
Medical Reimbursement Specialist
Medical reimbursement specialists work alongside healthcare providers to assist in scheduling and processing payments and insurance. They need essential skills like basic computer knowledge and customer service. This helps them carry out administrative duties and interact effectively with patients. These specialists also need excellent communication skills to do their work well.
Furthermore, they must be well-versed in Medicaid and commercial insurance policies. They are responsible for keeping accurate patient information, submitting payment requests to insurance companies, and working with patients to set up payment plans. Base salaries of medical reimbursement specialists average $18.35 per hour.
Healthcare Human Resources Manager
Since every healthcare center or facility needs employees to run smoothly, it also needs specialists to manage staff-related issues. Healthcare human resource managers act as bridges between an organization and its employees. They oversee policies and procedures relating to employees.
Apart from staff recruitment, they work with employees, assisting them with training, compensation, and benefits. In addition to the required education, human resource managers should have excellent leadership skills, be proficient at multitasking and problem solving, and have strong interpersonal skills. According to Payscale.com, the average base salary of a healthcare human resource manager is $69,585.
Nursing Home Administrator
To succeed as a nursing home administrator, one needs a wealth of experience, a license, specific skills, and a degree. Good business skills, communication, leadership, operations management, budget management, and people management are all crucial skills to a nursing home administrator.
Their functions in the nursing home include planning and directing the running of the facility according to established policies. They also oversee personnel recruitment and training, develop and maintain standards, administer budgets, and prepare official reports for the governing body and government agencies. Their average base salary amounts to $93,299 annually.
Health Services Manager or Administrator
One needs to rack up extensive experience in a related position to work as a health services manager or administrator in a healthcare facility. Whether they manage an entire facility or a part of it, health service managers use their knowledge to create an efficient workplace for all staff. They develop organizational goals and objectives, create work schedules, and prepare and administer budgets. Most importantly, these professionals ensure the workplace complies with existing laws.
To maintain adequate staffing levels and effective service delivery, they may be directly involved in the recruitment and training of personnel. They also keep the organization updated with the industry’s best practices. The average yearly pay is $70,247.
Hospital Administrator
Apart from a degree, a hospital administrator needs a current CPR certification, years of experience in healthcare, strong customer service skills, and advanced computer skills. Other necessary skills include thinking critically, working independently, multitasking, and organization.
Hospital administrators organize, coordinate and control patient services, quality assurance, public relations, and department activities. They also assist in the recruiting and screening of personnel, managing budgets, allocating resources, maintaining stock, authorizing admissions/treatments, and following regulations. The base salary for hospital administrators ranges from $52,000 to $151,000, with an average of $88,288 annually.
Medical Staff Credentialing Analyst
The medical staff credentialing analyst’s job is to ensure that healthcare workers maintain the credentials and licenses required to provide their services. These professionals keep records of employees’ credentials, inform them of any policy changes, and remind them when updates are needed.
Sometimes, they work with auditors, prepare reports, and check eligibility for insurance. Detailed and up-to-date knowledge of credential standards is required for this position. Professionals must also have an in-depth understanding of medical policies. The average salary is $54,950.
Managed Care Specialist
Patients with “managed care” have insurance plans that contract healthcare facilities to provide care at a reduced cost. Managed care specialists work in partnership with managed healthcare managers. In many cases, managed care specialists work closely with the administrative team to negotiate agreements and monitor financial performance. They make decisions concerning initial contracts with physicians or service providers and contract renewals for service providers.
Managed care specialists maintain hospital billing reimbursement calculations, fulfill reporting requests, and aid in patient financial services. Graduates of Healthcare Administration / Management or Business Administration can pursue careers as managed healthcare specialists. They earn an average base salary of $50,073 yearly.
Government Lobbyist
A government lobbyist is a professional who influences political decisions on behalf of organizations. Healthcare, manufacturing, and production companies sometimes employ lobbyists to sway decisions in their favor. Government lobbyists engage in lobbying strategies while advocating for clients. They do this by sharing clients’ proposed policies with political officials.
They also represent their clients in the White House and before Congress. Graduates aspiring for this role should have excellent people skills, established relationships on Capitol Hill, oratory skills, and availability to attend events and meetings outside work hours. On average, government lobbyists earn $76,362 on an annual basis.
Government Policy Maker
Healthcare policies shape every patient’s experience when receiving medical care. Policies at the state and federal levels are crucial in improving healthcare quality and service. Healthcare policies affect the cost, accessibility, and many other healthcare factors. The regulatory and legal aspects of healthcare are also affected by policies. A government policymaker creates plans that can be turned into policy by the government.
Government policymakers assume a vital role in the healthcare sector, and it’s only fair that the most qualified healthcare personnel take the position. Interpersonal skills, critical thinking, research, and top-notch written communication skills are a must for this role. In the job market, policymakers earn up to $60,776 yearly.
Clinic Administrator
A clinic administrator oversees a health facility’s daily activities or operations. Clinic administrators directly manage the finances and staff of their facility. Like most health personnel, clinic administrators follow the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
They develop and review budgets and funding, recruit and schedule staff, develop staff training programs, and implement policies. On average, clinic administrators earn up to $62,087 annually.
Hospice Administrator
Firstly, any individual seeking a job as a hospice administrator has to understand the philosophy of hospice care. Like palliative care, hospice care is a particular type of care that emphasizes the quality of life for patients facing terminal illnesses. Rather than focusing on cures, hospice care provides comfort and peace to patients in their last stages of life.
A hospice administrator oversees the activities of a hospice agency. The administrator ensures that the agency meets the federal and state standards. Candidates should possess interpersonal skills and empathy. The administrator has to relate to and communicate with the patients and their families. Hospice administrators can make up to $87,000 annually.
Health Information Manager
Health information management as a job is relatively new to the healthcare sector. At the core, health information managers are concerned with organizing and protecting sensitive data like medical histories, tests results, diagnoses, etc. Besides data organization and protection, health information managers also perform quality control and ensure that patient data is safe, accurate, and accessible.
Since federal legislation mandates that all health organizations use electronic medical records, health information managers learn to use specific medical-related software. They also study the trends in organizational audits and analyze clinical data for research purposes. Annually, health information managers earn $57,362.
Social and Community Manager
Most organizations, irrespective of the industry, are present on social media platforms. Social and community managers are employed to maintain companies’ accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. The job is quite sensitive because the manager acts as the brand’s voice online. They are responsible for growing and maintaining an online following as well as online communities.
Social and community managers must create content aligned with the brand’s peculiar voice. To excel at this job, skills like social media marketing, public relations, crisis management, customer relations, and copywriting are essential. The pay for social managers varies depending on the organization but on average, they make $19.81 per hour and $52,622 annually.
Health Insurance Specialist and Underwriter
Health insurance specialists and underwriters play essential roles in the healthcare system. Most times, health insurance specialists and underwriters do not require much experience. However, the job involves lots of data, so job seekers should have sufficient knowledge of finance and computers. Health insurance specialists and underwriters use underwriting software and other computer programs to do their jobs efficiently.
These professionals review and analyze applications for insurance coverage. After proper assessment, health insurance specialists and underwriters determine eligibility, premiums, scope, and exclusion policies. Health insurance specialists and underwriters can work in insurance companies, hospitals, specialists, and private organizations. According to Payscale, health insurance specialists and underwriters make $19.68 hourly or $59,467 annually.
Chiropractic Office Manager
Graduates with a BS in Healthcare Administration / Management can work as office managers for chiropractors. Of course, to assume this position, the individual needs to have the skills of a general office manager. The job description of a chiropractic office manager includes scheduling patients’ appointments, managing medical records, taking inventory, and ordering office supplies.
Chiropractic office managers also handle office correspondence, organize patients’ data, verify insurance claims, and prepare presentations and reports. Apart from carrying out official duties, they sometimes assist the chiropractor in providing physical treatments. Most importantly, chiropractic office managers must have HIPAA and OSHA compliance. These professionals earn up to $15.55 hourly and a base salary of $23,000 to $53,000 annually.
Reasons to Become a Healthcare Administrator or Manager
There are so many reasons to consider a career in healthcare management. One of them is fulfilling a dream of working in the healthcare industry without participating in actual patient care. This is especially true for candidates with solid managerial skills.
Another reason for working in this sector is the excellent work-life balance. For example, most healthcare administrative jobs offer healthy salaries, benefits, and opportunities to advance without the added stress of holiday or weekend work. Other healthcare professionals with direct patient contact often work second or third shifts regardless of the day of the week or holidays.
Lastly, healthcare administrators have the chance to make a real difference in the community where they serve. Overall, working as a healthcare manager or administrator can be a hugely rewarding career.
Some of the things to consider when applying for a healthcare administration job include:
- Personal strengths
- Your career goals
- Ideal workplace environment
- Personality traits
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