Are you a strong leader, effective communicator, and interested in medicine and public health? Healthcare administration may be for you! Learn about this prominent and promising field, and find out if Goodwin’s healthcare administration school in Connecticut is right for you.
When many people think healthcare, they think of doctors and nurses bustling about the medical office. They think of the surgeons on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and ‘House.’ If you are here, however, you may know that there are hundreds of other rewarding, thriving, and fast-growing positions available within the healthcare sector – including the behind-the-scenes and executive positions that do not involve direct patient care. Remember, not only do we need doctors, we also need someone to coordinate the services they provide. Not only do we need hospital staff, we also need someone to help that staff, as well as the hospital, operate efficiently and effectively each day. That someone may be you.
If you are interested in a promising, professional role in medicine – one that offers good job security, a comfortable salary, and plenty of leadership opportunities – you may consider becoming a healthcare administrator. And if you are living in Connecticut, you can kick off your career path right here at Goodwin College’s healthcare administration school.
But first, let’s start with some of the basics.
What is Healthcare Administration?
Healthcare administration represents the business side of the medical field, involving:
- Business management
- Care planning
- Financial management
- Public relations
- Human resources
- Healthcare systems operations
- Health law and policy making
Healthcare administrators, also known as healthcare executives or health services managers, are like the all-seeing eyes of the medical facility. They are the professionals that plan, manage, direct, and coordinate medical services within an organization. They also oversee facility operations and ensure that all is running smoothly across major, administrative departments. Generally speaking, healthcare administrators work to minimize costs and maximize efficiencies in a medical facility, and simultaneously ensure that their team is providing top-notch, quality care.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual salary of healthcare administrators is $96,540 (as of May 2016). Currently across the nation, there are about 333,000 jobs in healthcare administration. The best part is, this number is only expected to grow. By the year 2024, more than 56,000 jobs will become available to college grads with a healthcare administration degree.
What Does It Take to Land a Job in Healthcare Administration?
In order to land a job in this fast-growing field, you must obtain at least a bachelor’s degree. A bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration is typically preferred among employers, but students with a bachelor’s in health science, health management, nursing, public health, and business administration will also qualify for positions across Connecticut.
Healthcare administrators are very involved with all different facets of a medical facility. As a result, they must possess a versatile skillset and fundamental competencies in medicine and health systems overall. This includes the ability to assist with case management, analyze complex information, organize varied tasks, meet employee needs, manage and motivate staff members, comply with healthcare laws, handle budget planning, market their facility, and communicate clearly with other health professionals.
A bachelor’s degree with a specialization in healthcare administration will prepare you with all the skills and knowledge needed to not only land, but also succeed in, a healthcare administrator role.
What Will You Learn in a Healthcare Administration School?
Because of the multifaceted nature of the field, a post-secondary healthcare administration school will be your best next step. Typically, these schools offer a rounded, diverse curriculum covering all aspects of the healthcare field. At Goodwin College, for example, healthcare administration students combine business-related courses with courses in public health, medical terminology, and medical ethics and law. When taking the healthcare administration degree path, students also take on coursework in accounting, human resources, strategic planning, and the administration of long-term care.
Through our healthcare administration curriculum, you will acquire a great understanding of the business side of the healthcare delivery system, as well as gain an appreciation of a managerial role.
Goodwin’s Healthcare Administration School
Goodwin College offers a unique approach to the healthcare administration major. Here, students start in our core, interdisciplinary Health Science program and later choose the specialization that best fits their interests. In addition to healthcare administration, students in our bachelor’s program may also pursue environmental health or explore other areas of the healthcare field. We believe this multilayered approach to education matches the multidimensional field of healthcare administration, best preparing students for both entry-level and executive positions in the field.
If you choose to pursue healthcare administration at Goodwin College, you will take general education requirements as well as the core classes in our health science major. These classes will provide you with fundamental knowledge in medicine, public health, the sciences, and healthcare systems. Then, you will further into your dedicated healthcare administration concentration.
For your convenience, Goodwin’s health science classes are available on campus, online, and in a hybrid format. Many are offered on days, evenings, and weekends as well, so that you can still work part-time or full-time while working towards your degree. Unlike many other healthcare administration schools, Goodwin is all about flexibility.
Learn more about the healthcare administration concentration at Goodwin College! Call 800-889-3282 to see why we’re a leading healthcare school in Connecticut.
Goodwin University is a nonprofit institution of higher education and is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE), formerly known as the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). Goodwin University was founded in 1999, with the goal of serving a diverse student population with career-focused degree programs that lead to strong employment outcomes.