Should I Get A Master’s Degree In Healthcare Administration?
The need to obtain a master’s degree in healthcare administration depends on the position you already hold as well as your ambitions for promotion. If you are already working as a medical professional in the healthcare industry, whether as a health information manager, assistant clinical manager or others, there is really no need for you to obtain a postgraduate degree if you are content with working in an entry level post. If you are like most people, however, you won’t be satisfied with just an entry level job. Rather, you’ll strive to aspire for something more not only because a promotion means more prestige but it also comes with it higher pay which paves the way for financial stability.
Thus, you would need to obtain a master’s degree in healthcare administration if you intend to move up the career ladder and assume leadership or supervisory positions. Depending on the position you are currently holding, you could be tasked with managing different branches of a group practice, heading the accounting department and balancing the budget or become a project manager tasked with evaluating a facility’s expansion plans.
Aside from the possibility of clinching promotions, another reason to pursue a master’s degree in healthcare administration is that it widens your work opportunities. With a postgraduate degree under your belt, you can choose to work in large hospitals, nursing homes, state and national health agencies and even in firms that manufacture medical equipment. You could work as a clinical manager and head a specific department of a hospital. In this role, your responsibilities include coming up with the goals and policies for the department you are in charge of and seeing to it that these are followed. You could also become an executive for a medical equipment maker.
A master’s degree in health administration will prepare you for these heavy responsibilities because the curriculum in this program covers issues like policy, strategic planning, finance and economics and research. The program will also include topics on technology inasmuch as information technology and computers are already being used in the day-to-day operations of hospitals, clinics and other healthcare settings. This training is particularly important if you intend to become the head of health information managers whose work is focused on ensuring that patient records are kept safe and secure.
Now you might wonder if a master’s degree in healthcare administration is better than a master’s in business administration (MBA). If you are currently connected with the healthcare industry and intend to work as a medical professional for the rest of your life, you are bound to obtain a more industry-specific training if you take up postgraduate studies in healthcare administration. While an MBA will also cover topics on finance, economics and management, a master’s in healthcare administration program will discuss these topics with an eye on the healthcare industry. Thus, the resource materials and assignments given in this program will center on the current concerns of the healthcare industry. As a result, you are bound to obtain training which is specific to health management and perfect for a career in health administration.
Career Spotlight: Health Information Manager
A health information manager keeps all patient records safe and secure. You must see to it that only those personnel who are authorized to do so have access to the institution’s database. You must m[...]
