Masters in Hospital Administration

There are many types of careers in the medical world outside of becoming a doctor or nurse. Every hospital needs good administrators to keep the business running. While we often don’t see a hospital’s primary goal as making money, they are businesses and without administration teams, they couldn’t exist.

But as a hospital administrator, what kind of work will you do?

That all depends on your career choice. The top dog at any hospital is the chief executive officer, but there are a number of other positions available to those with administrative degrees as well, from health managers to vice presidents. In addition, you might not actually work at a hospital. With a degree in this field, you’ll also be eligible to work at nursing homes, hospital care centers, home health care companies, clinics, drug abuse rehabilitation centers, and more.

Again, your daily tasks depend on your job title, but some of the most common types of work include:

• Planning a budget and ensuring that the facility sticks to that budget, cutting costs if necessary
• Setting rates for health services that patients receive at the facility and working with insurance companies to serve as many people as possible
• Recruiting, hiring, evaluating, and firing staff members, from advanced surgeons to low-level nurses and even volunteers
• Evaluating research methods, new drugs, and equipment to determine what will be available at the facility
• Attending board meetings to discuss goals and progress made toward them
• Developing departments through hiring staff and running quality assurance checks
• Speaking at public events and to the press, as well as addressing the facility’s staff
• Acting as a liaison between the facility’s staff and outside groups, like the government and drug companies
• Participating in fund raising events for the facility to lower health care costs
• Dealing with lawsuits, which happen to every facility, regardless of the quality care provided
• Creating staff and patient policies, as well as writing guides and handbooks for these policies
• Overseeing data entry and health informatics to ensure that records are safe and easily accessible

As a hospital administrator, you may work odd hours. Often, administrators need to be at facilities late into the night to get work done, and because health care facilities are usually open twenty-four hours a day, you could get called to work in the middle of the night to handle a problem.

If you want to become a hospital administrator, you need to have at least a bachelor’s degree in the field. Many positions are only available to those with a master’s degree or higher, so if you seem stuck in a low-level administrative position, going back to school for an advanced degree can propel your career to the next level. Once you have a master’s degree, a number of doors will open, and you could work as a chief financial officer, vice president, or even chief executive officer at a medical facility.

Hospital administrators are responsible for the administration, leadership, and management of hospitals and hospital networks. A master's degree in healthcare or health administration is the standard credential for those in the field of hospital administration. Below are several accredited colleges that offer online degrees in health and hospital administration.

Best Masters Degrees in Hospital and Health Administration

	The University of Phoenix Master of Health Administration degree program gives graduates the knowledge required to analyze and implement industry-leading healthcare initiatives as hospital administrators. Phoenix also offers an MBA in healthcare management and an MSN/MHA dual degree. Faculty hail from throughout the healthcare sector, and the innovative curriculum is built around the faculty's combined experience. click here
	The Capella University Masters of Science in Health Administration (PhD also available) is an online program that prepares students to excel in hospital management. The curriculum includes health care management, managed care, policy, law, finance, and quality improvement. Students have the option to concentrate in Fire Service Administration, Homeland Security, Public Administration, or Public Health. click here
	Grand Canyon University's MS in Health Administration program provides a combination of skills and experience that will make any job applicant stand out from the crowd. Created for those who want to move into upper level management in health care organizations, courses focus on conceptual, analytical and application skills specific to the industry. click here
	At Kaplan University's MS in Healthcare Management program, students study the management of hospital services, including quality control methods. The curriculum is designed to review the continually shifting relationships among patients, providers, suppliers, and legal implications. Graduates enter careers spanning the healthcare management field. The MBA Healthcare program focuses on the business side of hospital management. click here
	Designed by leaders in the field of healthcare administration, Walden University's Master's program in healthcare administration prepares students for entry into one of the nation's fastest growing industries. The curriculum teaches specialized, targeted hospital management skills using a wide variety of healthcare delivery methodologies. click here
For even more health administration master's degrees, click here...