Online Health Care Administration Degree Programs

For health care professionals, a degree in health care administration can mean a climb up the corporate ladder. Health care administrators operate in small and large facilities, from small-town physicians' offices to large metropolitan hospitals. Administrators work in all areas of medical facilities, from human resources to the finance department. They are human resource managers, finance managers, CEOs, nurse administrators, and more.

The duties of a health care administrator range widely with his or her job title and the size of the facility he or she works in. Health care administrators in a small facility may help with patient intake, accounts payable and receivable, and office finances. In a larger facility, health care administrators are needed to run everything from employee benefits plans to scheduling nurses' shifts. Health care administrators use their background in health care and a degree in health care administration to ensure their medical facility runs smoothly and efficiently.

Career Training for Health Care Administrators

Many successful health care administrators begin their careers with a health care specialty--such as nursing, information technology, or laboratory assisting--and advance to leadership roles through continuing education. There are, however, online programs at the associate's degree level for those who want to begin their training early in their career.

Most high-level managers and administrators are required to combine their health care experience with bachelor's, master's, MBA, or doctoral degree work to qualify for high-paying careers at hospitals, managed care facilities, insurance companies, or research facilities. You'll need advanced training in management principles along with public administration skills.

Nursing administrators, for example, may begin their careers as floor nurses, and then add a bachelor's degree and graduate degree work in nursing administration or business to advance to management. Managers may shoulder a wide range of responsibilities, from human resources, training, scheduling, budgeting, and facilities operations.

Online degree programs may combine self-paced distance learning with active, short-term courses that provide hands-on training at health care agencies or college training facilities. Class work may involve studies in health care law, strategic planning, health information systems, accounting and finance, or human resource management (recruiting, benefits, worker's compensation, and reviews). Graduate degree programs may require students to complete research projects and career-related business deliverables. All states require that nursing care facility administrators pass a licensing exam and hold a bachelor's degree.

A Strong Job Outlook for Health Care Administrator Roles

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the demand for well-trained health care administrators will grow by a healthy 16 percent between 2006 and 2016, adding some 43,000 new management jobs. Hospitals will remain the single-largest employer; however, clinics and outpatient care facilities will also be recruiting new managers. Jobs will also be created at management or consulting companies that supply services to health care providers.

The salary of a health care administrator varies with the position. The median annual wage in 2007 for medical and health service managers was $76,990, with the scale topping $132,580 at the higher end.

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