Online Education Guide
Guide to Majors

- What is a College Major?
- Deciding to Go to College
- Assessing Your Skills
- Education vs. Experience
- Top Ten Job Trends

View College Majors

 Health & Medical

 Arts & Humanities

 Business

 Criminal Justice

 Education

 Engineering

 Science

 Social Science

 Technology

Online Education Guide

Guide to College Majors in Health Services

What is Health Services?

A college major in Health Services leads to many excellent opportunities for personal growth and professional development in the vital and exciting field of Health Services and Health Services Administration.

Health Services degree programs offer students a solid background of general knowledge about health and applied science. As the degree program progresses, students integrate this general knowledge with more in-depth expertise related to a specialty within the Health Services profession.

In the past few years, the availability of online and distance learning programs in Health Services has exploded. New technology allows students to obtain a college degree in Health Services while continuing to maintain their lives at work and at home.

Health Services majors can pursue a wide variety of professional opportunities in the field. Because all Health Services educational programs provide students with basic instruction about Health Services, students can make wise and educated decisions about the specific aspect of the Health Services field that they may wish to pursue.

Aside from providing students with general knowledge, most of the courses offered in a Health Services degree program build competency within the chosen specialized field of study. Many majors gain first-hand experience by engaging in extensive field study.

Many levels of degrees in Health Services are available through online and distance learning programs. Students may obtain their Health Services degree at the certificate, associate, baccalaureate, professional, or graduate level.

Get your degree in Health Services
	Search Type: Online    Campus Degree:  Zip: --- Select a Degree --- Associate Bachelor Master Doctoral Diploma Certificate Coursework

Career Education in Health Services

Undergraduate and Graduate degree and certificate programs

Health Services offers many different educational and professional concentrations. The online or distance degree program in Health Services that you choose will depend largely your specialty.

Most Health Services college degree programs require students to complete a core curriculum of generalized courses. Your coursework will provide you with a solid educational foundation for the advanced courses in your Health Services concentration.

As a Health Services major, you will take courses such as:

• Biology,
• Anatomy,
• Sociology,
• Economics,
• Accounting,
• Public Health, and
• Health Policy.

Some Areas of Concentration

If you enter a Health Services degree program at the certificate or associate level, you will gain skills in a specific Health Services field. You may, however, choose to continue your Health Services education to obtain a Bachelor's or Master's degree. If so, you will need to complete liberal arts coursework before deciding which Health Services career track you wish to pursue.

• Health Services Administration
  Many Health Services majors enrolled in online or distance learning degree program choose to concentrate their studies on Health Administration. Programs of study in Health Services Administration usually follow a curriculum that combines liberal arts coursework, coursework in management theory, and coursework designed to provide students with practical skills that will be essential in the Health Services workplace.
  
  The coursework that you will complete in your degree program will reflect your chosen field of study. Students who concentrate on Health Services Administration, for example, complete courses such as Health Care Administration, Health Law, Health Finance, Epidemiology, Health Care Economics, Health Planning, Health Regulation, and Health Science Ethics.
  
  This coursework prepares students to handle the finances of organizations, to deal with Health Services personnel, and to manage the many state and federal covering the Health Services profession.
  
  
• Mental Health Services
  Mental Health Services is growing and expanding as our society increases its knowledge about mental health disorders. Many people finally regard mental health as a field that requires specially trained professionals to work within it.
  
  Many students enrolled in a Health Services degree program concentrate their studies on Mental Health Services. As in Health Services Administration, a Mental Health Services major must complete liberal arts curriculum requirements as well as extremely specified coursework.
  
  Mental Health Services professionals combine science and social work. Students who major in Mental Health Services usually complete specialized courses such as Case Management, Health Research Methods, Neuroscience, Wellness and Community Development, Clinical Reasoning, Evaluation and Research Methods, and Aging and Mental Health.
  
  Students who graduate with a Mental Health Services degree gain the skills to join the world of professionals who are working to develop and improve the abilities of the Mental Health Services profession as it expands to meet the needs of mental health patients.
  
  
• Nursing
  Nursing rewards professionals by combining compassionate nurturing with state-of-the-art medical technology. The demand for nurses is enormous and continuing to grow.
  
  Undergraduate nursing majors must complete liberal arts curriculum coursework as well as traditional science coursework. In the second year of undergraduate study, most nursing majors will enter the field through an internship or other school-related credits program. Hands-on field study is of extreme importance in the education of students majoring in nursing. Most of the coursework will provide students with classroom and field experience.
  
  Nursing students complete specialized courses in: Microbiology, Human Anatomy, Sociology, Nutrition, Abnormal Psychology, Foundations of Nursing, Nursing Care of Children, Nursing Care of Older Adults, Nursing Care of the Childbearing Family, and Clinical Rotations.
  
  This curriculum provides nursing majors with strong theoretical and traditional medical science backgrounds, while also offering in-depth knowledge about the nursing field.
  
  Before nursing graduates can become registered nurses in the United States, they must complete the national standardized test known as the National Certification Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX).

If you are interested in enrolling in an online or distance learning degree program in Health Services, you should be familiar with the various admissions, coursework, and fieldwork requirements of the degree programs offered by these colleges and universities. You should also be familiar with the specified Health Services degree concentrations and levels of Health Services degrees offered by these colleges and universities. By obtaining this information, you will be better equipped to choose the online or distance learning degree program in Health Services that is right for you.

Universities offering online health services degree programs:

Walden University - Online Ph.D. and Master's Degrees in Health Services
Baker College Online - Online Bachelor of Health Services Administration Degree
University of Phoenix - Online Bachelor of Science in Health Care Services Degree
Keiser University - Online Associate's Degree in Health Services Administration

What can you do with a College Degree in Health Services?

Career Specializations within health services, patient care, hospitals, and more

Careers in Health Services are among the most important and the most in demand of any professional careers in the country. Health service providers combine basic human connectedness and compassion with some of the most innovative and highly developed medical technologies available today. Health Services professionals maintain the wellness of our human community.

Ten out of twenty professional occupations expected to develop the fastest are in the Health Services field. Some jobs in the field do not require more than a high school diploma while others require a college education at the certificate or associate level. Some of the more higher-paying jobs in Health Services require at least a Bachelor's degree. A few employers even require new hires to have a Master's degree.

According to the United State Department of Labor, about 518,000 establishments in the United States provide jobs in the Health Services industry. Many establishments are small offices of dentists, physicians, or other Health Services professionals. These smaller establishments may employ only a handful of staff members while much larger establishments, like major hospitals, employ hundreds or thousands of health care workers.

Places of Employment

The Health Services establishments in which health service providers might work fall into nine different categories.

• Hospitals
  Hospitals provide a wide range of medical care such as surgeries, consistent nursing care, and medical diagnostic services. Some hospitals provide specialized medical services, focusing their strengths on health-related areas such as mental illness, cancer patients, or pediatric care. Most hospital patients require outpatient care, meaning that they will be in the hospital for less than a day, while others need inpatient treatment, requiring a stay in the hospital for one overnight or more. Many hospitals attempt to administer outpatient treatment when possible. The arrangement of workers needed to staff a hospital depends upon the hospital's size, location, funding, management style, mission, and philosophy.
  
  Hospitals employ the largest number of Health Services workers because of their need for workers with a diverse range of skills and educational backgrounds.
  
  
• Nursing and Residential Care Facilities
  Nurses and nursing aides provide the most direct care of all professionals in the Health Services industry. Nursing Care Facilities administer nonstop personal nursing attention and treatment to patients who cannot care for themselves at home but do not require the breadth of services provided by hospitals. Residential Care Facilities include establishments like drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers and assisted-living homes. Workers in Residential Care Facilities provide attention and care for the residents other than routine medical care.
  
  Most Nursing and Residential Care Facilities workers have educational backgrounds in nursing and psychiatry, and are trained to work as home health aides.
  
  
• Physician's offices
  Many physicians and surgeons choose to belong to a group practice because group practices enable them to reduce expenses and to afford expensive malpractice insurance. Though group practices tend to be individually small and therefore do not employ large numbers of Health Services providers, one third of all Health Services establishments are group practices. This segment of the Health Services industry is a strong employer of Health Services providers.
  
  Many employees of physician's offices work as physicians, surgeons, and registered nurses. Some offices employ aides and administrative staff.
  
  
• Dentist's Offices
  Most dentists' offices are small and employ only a small number of Health Services providers. The Health Services professionals who work in a dentist's office provide dental care and assist with dental hygiene or dental surgery. One out of five Health Services establishments are dentist's offices.
  
  Larger dental offices may employ managers and administrative staff, though most employees in dental offices work at an assistant level.
  
  
• Home Healthcare
  Home Healthcare is one of the fastest growing segments of the Health Services industry. Some patients prefer to be cared for in the home and may save money by hiring a home health care provider. Most home health care providers work under a physician's supervision and have access to new medical technologies designed to make home healthcare a choice for those in need of medical services.
  
  Most Home Healthcare providers are trained as personal or home healthcare aides, though many providers have an educational background in nursing.
  
  
• Office of specialized medical practitioners
  Many practitioners of other specialized forms of health care may have a private practice or may work through contract with a hospital. The sorts of health care providers that fall into this category are podiatrists, speech pathologists, dieticians, physical therapists, optometrists, chiropractors, and others. Also in this category are alternative medicine practitioners such as acupuncturists and hypnotherapists.
  
  Many workers in specialized medical practitioner's offices are professional-level employees, though some offices also hire aides and administrative support.
  
  
• Outpatient care centers
  Many patients are strictly in need of medical care that can be provided on an outpatient basis. There are many specialized facilities designed to provide specific forms of medical treatment. Some such facilities are substance abuse centers, kidney dialysis centers, emergency centers, mental health centers, and others.
  
  Many outpatient care centers employ a large number of social workers and registered nurses.
  
  
• Ambulatory healthcare services
  The Ambulatory healthcare services segment of the Health Services industry is small, but includes vital medical services such as ambulance services and blood and organ banks.
  
  Many employees of ambulatory healthcare services have a training background in medical service industry specializations such as ambulance driving and ambulance attendance.
  
  
• Diagnostic laboratories
  Workers in diagnostic laboratories provide medical diagnostic services for larger medical outfits such as hospitals. Some labs provide service directly to an individual patient. Medical diagnosis is a very specialized field in which workers use the newest medical technologies to perform blood analysis, take x-rays, or conduct other important tests. Diagnostic laboratories perform a vital medical service but employ the smallest number of workers in the Health Services industry.
  
  Many professionals in the diagnostic laboratory segment of the Health Services industry have specific training as x-ray technicians or medical equipment preparers.

Explore Related Career Pathways

Medical Assistants
Occupational Health Workers
Physical Therapists
Physician Assistants
Registered Nurses

Salary Expectations for Careers in Health Services

Health Services professionals working in non-supervisory positions will earn an average annual salary that depends upon the size, location, and mission of their health care establishments. The particular service provided by the worker will also affect earnings.

Health Services providers who work in major hospitals, for instance, usually earn more than professionals working at a residential care facility or as a home health care provider. Earnings for those working in hospitals are greater than the earnings for those working in other medical establishments because hospitals generally require their employees to have higher levels of training and education. The average annual salary for most hospital workers is usually greater if the hospital is large.

Those who wish to work in a Health Services Management position will generally need to have a higher level of education. Management positions usually pay more than other positions in the Health Services field, but the earnings depend upon the duties and responsibilities required by the job and upon the levels of experience and education held by the manager.

Health Services establishments that must be continually staffed, such as residential care facilities and hospitals, often offer their employees premiums for overtime, weekend, and holiday work, and hours spent on call. Many Health Services establishments offer tuition reimbursement to encourage employees to receive more education in the field.

Career Outlook

The employment rate for those working in the Health Services field is expected to increase. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, salaried employment in the industry is projected to grow by 28 percent through 2012, a much higher percentage projection that all other industries combined. Employment growth in hospitals is expected to reach 12.8 percent by 2012 and is expected to reach 55.8 percent in the Home Healthcare services segment of the industry.

There are many reasons for this projected massive growth in the Health Services industry. The population of elderly people is expected to grow faster than all other age groups combined by 2012. This particular population growth will increase the general demand for health care because of the significantly larger demand for health care services in communities of elderly citizens. This is especially true for the heath services industry segments of Home Healthcare, nursing, and residential healthcare facilities.

Continued developments and improvements in medical technology will also add to the projected increase in employment opportunities in the field because these improvements will increase the survival rates of severely ill or injured patients. These patients will require greater therapy, nursing, and medical care. Medical technologies will also enable medical practitioners to diagnose and provide services to patients suffering from illnesses and injuries once thought to be untreatable, thereby increasing the number of surviving patients in need of medical attention.

There are also financial reasons for the projected increase in employment opportunities in the Health Services industry. Group medical practices are expected to become larger, more common, and more diverse, creating the need for greater staffing. Outpatient care facilities are also expected to become more common and extensive, a projection that is based on improvements in medical technologies and the desire of hospitals to create less expensive outpatient opportunities for appropriate treatments.

Explore Related Degree Programs

Health Care Administration Degree
Health Care Management Degree
Health & Medical Sciences Degree
Health Services Degree
RN to BSN Degree
Nursing Degree Programs

Copyright 2005 World Wide Learn