How to Become a Healthcare Administrator in Idaho

Online Bachelor's Degree in Healthcare Administration (BSHCA)

Now that you know how much money is available along this career path, you might be wondering how to get involved. As with most professions, you should first start with an appropriate healthcare academic background that will launch a highly successful career. Given the incredible growth in healthcare, many undergraduate and graduate programs have been tailored to provide you with the knowledge and skills you need to succeed as a hospital administrator, for instance. Of course, you might prefer to specialize as an accountant in the field, or computer science and information technology is your forte. The right undergrad degree in healthcare administration will position you to realize your dreams.

Find Your Online Healthcare Administration Program

Before you go and apply to the first healthcare administration program, make sure that your research is informed so that you find a program that best suits your goals. First, you should assess where you see yourself in the long-term. Would you like to be the administrator of a major hospital or maybe manage a regional chain of elder-care facilities. You are more creative and would like to work in marketing for a healthcare company or a university's healthcare system.

To make this decision, review what courses are offered under the rubric of healthcare administration.

The more business-minded might look for a course offering that is heavily weighted on the following:

If you think you'd rather specialize in marketing or healthcare communications, you might seek course offerings such as:

It's also worthwhile to look at what sort of degree you can achieve. That is, some feel that a Bachelor of Science is worth more to an employer than a Bachelor of Arts. There are multiple options in the field of healthcare administration.

A few options are:

Though you might take virtually the same courses for each degree in healthcare administration and be equally skilled regardless of the letters at the end of your name, sometimes these appearances can make a difference. That is, if you are not certain that you want to make your entire career in healthcare, you might prefer a more neutral degree, such as a BBA or a simple BS in Management or Accounting.

Accreditation

One of the more important aspects of your research should include accreditation. Seek out programs that have achieved regional accreditation. This means that a neutral agency has assessed the program's curriculum, faculty, and student body to find out that it is worthy of the degrees it bestows. That is, if you attend a fully accredited institution, you will be able to use your transcripts with confidence when you apply to graduate school or if you need to transfer to a different program.

For instance, a top Idaho university is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). You should look for the same or similar in the institution you select. If, for some reason, you are unsure of a desirable program's accreditation, you might investigate whether its graduates are finding gainful employment in their field. You can also check to see if alumni are going to graduate school at top schools. If that information is not available, you might check with graduate programs to see if they honor degrees and coursework from that program.

Online or Traditional Classes

Nowadays, college students have more options for college than ever before and a B.S. in Healthcare Administration. The internet has opened up the possibility to take courses in nearly any city and state in the nation. If you are in remote Idaho, you might not have to move or commute to take any courses at all.

Keep in mind that not all online programs are created equal. Some may require that you log in at specific times to engage with classroom discussions or live-streamed lectures. That won't be much of a problem if the lecture is in California or Washington State, but if the class is in New York at 8 o'clock, you might not be so keen on waking up for a 5am course.

However, many online B.S. in Healthcare Administration programs are asynchronous and allow you to download materials and work at a more leisurely pace. You may still need to submit work by a certain time, in a particular time zone, but that likely won't be much of a problem. If you think that your time zone and/or schedule will prevent you from uploading work by a particular time, you might be able to work out an accommodation your instructor.

Instructors

Take a look at the instructors in your chosen program. While there is no clear way to know whether an industry-seasoned instructor will be a better teacher than one who has spent a career in academia, you will want to assess this for yourself. In your interview with the school, ask about this and take a look at the instructors' biographies. This will give you a sense of their approach and the weight their background will have on your learning.