What is Healthcare Management?
Many colleges and universities in Missouri offer a healthcare administration degree and other related subjects. Majoring in this field is typically good preparation for a wide variety of careers in hospitals, health insurance companies, and nursing homes. This area of study is ideal for individuals interested in learning how to develop and administer healthcare programs in a wide variety of different medical settings. While curriculums vary, prospective students can generally expect to gain the knowledge and skills needed to help medical facilities provide high quality care to patients.
Healthcare managers perform many tasks associated with planning, directing, and coordinating medical and health services offered by their employers. These professionals can work in a variety of facilities, from small clinics to major hospitals. They may also work for groups of physicians managing their own practices. Opportunities exist in nursing homes, residential care facilities, and outpatient care centers.
Generally, healthcare managers work full-time, with hours in the evenings and weekends sometimes required. Functioning as part of on-call emergency rotations may also be necessary.
While expectations vary by facility, these professionals are often responsible for improving overall efficiency and quality of the healthcare services provided. They may oversee just one area or hold multiple roles. Some common duties include developing strategic departmental goals and objectives, recruiting new employees, providing developmental training, and supervising staff members. In addition to managing workers, healthcare administration professionals often facilitate patient payments, monitor available finances, and ensure operating costs remain within established limits. They must also verify all activities comply with various state and national laws and regulations.
Those interested in becoming healthcare managers should realize that job titles often differ depending on work setting. They are also sometimes referred to as healthcare executives, nursing home administrators, clinical managers, and health information managers.
Online Healthcare Management Education in Missouri
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), employment for medical and health services managers is projected to grow 28% from 2021 to 2031. This is much faster than the average for all occupations and will result in an increase of about 56,600 job openings each year.
Educational services, healthcare, and social assistance is the fourth largest industry in Missouri, accounting for $33.3 billion in revenue each year. Based on data provided by the BLS, the state employed 7,180 medical and health services managers in the healthcare industry in May 2022. Additionally, the annual mean wage for these professionals in the state was $111,970. Notably, this is significantly above the reported annual mean wage of $54,520 for all occupations in the state.
With significant growth expected within the healthcare industry, it’s not surprising that many higher education institutions offer relevant degree programs. While the major is available at colleges and universities throughout the nation, prospective students planning to work in Missouri specifically will want to consider schools located in the state first. This ensures the most geographically relevant instruction, which can be particularly important when seeking employment locally and/or applying for licensure in Missouri.
Students interested in earning a healthcare management education will find programs in Missouri that offer a solid foundation of knowledge, real world experience, and more. Some of these programs in Missouri are even offered online. Options include Lindenwood University, the University of Missouri, Saint Louis University, etc.
Missouri is home to many colleges and universities, several of which offer a healthcare administration degree and others in other related major areas of study. Prospective students typically have little difficulty funding programs at the associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels.
Notably, most professionals in this field obtain at least bachelor’s degrees. While some entry-level employment opportunities may be available to those with little or no higher education, opportunities like this are limited and pay less.
Online Associate (AS)
Associate degrees in health administration generally consist of 60 credit hours of coursework that take full-time students approximately two years to complete. As undergraduate programs, they are typically comprised of both general liberal arts and major-specific classes. In addition to the required communication, mathematics, and science subjects, healthcare administration students usually study healthcare technology, medical terminology, health sciences, marketing, and medical office administration. Curriculums are also typically designed to help those enrolled develop the various fundamental skills necessary to work in medical offices. Instruction in popular technologies, data systems, and medical coding methods is common. This level of degree is focused on teaching the core competencies of health administration rather than the business details.
Graduates are often prepared for employment as medical secretaries, medical assistants, and medical records technicians for physician offices or hospitals. Associate degrees in health administration can also lead to other entry-level administrative jobs at health-related facilities, though it may be difficult to move into higher-level roles without more education. Another benefit of earning associate degrees is that they generally cost less than traditional four-year programs.
Notably, associate degrees are ideal for individuals seeking to spend less on their education. These programs are most frequently offered by community colleges, which tend to charge lower tuition rates than traditional four-year colleges and universities.
Online Bachelors (BS)
Bachelor’s degrees in healthcare administration generally consist of 120 credit hours of coursework that take full-time students approximately four years to complete. As undergraduate programs, they are still typically comprised of both general liberal arts and major-specific classes. In addition to the required communication, mathematics, and science subjects, healthcare management students usually study healthcare law, management information systems, public health, and budgeting in healthcare. Other common subjects include principles in marketing, business law, and ethics.
Many colleges and universities also expect bachelor’s students in healthcare administration programs to complete residencies or internships. Participants typically work in actual healthcare facilities. This helps those enrolled gain real-world, hands-on experience in the field prior to graduation.
Graduates are typically qualified for jobs as medical office administrators, healthcare human resources managers, health information officers, and community service managers. Other positions dealing with the business side of medical facilities and organizations may also be available.
Online Masters (MS)
A master of health administration degree generally ranges from 30 to 45 credit hours of coursework that take full-time students approximately two to three years to complete. General liberal arts classes are no longer incorporated into the curriculum of a healthcare administration master. It’s common, however, for programs to require certain major-specific courses as prerequisites. Applicants must provide official transcripts proving proficiency in the designated areas prior to being admitted. This ensures everyone enrolled has the foundational knowledge necessary to succeed in graduate school.
Course requirements vary, but students should anticipate focusing exclusively on subject matter pertinent to the field. This often means studying various topics in management, business, accounting, and healthcare. Other commonly offered classes include medical terminology, hospital organization, health information systems, public health, health services management, human resources administration, strategic planning, and health economics. Another option is to earn a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a concentration on healthcare administration or health information technology. This can prepare you for a more administrative role with a year of business subjects if you've previously worked directly with patients or in a similar function.
Again, many colleges and universities expect master’s degree students in healthcare administration programs to complete residencies or internships. These supervised administrative experiences often take place in hospitals and/or various healthcare consulting settings. While similar to those required of undergraduate students, graduate-level residencies tend to last much longer. In some cases, participation can even span an entire academic year.
Graduates often qualify for employment as medical records supervisors, hospital administrators, health information management managers, and healthcare consultants. Other opportunities may also be available, however. Additionally, those with master’s degrees tend to have more job options and make more money.
Online Doctorate (PhD)
A PhD or doctorate in healthcare administration can consist of between 60 and 120 credit hours that may take full-time students up to seven years to complete. These programs differ by institution, but often include instruction in advanced healthcare management, finance, public health, medical law, statistical analysis, and ethics in healthcare systems, as well as healthcare data and informatics. Students can expect to spend the first part of their enrollment participating in traditional classroom learning before transitioning to more independent study, research, and writing. Residencies are also commonly required, either in academic medical centers or others, as are dissertations prior to graduation.
These are terminal degrees representing the highest level of education possible in the field. As a result, graduates have many professional opportunities in healthcare management, research, and/or academia. Those with doctoral degrees may also qualify to lead large teams of other healthcare workers or obtain jobs as hospital CEOs.