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What is Healthcare Management?
Many colleges and universities in New Hampshire offer degrees in healthcare management and other related subjects. Graduates typically possess the knowledge and skills necessary to develop and administer healthcare programs in a wide variety of different medical settings including hospitals, health insurance companies, and nursing homes. This is an ideal major for individuals dedicated to helping medical facilities provide high quality care to patients.
Healthcare managers are responsible for planning, directing, and coordinating the medical and health services offered by healthcare facilities. They often work for small clinics, hospitals, or physicians managing their own practices. Employment opportunities may also exist in nursing homes, residential care facilities, and outpatient care centers. Notably, job titles often differ depending on the work setting. They are also sometimes referred to as healthcare executives, nursing home administrators, clinical managers, and health information managers.
While daily tasks and expectations vary by facility, healthcare managers are often responsible for improving overall efficiency and quality of the health care services provided by their employers. This includes verifying all activities comply with various state and national laws and regulations. Depending on the situation, they may oversee just one area or be in charge of multiple departments. In all cases, these professionals are likely to spend time developing strategic departmental goals and objectives, recruiting new employees, providing developmental training, and supervising staff members. They may also facilitate patient payments, monitor available finances, and ensure operating costs remain within established limits.
Generally, healthcare managers work full-time, with hours in the evenings and over weekends sometimes required. Functioning as part of on-call emergency rotations may also be necessary.
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Online Healthcare Management Education in New Hampshire
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 third largest industry in New Hampshire, accounting for $9.8 billion in revenue each year. Based on data provided by the BLS, the state employed 45,350 management professionals in May 2022. Notably, this includes occupations outside of the healthcare industry as well. The annual mean wage for these professionals in the state was $132,220. This is significantly above the reported annual mean wage of $62,550 for all occupations in New Hampshire.
Healthcare administration degree programs are available throughout the United States, with many departments offering remote learning options. While online enrollment provides great flexibility, the location of your chosen college or university matters. Those planning to seek employment in New Hampshire should strongly consider local academic institutions first. These schools will provide the most geographically relevant curriculums, which ensure graduates have the knowledge and skills employers in the state expect most. New Hampshire institutions may also provide more targeted assistance for individuals planning to seek state certifications and licensures.
Many colleges and universities in New Hampshire offer degrees in health management and other related subjects. Prospective students pursuing this area of study can generally choose from programs at the associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels.
It’s important to realize, however, that the type of employment available after graduation will be greatly impacted by the degree(s) obtained. While entry-level employment opportunities do exist for individuals with associate degrees, jobs of this kind can be limited. It’s far more common for professionals in this field to possess bachelor’s degrees or above. Those seeking supervisory positions, in particular, will require more education.
Online Associate Degree in Healthcare Management (AS)
An associate healthcare administration degree program generally consist of 60 credit hours of coursework that take full-time students approximately two years to complete. As undergraduate degrees, these programs incorporate both general liberal arts and major-specific classes. Every curriculum is different, but those enrolled are likely to study various topics in communication, mathematics, and science in conjunction with healthcare technology and health and human services, medical terminology, marketing, and medical office administration for healthcare organizations. Instruction in popular technologies, data systems, and medical coding methods is also common. Students can usually expect to receive a broad introduction to the field, in addition to developing various fundamental skills necessary to work in most medical offices and other healthcare settings.
It’s also important to realize that associate degree graduates are unlikely to qualify for jobs as healthcare managers. Rather, individuals who complete these programs should be prepared to pursue entry-level employment as medical secretaries, medical assistants, and medical records technicians. Studying at this academic level can also lead to other administrative jobs at health-related facilities.
Those who are intent on becoming healthcare managers will need to pursue further education. Fortunately, associate degree graduates are often closer to obtaining traditional four-year degrees than they realize. Incoming students can often transfer the credit hours they have earned previously from other academic institutions. Many colleges and universities accept up to 60 or 90 credits from other properly accredited schools. In many cases, this means graduates require only two additional years of study before receiving more advanced degrees.
Online Bachelor's Degree in Healthcare Management (BS)
Bachelor’s degrees in healthcare management generally consist of 120 credit hours of coursework that take full-time students approximately four years to complete. Prior undergraduate credits earned due to advanced placement (AP) course examinations and/or previous degrees can lead to faster graduation timeframes.
As undergraduate degrees, these programs continue to incorporate both general liberal arts and major-specific classes. Curriculums vary, but those enrolled are likely to study various topics in communication, mathematics, and science in conjunction with healthcare law, management information systems, healthcare services, quality management, and budgeting in healthcare. It’s also common for students to receive instruction on various principles in marketing, business law, and ethics.
It's also worth noting that most colleges and universities expect students at this level to participate in residencies or internships. This allows those enrolled to work in actual healthcare facilities, at which they can develop and hone the knowledge and skills needed to succeed after graduation. These opportunities are a great way to gain real-world, hands-on experience in the field.
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 Master's Degree in Healthcare Management (MS)
Master’s degrees in healthcare management or a health care administration MBA (Master of Business Administration) will generally range from 30 to 45 credit hours of coursework that take full-time students approximately two to three years to complete. At the graduate level, curriculums rarely incorporate undergraduate or general liberal arts classes anymore. Students may, however, need to prove they have the knowledge and skills necessary to study advanced topics in this field. Many colleges and universities require prior transcripts to verify these prerequisite courses have been completed.
Curriculums vary by institution, but students can usually expect to study various concepts related to management, business, accounting, and healthcare. It’s also common for those enrolled to receive instruction in human services, medical terminology, hospital organization, health information systems, health services management, human resources administration, health policy, public health, strategic planning, and health economics or healthcare finance.
As with bachelor’s degrees, colleges and universities often expect graduate students in healthcare management to complete residencies or internships. These supervised administrative experiences often take place in hospitals and/or various healthcare consulting settings. These residencies are similar to those completed at the undergraduate level, but may last longer for those who wish to be healthcare leaders. In some cases, participation can even span an entire academic year.
Graduates from these programs tend to have more job options and make more money. They often qualify for employment as medical records supervisors, hospital administrators, health information management managers, and healthcare consultants. Other mid-to-high-level occupations may also be available.
Online PhD Degree in Healthcare Management (PhD)
A PhD or doctorate in healthcare management can consist of between 60 and 120 credit hours that may take full-time students up to seven years to complete. These are terminal degrees, representing the highest level of education available.
These programs tend to be academically intensive, with extensive instruction in advanced healthcare management, finance, medical law, ethics, healthcare data, and informatics. Curriculums vary, but those enrolled can generally expect to participate in traditional classroom instruction and coursework during the first couple years. As students progress through these programs, however, they often spend more time conducting independent study, research, and writing. Residencies are also common. In most cases, this work ultimately culminates in the presentation and defense of dissertations prior to graduation.
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.