Kickass Healthcare Management Career Guide
Healthcare management is an essential field because management is a pillar for hospitals and medical facilities like any other business. So, they need business-minded and qualified people to run these operations and help hospitals and clinics meet their financial or strategic goals.
A career in this field seems like a profitable vocation to pursue. But how exactly do you begin? What’s the scope for entry-level job seekers? How much does a master’s in this field earn? We’ll talk about all that and more in this healthcare management career guide, so let’s begin.
Table of Content
Kickass Healthcare Management Career Guide
Definition of Healthcare Management
Is Healthcare Management A Good Career?
What Are Some of the Healthcare Management Career Paths?
Healthcare Management Job Opportunities and Salaries
What Type of Degree Do I Need for the Healthcare Management Field?
What is the Future of a Career in Healthcare Management?
Definition of Healthcare Management
Healthcare management focuses on the business side of healthcare. This field combines leadership with management and provides direction to healthcare organizations, such as hospitals, clinics, and other types of medical facilities.
The purpose of this field is to manage the everyday operations within said medical facilities. So, this side of managing a hospital looks just the same as any other business, such as:
- Managing finances and accounts;
- Human resources, i.e., managing staff and employees;
- And planning and coordinating organizational strategies.
Therefore, it also encompasses other elements like marketing, business strategies, etc. Consider this field management/administration of businesses, except for hospitals. So, some of the key job titles in healthcare management focus on the following:
| Job Title | Description |
| Clinical Manager | Overseeing everyday operations, while managing staff, and budgets, and ensuring top-notch care for patients. |
| Nursing Home Administrator | Managing operations of a nursing home, and ensuring compliance with regulations, while providing the best care possible to residents. |
| Laboratory Manager | Managing testing and radiology labs, while administrating everyday operations and managing staff. |
| Office Manager | Handling administrative tasks, including scheduling, billing, and other everyday office stuff. |
| Health Information Manager | Overseeing patient management by maintaining health information and medical records. |
While there are many other job titles, this should give you an idea of everyday life in healthcare management.
Is Healthcare Management A Good Career?
Healthcare management is an evolving field of work, and that means it’s not going to be short of jobs anytime soon. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics says that the medical and health services manager job outlook is around 29% as of this writing.
At the same time, the average healthcare management salary/pay scale is around $110,000. So, it proves that healthcare.
What Are Some of the Healthcare Management Career Paths?
There are quite a few career paths that you can take. Simply search for healthcare management jobs near me, and you’ll see a variety of job titles. However, some of the most common healthcare management career paths include:
- Hospital Chief Executive Officer
- Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
- Health Information Manager
- Medical Office Manager
- Nursing Home Administrator
- Healthcare Compliance Officer
- Medical Billing and Coding Specialist
- Healthcare Consultant
- Practice Administrator
- Chief Operating Officer (COO)
Now, how do you pursue these jobs? What sort of healthcare management degree will you need? And what is the specific healthcare management job description in each career? Here are some of them:
| Career | Education | Job Description |
| Hospital Chief Executive Officer | Master’s degree (MHA, MBA) | Overseeing the entire hospital operations, including setting strategic direction and ensuring quality care. |
| Chief Financial Officer (CFO) | Master’s degree (MHA, MBA) | Managing the financial operations, budgeting, and financial planning of the healthcare facility. |
| Health Information Manager | Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Health Information Management | Handling patient data management while maintaining regulations and managing health records. |
| Medical Office Manager | Bachelor’s degree in Healthcare Management or Administration | Managing daily operations of a medical office and supervising staff, while managing patient relations. |
| Nursing Home Administrator | Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Healthcare Administration | Ensuring smooth operations and compliance with regulations and quality care. |
| Healthcare Compliance Officer | Bachelor’s degree in Healthcare Administration or Law | Ensures healthcare organizations comply with laws and regulations and conduct audits. |
| Medical Billing and Coding Specialist | Certificate or Associate’s degree in Medical Billing and Coding | Responsible for processing patient billing and coding for insurance claims. |
| Healthcare Consultant | Master’s degree in Healthcare Management or Business Administration | Advising healthcare organizations on improving efficiency, reducing costs, and enhancing patient care. |
| Practice Administrator | Bachelor’s degree in Healthcare Management | Supervising the operations of a medical practice, including staffing, budgeting, and patient care. |
| Chief Operating Officer (COO) | Master’s degree (MHA, MBA) | Responsible for the day-to-day operations of a healthcare organization. |
Some job titles require entry or mid-level education, while others require advanced education like master’s or graduate management certification. Now, any career counselor would suggest pursuing a business administration degree before you go for a healthcare management master’s degree.
Why is that? Because it keeps the doors open to other fields while allowing you to pursue your desired career. However, with a healthcare management degree (bachelor’s), you can still pursue other options, like a master’s in business administration/management.
Healthcare Management Job Opportunities and Salaries
Any healthcare management career salary depends on experience, job title, and particular department. For instance, even health and social service managers earn different wages based on sectors or departments.
According to BLS, some of the top masters in healthcare management jobs offer the following salaries in different sectors:
| Sector | Salaries |
| Hospitals (State, Local, or Private) | $128,700 |
| Government (Medical Facilities, Govt departments) | 125,500 |
| Outpatient Care Centers | 104,700 |
| Offices Of Physicians | 102,300 |
| Nursing And Residential Care Facilities | 97,400 |
Source: BLS
It’s important to remember that these are high or mid-level positions, and that’s why their salaries are 100K+. So, what about entry-level healthcare management career salaries? And what sort of education do you need?
Let’s say you are fresh off high school then you might find the following two programs the best to find entry-level business management jobs in hospitals:
| Program | School | Cost |
| Health Care Management | Northwood University | $12,000-$14,000 |
| Medical Administrative Assistant Diploma | North Iowa Area Community College | $17,000 |
| Medical Billing and Coding Program | American National University | $21,000 (full-time) |
With certifications or programs like these, you can find jobs like:
- Medical Office Assistant
- Medical Secretary
- Medical Records Manager
- Medical Information Processing Operator
On the other hand, if you get a bachelor’s degree, then the course of your career will be slightly different. And you can pursue higher healthcare management job roles. Say you wish to pursue a bachelor’s in healthcare management programs then here are some options:
| Program | School | Acceptance Rate | Cost |
| Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Management | South University | 95-100% | $16,000 |
| Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Management | SUNY Canton | 95% | $15,000 |
| Bachelor of Science in Health Care Management | Utica University | 81% | $24,000 |
Once you pursue these or any other bachelor’s degree, what are the healthcare management career opportunities? Here are some:
| Job Titles | Average Salary |
| Healthcare Administrator | $88,000 |
| Healthcare Department Manager | $72,000 |
| Healthcare Finance Manager | $79,000 |
| Quality and Improvement Manager | $79,000 |
| Medical Records Manager | $62,000 |
Aside from this, what is the scope of an MBA in healthcare management in the USA? If you have an MBA or any master’s degree in healthcare management, you can find the following positions:
- Healthcare Chief Information Officer (CIO)
- Healthcare Consultant
- Health Services Manager
- Medical and Health Services Manager
- Health Information Manager
These are some of the top MBA healthcare management careers, but what do they earn? What are the job outlooks? Here are the answers:
| Job Title | Median Salary | Job Outlook |
| Healthcare Chief Information Officer (CIO) | $169,000 | 15% |
| Human Resources Managers | $136,000 | 6% |
| Health Services Manager | $101,000 | 28% |
| Medical and Health Services Manager | $101,000 | 28% |
| Health Information Manager | $104,000 | 8% |
Therefore, there are career opportunities in healthcare management on all levels, from entry-level to advanced.
What Type of Degree Do I Need for the Healthcare Management Field?
The type of degree you pursue in healthcare management will also determine the level of job you’ll have. An undergraduate certificate, diploma, or associate in science degree will open the doors to entry-level health management systems careers.
Meanwhile, pursuing a bachelor’s degree will set you on the path to mid-to-higher-level positions. Lastly, a master’s degree will help you score for higher-level jobs, such as managerial or executive-level positions. So, here are some of the degrees you can pursue in this field:
- Bachelor of Health Administration (BHA)
- Bachelor of Science (BS) in Health Informatics
- BS in Health Information Management
- Master of Health Administration (MHA)
- Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a healthcare concentration
- Master of Public Health (MPH)
A simple Google search like “healthcare management degree online” will lead you to many possibilities. However, you must find healthcare degrees in your state to avoid additional costs.
Nevertheless, here are some top-degree options for each degree level:
| Degree Level | Degree Title | College/University |
| Associate/College Degree | AA In Healthcare Management Technology | University of Cincinnati Online |
| Associate in Health Care Management | Penn Foster College | |
| AAS in Healthcare Administration | St. Louis College of Health Careers | |
| Bachelor’s/Graduate Degree | Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Management | The University of Alabama At Birmingham |
| Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Management | Texas Tech University | |
| Bachelor’s In | Maryville University | |
| Master’s/Post-Graduate Degree | Master of Healthcare Management | UA – Eller College of Management |
| Master of Health Administration | Columbia University | |
| MPH: Health Care Management | University of Maryland |
You’ll find plenty of other business degrees with a healthcare management concentration in the coursework. It depends on the type of field or particular specialty that you wish to pursue such as nursing administration, clinical facilities, compliance, etc. Therefore, it’s essential to explore the specialties and concentrated programs for specific healthcare management fields.
What is the Future of a Career in Healthcare Management?
The future is quite bright, and it’s apparent from the job outlook, salaries, opportunities, etc. Even at entry-level, you get paid more than in other fields. Besides, hospitals and medical facilities are a necessary element in any society’s infrastructure.
So, this is a never-ending field that’ll always generate new job opportunities. Besides, even starting at an entry-level position, you can vie for higher-level positions. Thus, the scope of the hospital management system and a career in it are pretty lucrative.
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