The national climate is thick with discussion about the health care industry and what will become of it. The success or failure of our country in this area will affect virtually everyone in some way. People are always going to get sick and will always need hospitals. The things we know for sure are few and the questions we face are monolithic in comparison. The best person to sort of these questions are those who have experience in health care as well as the foresight that comes with a business background. The college degree designed to create these superstars is a Masters in Health Care.
The Business of Running a Hospital
Health Care Masters degrees teach health care workers the “administration” side of running a hospital. Things like finance, communications, marketing, quality control, research and human resources are all important tasks that are necessary in the business of health we just don’t see them as much.
The Big Picture
Let’s say you cut your finger at home making dinner and you need stitches. The simple answer is: Go to the doctor and get yourself all stitched up.
Indulge me in describing the bigger process of what has to be done each time you visit a hospital.
When you walk in, you have to check and the person at the front desk retrieves your medical records. Someone has to keep those medical records in order and updated. Then you go back in the ER where a nurse assists you until the doctor comes to stitch up your finger. The doctor grabs a sterile needle and thread and goes to work. Someone had to order that thread, someone had to budget its cost and someone had to make a policy for the doctor to follow. Then with, seven perfect little stitches you are bandaged up and sent off.
So who is this “someone” we keep talking about? Health Care Administrators.
In a Nutshell
A masters degree in health care take you to the next level. The administrative level. Instead of just carrying out procedures dictated to you from the top you can become a decision maker. No recession or boom in business can change the fact that people need to take care of their bodies.
By the Numbers
- By 2016, employment of medical and health service managers is expected to grow 16 percent.
- Health care administrators managing practices with 7-24 physicians earn approximately 95,766
- Health care administrators managing practices with 26 or more physicians earn approximately $132,955
- The median income for those employed as managers in medical and health services careers was $84,980 in May 2007. The lowest paid 25% earned $59,910 or less while the highest paid 25% earned above $99,680
What the Times has to say about it:
“It is an excellent career for the middle-aged,” she added. “Some of our students are in their early 40’s. The job requires maturity, perspective, ability to relate to people in distress, and all this comes more easily with age.”