Health Administration Degrees

Overview

Health is a vital concern of the society. The importance of high-quality healthcare makes medical professionals a vital part of our community. The doctors, medical assistants, nurses, and lab technicians are the key players in the healthcare sector. At par with them, healthcare administrators are required to make the whole process run smoothly. They plan, coordinate, and supervise the implementation of healthcare.

As a healthcare administrator, you would be taking care of patient administration, which broadly includes the important point of contact at the healthcare facility, ascertaining the purpose of visit, directing them to the appropriate staff, compiling and recording the patient's medical charts and reports, completing insurance and other claim forms, and scheduling the patient's diagnostic appointments and surgeries.

You can pursue a degree course in healthcare administration either at the associate's or the bachelor's level. The duration of the course may vary from 24 months to 30 months, depending on the program and the school you have opted for. The curriculum of this course usually includes healthcare delivery systems, fundamentals of managed care, marketing and public relations in health care setting, legal aspects of health service, health care economics, medical practice management, leadership and management in healthcare settings, health coaching, healthcare information systems, and healthcare administration capstone.

Benefits

The health administration profession is very dignified in nature. According to the 2004-2005 edition of the occupational outlook handbook of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment of health service managers and administrators is expected to keep grow at a steady rate through 2012. This is due to the expansion of the healthcare sector; therefore, healthcare administrators are in high demand. After completing the healthcare administration degree, you can work in hospitals, nursing homes, medical group practice, and home health agencies. The salary package of healthcare administrators usually ranges between $55,000 and $70,000.

Costs

The average tuition fee for a bachelor's degree is about $320 to $425 per semester hour. Food, accommodation, and lodging may result in additional charges, which may vary between $7,000 and $9,000 per annum. You may look for a scholarship or financial aid either from your college or from other sources to help you successfully complete the course.

Schools

There are various schools and colleges in the United States of America that provide degrees in healthcare administration both on the campus as well as online. Regis University, Ferris State University, and University of Phoenix  are some of the colleges that offer bachelor's degree in healthcare administration.

Testing & Preparation

For pursuing a bachelor's degree in healthcare administration, you are expected to have a good academic score in your high school or equivalent (GED) with a minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0. You may also be required to take the American College Test (ACT), and if you happen to be an international student, the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) as well.

Certain colleges expect a health examination and drug screening certificates. Also, it is mandatory to produce the proof of immunization for measles, mumps, rubella, tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis (whooping cough), poliomyelitis, Hemophilus influenzae type b, and meningococcal meningitis.

Financial Aid

You can purse the financial aid either as a scholarship from the college or through the state programs as loans from a private or government bank or as a grant. The Federal Pell Grant is government-aided grant awarded to deserving students. Apart from that each state has its own individual merit scholarship plans for its students. You can also approach private banks, such as Citibank and Fifth Third Bank to obtain loans.