If you're considering a career in healthcare administration, perhaps you're wondering if a hospital administrator has to take continuing education classes. While the answer to this question is no, many hospital administrators are choosing to continue their educations anyway. Let's examine the role that continuing education plays in a hospital administrator's career.
Hospital Administration Does Not Currently Require a License
In the USA, surgeons, physicians and nursing home administrators are all required to hold licenses; while licensing requirements are not consistent from state to state, these professionals typically do need to complete ongoing education to retain their licensure. In contrast, hospital administrators do not need to be licensed. Since there is no licensure requirement, there is also no formal requirement for hospital administrators to complete ongoing education.
Since some hospital administrators are physicians who retain their licensure, those professionals do complete ongoing education. Obviously, not all hospital administrators are licensed physicians. Many hold MBA degrees and have backgrounds in management, public health or related specializations. There is, however, a professional organization known as the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) that has undertaken the task of voluntary regulation of hospital administrators.
Continuing Educational Opportunities Available to Hospital Administrators
Despite the lack of formal requirements for continuing education, many hospital administrators voluntarily choose to advance their academic credentials. Hospital administrators who are ACHE members can most easily advance in their careers by completing educational workshops and then passing the corresponding competency examinations offered afterwards.
Some US states also encourage ongoing education and offer educational opportunities to their hospital administrators. A variety of professional organizations offer conferences, certifications and webinars featuring additional educational opportunities for hospital executives. You can find more information about these educational opportunities at the following links:
- The American College of Healthcare Executives makes certifications available to hospital administrators.
- The Texas Hospital Association makes a variety of educational opportunities available including distance learning classes, conferences, seminars and a leadership fellows program.
- The Association for Healthcare Administrative Professionals offers a variety of educational development opportunities including a yearly conference and a variety of webinars. They also offer a certification credential known as Certified Healthcare Administrative Professional (cHAP).
- The American Society for Healthcare Risk Management offers hospital administrators the opportunity to become Certified Professionals in Healthcare Risk Management (CPHRM).
- The American Association of Healthcare Administrative Management offers a variety of certification optionsthat focus primarily on educating hospital administrators and other healthcare professionals to maximize their financial competence.
- The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) offers ongoing certification opportunities for healthcare executives, including the option to become a Certified Professional in Healthcare Information and Management Systems (CPHIMS).
We hope this information clears up any questions you might have had regarding the role of continued education in a hospital administrator's career. While you will not need to undergo continuing education as a hospital administrator at the present time, doing so has many benefits — and there are ample educational opportunities you can take advantage of if you wish to do so.