If you are studying for a degree in Healthcare Administration, you may be curious to know if it is a requirement to complete an internship. While programs advertise that they will help place you as an intern either after or when you are nearing your graduation, many reputable schools are making it a requirement to be an intern before you can receive a diploma. If you are comparing different MHA programs and you are concerned about having to complete an interning project, you need to understand how this requirement benefits you. Read on, and find out what you need to know about internships and how they play an important role in health care administration.
What Do the Studies Say About Internships?
Post-secondary schools and business schools have spent a great deal of time researching internships. The studies have found that internships not only help students build their practical skill set, they can also help students land a permanent role by building new-grad experience. Since the National Association of Colleges and Employers found that 95% of employers in all sectors say that candidate experience is a very important factor in hiring decisions, having that role on your resume can really make a difference and help give you an edge over other new grads.
Why Internships in Health Care Administration Are So Important
There are a long list of reasons why completing an internship in Healthcare Administration is so important. While there is great demand in the field, there are also a lot of candidates who are transitioning from nursing and other healthcare roles to work in administration. Since these candidates have hands-on experience with aspects of administration, they naturally have an edge. About 100,000 people work in management administration roles today and about 2000 people are graduating each year with an MHA degree.
Since the supply is growing, you can really make yourself stand out by completing a short-term opportunity where you can perform administration roles at the side of an experienced administrator. You can also show employers you are skilled without demanding the pay someone with years of experience in healthcare would. If you are questioning what area of administration that you want to work in, you can test drive different areas and build confidence in the area you want to pursue.
Which Programs Will Require that You Complete Internships?
Not all programs have an interning requirement. Those that do should not automatically be crossed off of your list of prospective programs because being placed to spend time interning should be a positive thing that will help you succeed later in your professional life. If you are set on interning, one way to make it easy to find schools with this requirement is to go with a program accredited by the Association of University Programs in Health Administration. The AUPHA is a body that sets standards and requires all of their accredited programs to have an interning requirement.
No matter what program you choose, make accreditation a priority. There are several agencies and councils that oversee post-secondary and graduate programs and make sure that they delivery quality instruction. Stay committed to find the best program on your search for a degree program majoring in Healthcare Administration and then you can focus on internship requirements.