A Bachelor's in Healthcare Management opens many career doors for students who want to work in leadership positions. Here are four popular jobs for health care managers.
Hospital Executive
Hospital executives are the leadership backbone of health care facilities. They ensure that facilities and systems run smoothly and successfully through optimizing processes and policies. Some hospital executives oversee quality improvement systems to guarantee optimum patient care and safety. Others work with HR directors to hire staff, oversee training and manage employee relations. Some group practice executives are HR experts who focus on creating pleasant work environments to decrease employee turnover, which results in higher costs and less consistent patient care. Some hospital executives are IT experts who maintain state-of-the-art facilities and medical equipment. Hospital executives also work as financial, operational and medical leaders. All hospital executives must keep up with the latest developments in technological advances, government regulations and patient care techniques.
Resource: 15 Great Small Colleges for a Bachelor's in Healthcare Administration 2015
Public Health Analyst
Almost all public health analysts are employed by either the government or large health care corporations. Some public health analysts work with epidemiologists to monitor current and projected public health risks. Others use analysis and informational tools to evaluate and design effective health programs. A certain amount of public health analysts work for and with government agencies to update health policies and promote insurance regulation reform. A small amount of public health analysts work in the field with non-profit health programs to collect data, perform studies and connect community partners with resources and support. On the other hand, public health planners are analysts who focus on predicting consumer, market and health care trends. They are also expected to provide feasible recommendations to decision makers.
Health Care Administrator
These health care professionals provide employee supervision and vital services to the community. They use their effective organizational skills to simultaneously meet the demands of patients, employees, board members, government agencies and the public. Health care administrators have important operational responsibilities and perform HR, budgeting and scheduling duties. All administrators work with supervisors to ensure that health care providers are efficient, competent and compassionate. An administrator covers every managerial aspect of health care operations, including staffing, financial concerns, and scheduling. Some work in specialized fields, such as advanced nursing, health informatics or emergency medical services (EMS).
Health Care Consultant
Health care consultants are senior leaders who aren't directly associated with a single facility. Instead, they offer their insightful knowledge and organizational abilities to all health care facilities as needed. Health care consultants are highly valued because of their holistic, comprehensive understanding of the health care industry. Because they work with so many facilities and regulators, they possess unique perspectives that encompasses best practices and organizational styles. Thus, they are often called upon to analyze data patterns and health care consumer trends. Health care consultants design and implement special projects, such as major technology upgrades, mass employee training
As a final note, those in health care leadership must maintain state licensure. This usually requires a degree from an accredited institution, such as Bachelor's in Healthcare Management.
Additional Resources:
50 Best Schools for a Healthcare Administration Degree 2016
Top 10 Best Online Healthcare Administration Degree Programs 2016