Many people are now taking a Doctor of Health Administration because there is a growing demand for healthcare occupations. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, there is a 19 percent projected growth for the demand for healthcare occupations from 2014 to 2024, which can translate into 203 million new jobs. In other words, it is worth studying Doctor of Healthcare Administration as there is a bright future after finishing the program. No matter how long you will study you will never run out of opportunity to find a job that will require this program.
Resource: Top 10 DHA Online Programs 2016-2017
If you want to know what you will learn from this program, here are five areas of study in a Doctor of Healthcare Administration program:
Healthcare Law
Healthcare administration entails knowledge of healthcare laws because there is a greater possibility that your career will reach new heights. However, difficulties can arise as the program will require calculated decisions based on existing and new laws.
On the other hand, healthcare administration jobs also involve developing healthcare programs and policies that should adhere to related healthcare laws. This is why the study of healthcare law is highly important. This area covers administrative laws, commercial laws, labor laws, and local ordinances that affect the healthcare industry. There are also case studies that can be discussed in this subject.
Health Policy
Health policy is different from healthcare laws in that it is about administrative regulations made by the government's health agencies, hospitals, and pharmaceutical companies. This area deals with general and common policies that can be adopted or taken into consideration. Aside from that, you can also learn policy-making processes, implementing procedures, and monitoring measures. Studying this area will give you an idea how it is to handle high position in the healthcare industry. It is because graduates of Doctor of Healthcare Administration usually become policy makers.
Management Science
This area of study is about how to effectively manage a company or an institution. Although management science is a general subject, the content is applied to healthcare administration context. This subject covers planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. Management science is not about what to implement. Instead, it is about how to implement a program or a policy.
In the healthcare industry, administrators are expected to perform well, and management science is simply a comprehensive training program that will help you become effective administrators someday. We can also say that a Doctor of Healthcare Administration is the management science in the field of healthcare.
Economics of Medical Care
Studying this subject will give you a clear understanding of the dynamics of healthcare industry. If you want to become a senior manager in a pharmaceutical company or insurance company, the economics of medical care is highly relevant. Even so, healthcare administrators in hospitals and in government agencies are faced with issues that are economic in nature. Graduates of Doctor of Healthcare Administration possess deep knowledge of the relationship between healthcare cost and ways to optimize it.
Financing of Healthcare
This area is all about healthcare insurance. As a separate area of study in Doctor of Healthcare Administration, financing of healthcare is a complex subject. If you ever experienced attending a seminar on insurance, you may somehow have a glimpse of what to learn from this area.
There are still many areas to study when you take a Doctor of Healthcare Administration. The above areas of study are the five major areas you can look forward to. Nevertheless, programs may vary from one school to another.