What Can You Do With a Master’s in Healthcare Administration?
Master of Health Administration (MHA) programs are designed to help early- and mid-career professionals take on leadership positions. However, in the healthcare sector, the term “leader” can have many different definitions. It can mean an experienced nurse in charge of patient care procedures, a financial expert who handles business aspects, or even a data analyst who helps executives make informed decisions about everything from staffing to regulatory compliance.
MHA programs teach students about topics that can be applied to all these positions and more, including topics such as:
- Organizational behavior
- Evidence-based decision-making
- Health informatics and database management
- Healthcare policy
- Quality management
If you’re deciding whether earning an MHA is the right move, here are five roles that demonstrate what you can do with a master’s in healthcare administration.
Healthcare Practice Administrator
While frontline professionals provide treatment, healthcare practice administrators oversee the many managerial tasks that are necessary to keep healthcare organizations running. In large organizations such as hospitals, they often oversee a specific department. In private practices, community-based clinics, and other small providers, they often oversee the day-to-day tasks of their entire organizations.
Healthcare practice administrators can work in any kind of healthcare setting; however, across all work environments, their duties typically include the following:
- Scheduling staff
- Managing budgets and allocating resources
- Working independently or with a human resources (HR) team on hiring campaigns
- Reviewing patient outcome data and finding opportunities for improvement
- Ensuring that their organizations are compliant with all safety and privacy regulations
- Helping high-level executives plan and accomplish long-term goals
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), medical health and services managers, including healthcare administrators, earn a median annual salary of $110,680 as of May 2023. Employment of these professionals is expected to grow by 29% between 2023 and 2033 — much faster than the 4% average growth expected across all occupations.
Healthcare Data Analyst
From mental health clinics to specialty surgery centers, healthcare organizations gather and create mountains of data. Healthcare data analysts help their organizations put that information to good use. That can include figuring out how to disperse budgets wisely, how many staff members to hire, or what services patients need most. These duties make becoming a healthcare data analyst one of the most dynamic things professionals can do with a master’s in healthcare administration.
Healthcare data analysts typically:
- Work with IT staff to implement practitioner-friendly data collection tools
- Organize vast amounts of data related to patient care, finances, staffing, and insurance claims
- Use data to make predictions about trends
- Help executives make decisions based on clinical data
- Explore the potential impact of investments, such as more staff and new equipment, on patients’ outcomes
- Aid other administrators in monitoring the progress of new initiatives
While the BLS doesn’t track employment data for healthcare data analysts specifically, it reports that operations research analysts, including healthcare data analysts, earn a median annual salary of $83,640 as of May 2023. This profession is projected to grow by 23% between 2023 and 2033, also per the BLS. Employment of data scientists, another similar position, is expected to grow by 36% in the same period.
Nurse Administrator
As much as hospitals, private practices, and other providers need talented frontline nurses, they need equally talented nurse administrators to oversee and support them. Nurse administrators are typically experienced registered nurses (RNs) who pursue master’s degrees, such as an MHA.
Equipped with firsthand patient care experience and advanced leadership training, nurse administrators:
- Create schedules for their nursing teams
- Communicate hiring needs to administrators
- Relay feedback and other information from nurses to executives, doctors, and other personnel
- Ensure that their teams observe all organizational and legal procedures
- Help administrators create and employ effective patient care policies
- Manage budgets and allocate resources efficiently
The BLS reports that RNs earn a median annual salary of $86,070 as of May 2023. It also expects employment of RNs to increase by about 6% between 2023 and 2033, equivalent to about 195,000 new job openings each year. It also expects employment of advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) to increase by 40% in the same time period.
Nurse administrators are vital to handling this expected employment surge and helping new professionals navigate the field. This, combined with the 29% job growth rate projected for all health service manager positions, indicates that nurse administrators are also likely to see an increase in demand.
Healthcare Consultant
When healthcare organizations face high operating costs, high turnover rates, and other recurring issues, they don’t always have the means to solve the problem themselves. In those cases, they turn to healthcare consultants for some outside perspective and expert guidance.
Healthcare consultants are experienced healthcare administrators who specialize in helping organizations tackle the industry’s most pressing issues. While they typically work for consulting firms, they serve their clients by:
- Identifying problem areas through financial and safety audits, patient and staff surveys, and other means
- Finding ways to increase revenue without sacrificing patient care quality
- Streamlining administrative processes, such as scheduling and billing
- Negotiating contracts with suppliers and other third-party partners
- Helping executives run marketing and hiring campaigns
- Setting measurable long-term goals and helping their clients monitor progress
The BLS doesn’t track specific employment data for this research-focused position. However, management analysts, a similar position, earn a median annual salary of $99,410 as of May 2023. It also predicts the profession will grow by 11% between 2023 and 2023.
Find Out What Else You Can Do With a Master’s in Healthcare Administration
No matter what area of health administration you want to pursue a career in, Claremont Lincoln University’s online Master of Arts in Healthcare Administration offers a rigorous curriculum and flexible scheduling to help you become an informed healthcare leader.
Through leadership-focused classes, such as Challenges in Health Service Delivery, students learn the leadership skills necessary for informed, ethical decision-making. Also, while classes are delivered in a convenient asynchronous format, faculty are there to provide feedback and support every step of the way.
To find out more about the many career opportunities you can prepare for by enrolling in the online program, contact a member of our admissions team today.
Sources
Indeed, 25 Jobs You Can Do With an MHA
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Community Health Workers
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Computer and Information Systems Managers
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Management Analysts
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Medical and Health Services Managers
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Nurse Anesthetists, Nurse Midwives, and Nurse Practitioners
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Operations Research Analysts
Claremont Lincoln University is a non-profit university offering affordable online degrees, graduate certificates, and professional development programs. Through a socially conscious education framework, CLU’s mission is to create a new leadership ecosystem through its proprietary Claremont Core®, a distinctive model that encompasses the knowledge needed to become an effective leader of positive change in the workplace or community. CLU is regionally accredited by the highly regarded WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), which ensures institutions meet strict standards and fulfill their missions to serve their students and the public good. Degree programs at CLU focus on healthcare administration, human resources, organizational leadership, management, professional studies, public administration, social impact, and sustainability leadership.
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