Career Opportunities in Healthcare Management Through Online Healthcare Training

by Frank Johnson I on June 5, 2010

A healthcare administration career via online healthcare management training requires no medical background. This is the field relating to the leadership, management and administration of healthcare systems, hospitals and hospital networks. Healthcare administration covers a broad area of activities and there is usually a set of factors that determine the types of jobs that need to be done to run any given facility; these often include the size and scope of the facility in question and the kinds of medical/ healthcare facilities they have.

Healthcare administrators are vital to the successful operation of any healthcare system. The day to day running and financial sides to healthcare require dedicated professionals to work on areas from clerical to administrative to financial. Healthcare professionals, also known as healthcare managers or health services managers are regular business managers who plan, direct, coordinate and supervise the delivery of health services. These managers can be specialists in charge of a specific department or managing entire facilities. Healthcare education has recently found a new home on the internet, with thousands of people pursuing online healthcare education and online training in order to improve their professional skills and profiles or to take the opportunity to switch to this lucrative and satisfying career from another field.

The following is a brief description of some of the major areas in healthcare administration for which extensive online health care administration and management education and training is now available.

General Administration

Healthcare organizations, like all other types of businesses, are often profit based businesses requiring the highest quality of managerial oversight. A healthcare unit requires a whole top and middle management team in order to function. Matters related to budgeting, profit and future expansion is also, likewise, a managerial responsibility (especially in larger facilities like hospitals).

Healthcare managers in administration positions normally answer to the board of directors. The workload is higher than for many other areas, with administrators often required to work between 55-60 hours a week, however, compensation and career benefits are attractive and the work itself is stable to a great extent. Growth opportunities are numerous and salaries are also amongst the higher levels, with healthcare administration staff making $40,000-50,000 for a start and improving to $120,000-130,000 within 10 or 11 years.

Human Resource (HRM)

HR professionals specializing in healthcare are responsible to maintain a working, motivated staff for all departments. They are often responsible for the hiring of medical staff (doctors, nurses etc) and generally fulfilling HR duties as in any other organization. These professionals average a salary of around $35,000 to $100,000 per year.

Medical information technology (MIT)

With great advancements in information sharing and technology, healthcare has changed drastically over the last few years. With the continued application of new technology in healthcare, a team of professionals is required to operate and maintain information systems (and networks), diagnostic machines, computer systems and software. They are also responsible for upgrading and problem solving. Professionals in this area earn anywhere in the range of $40,000-$100,000; the job description itself varying with the type of facility.

Public relations (marketing)

PR managers in healthcare are responsible for improving the healthcare facilities’ image in the public eye and to keep the surrounding public informed about the facilities and services offered at the healthcare unit. PR managers are also responsible for providing coordination services and information in the event of an emergency or disaster. PR managers are also the spokespersons for their respective facilities, representatives for the unit, and speak for the organization (for instance in the event of a lawsuit etc). They fall into the same pay grade as MIT or HRM professionals.

Finance

Finance professionals hold a critical importance today for healthcare at a par with doctors and nurses. The cost of healthcare is rising all the time, it is important to keep not only the facility profitable, but also to make healthcare as affordable as possible. These professionals are responsible for detailed financial aspects like budgeting, accounting, auditing and income & expenditure; also finding ways for administrators to cut costs and improve finding. Finance managers in smaller facilities average the same pay-scale as those for HRM and MIT; however those for larger facilities and with more experience can make considerably more than that ($80,000-$200,000 a year).

References:
Bureau or labor statistics – Handbook for occupational outlook – US dept. of Labor.

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DISCLAIMER: Above is a GENERAL OVERVIEW and may or may not reflect specific practices, courses and/or services associated with ANY ONE particular school(s) that is or is not advertised on SchoolsGalore.com.

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Frank Johnson is a staff writer for SchoolsGalore.com. Find health management training and online healthcare management degrees, as well as other Colleges, Universities, and Vocational online schools at SchoolsGalore.com, your resource for higher education.

Author: Frank Johnson I
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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