What Careers are in Health Administration?

If you want to work in the healthcare sector but you don’t want to work in a clinical setting, you may want to consider the benefits of pursuing one of the many careers in helath administration. With an aging population and a new healthcare reform system, the demand for preventative services and medical treatments has never been greater. This growing demand in the sector creates unique needs that have never been present in the United States. Here are some of the administrative roles you may want to consider pursuing:

Positions in Practice Management

Practice managers are healthcare administrators who are in charge of running doctor offices, medical clinics, and group practice facilities. These administrators must implement the policies and procedures in the back office that keep the entire practice operating smoothly.

While some of the duties are dependent on the type and size of the practice, it is common for managers to schedule staff, manage the revenue cycle, supervise non-clinical staff, oversee overhead budgets, and ensure compliance with Federal regulations. Practice managers a projected to be in high demand in the upcoming years because medical practices are expected to grow. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, this area of healthcare administration is expected to grow by 23%.

Public Jobs in Community Services Management

If you would prefer to work for a public agency but you still want to be a health administration, you should consider working as a community services manager. Community managers work with healthcare facilities, organizers, and physicians to improve the health of families, children, and individuals in cities and towns. Since local and state governments must address the growing need for healthcare services, the demand in this area is high. Approximately 13,200 jobs will be created by 2024.

Positions in Health Informatics

Health informatics is a growing field that combines technology and practice. If you want to play a part in using data in healthcare records and systems to improve future health outcomes, this could be the perfect research-driving position for you. Health informatics professionals collect, store, analyze and present data so that it can be used by government agencies to design healthcare programs and to determine what new systems are needed. Since technology plays a pivotal role in how the healthcare system is changing, the demand for informatics specialists is very high.

Positions in Nursing Home Administration

As life expectancy rates grow and baby boomers age, the need for nursing home administrators proportionately grows. Administrators in nursing homes oversee the operations in nursing homes to ensure that the elderly are well-cared for when they need assistance with daily activities. You need to be familiar with state and federal laws when working in this highly-regulated environment. With this being said, the demand for nursing home administrators is only projected to grow in areas with older populations.

Related Resource: Become a Writer

Working in administration can open up new opportunities to you. If you have experience in business, you can use that experience to work as a healthcare administrator. If you have experience in a clinical setting, transitioning from clinical care to administration may be easy. Make sure to research what the educational qualifications are before making a career transition and then you can pursue one of the high-demand careers in health administration.