If you possess superb leadership skills, are detail-oriented, and want to enter one of the fastest growing industries in today’s current market, then you may wish to become a health service administrator. Also referred to as healthcare administrators or medical executives, health service administrators are responsible for planning, designing, implementing, supervising, and coordinating medical services to improve patient outcomes. In order to effectively manage the delivery of medical services, the following is a step-by-step guide on how you can enter the booming healthcare industry as a health service administrator.
1. Pursue a Relevant Bachelor’s Degree
While some employers in the healthcare industry may promote individuals with relevant work experience into this administrative role without formal education, a bachelor’s degree is usually required for gaining entry-level positions as a health service administrator. Since there is not a bachelor’s degree that perfectly aligns with the career, most health service administrators start their bachelor’s training with a major related to business administration, management, human resources, economics, information systems, nursing, or public health. Regardless of major, undergraduate programs are the perfect time to build the analytical, communication, interpersonal, problem-solving, and decision making skills that will be needed later.
2. Earn a Master’s Degree in Healthcare Administration
In order to advance your professional opportunities into mid to upper-level management roles in the healthcare industry, you will need to further your education in graduate school by earning a master’s degree related to healthcare administration, hospital management, or public health. Whether you decide to pursue an MBA with a concentration in healthcare or another specialized master’s degree, you will need to set aside at least two years of advanced graduate studies. For the highest quality education, it is highly recommended that you look for programs that have received full accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education.
3. Obtain Practical Training Experiences in Health Services
When first starting out in the healthcare industry, it is essential that aspiring health service administrators take advantage of every opportunity to obtain practical hands-on training experiences. Within most accredited healthcare administration programs, graduate students are required to complete a full-time internship or mentorship experience in a clinical setting under the supervision of a licensed professional. Since health service administrators are expected to be independent in their administrative duties fairly quickly without on-the-job training, you must participate in experiential learning experiences beforehand to truly benefit a medical facility.
4. Consider Adding Credentials with Certification
Although most states do not require health service administrators to be licensed to practice in leadership roles, adding certifications can be a great way to break into the industry as a newbie. Depending on your desired professional goals and roles in healthcare administration, you may want to consider pursuing certification through the American College of Health Care Administrators or the Professional Association of Health Care Office Management. Not only will certification add to the credentials listed on your resume, but it will also provide you with access to membership resources to stay updated on changes to the field.
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After following these steps, health service administrators can find employment in upper-level management roles for hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, residential treatment centers, substance abuse treatment facilities, home health services, and private physician’s offices. While it may take between six to nine years of higher education to become a health service administrator, the extremely promising job prospects with job growth at over 23% percent make this rewarding profession an excellent option within healthcare management.
