Education and Training

A health care administration degree can be obtained from a number of different institutions of learning. This includes colleges and universities as well as schools of public health, public administration, allied health, and business administration. A health care administration degree may focus on various aspects of the health care world, including public health, health sciences, public administration, long-term care administration, and business administration.

Employment Opportunities

A person with a health care administration degree may pursue a career in a number of different settings. These include:

• Hospitals
• Nursing care facilities
• Home health care facilities
• Outpatient health care centers

Each of these settings provides a slightly different service to its patients. Nonetheless, the duties of the health care administer remain largely the same. The basic duties of include overseeing the personnel of various departments within the health care setting, developing policies for the facility, and monitoring the efficiency of the facility.

A person with a health care administration degree may be responsible for overseeing the operations of the entire facility or of just one department. This is largely dependent upon the size of the facility and its administrative needs.

Job Outlook and Salary

According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, job opportunities for those with a health care administration degree are expected to grow faster than the average occupation. Competition for management level jobs within the health care field, however, will be fierce due to the prestige and high level of pay they carry with them.

According to the Bureau, the earnings of a health care administer can vary greatly according to the setting. In May 2004, however, the median annual salary of managers within this field was $67,430. Those employed by the Federal government earned the most with $87,200 per year, while those working with home health care services earned the lowest with $60,320.

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