Career opportunities in healthcare continue to expand, even beyond the more widely acknowledged nursing and physician professions. Employment of medical and health services managers is projected to grow 17 percent from 2014 to 2024, a rate much faster than the average for all occupations, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi MBA degree with a Concentration in Healthcare Administration can equip you with the specialized knowledge and skills required for managerial opportunities in healthcare administration.
Why Is the Demand for Healthcare Administrators Increasing?
The healthcare needs of aging Baby Boomers and a shortage of healthcare professionals are contributing to an unbalanced supply-and-demand ratio; the shortage of healthcare professionals is not limited to primary caregivers but extends to healthcare administrators, too.
Approximately 50 million people in the U.S. are now 65 years of age and older, part of the Baby Boom generation born between 1946 and 1964. For those over age 65, time spent in a hospital — also called patient days — is nearly three times that for the general population. For those over 75, the ratio balloons to four times.
The rising demand for healthcare professionals and specialists around the country is creating career opportunities in healthcare. Job openings include executive leadership positions to support patient care teams.
What Jobs are Available?
Healthcare administrators are responsible for the smooth operation of a hospital, hospital system or healthcare organization. Like business administrators in other fields, they deal with finances, personnel and government regulations, but medical and health services administrators — also referred to as healthcare executives — manage a particular clinical area or department within a hospital or direct a medical practice for a group of physicians. Job duties include comprehensive planning and coordination of medical and health services, as well as a focus on ways to improve the overall efficiency and financial effectiveness of an organization.
Job prospects are promising for medical and health services managers. Along with rising employment demand, managers planning to retire over the next decade will create additional job openings. If healthcare utilization continues to grow at the current rate, the number of skilled professionals must also increase.
How Would an MBA Focused on Healthcare Administration Prepare You to Enter this Field?
The Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi MBA with a concentration in Healthcare Administration blends essential business knowledge with a focus on healthcare operations. The online program offers flexibility and convenience to working professionals. Teaching the program are faculty members dedicated to their students’ academic and career success.
Concentration courses include The Health Care System, Health Economics and Policy, Healthcare Financial Management, and Health Law and Ethics. The Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi MBA program is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).
The MBA in healthcare administration program enables you to accomplish the following:
- Understand the essentials of the American healthcare system and related concerns in healthcare delivery.
- Study the principles of healthcare economics and the implications for public policy.
- Learn financial management techniques required for management roles in the healthcare environment.
- Focus on healthcare law and ethics concerns.
The growing demand for healthcare managers promises a wealth of career opportunities in facilities ranging from nursing homes to hospitals. Through a specialized MBA program, leaders with a passion for service can gain knowledge and skills that would help them stand out in the job market.
Learn more about the TAMU-CC online MBA in Healthcare Administration program.
Sources:
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Medical and Health Services Managers
Population Reference Bureau: Aging Baby Boomers to Face Caregiving, Obesity, Inequality Challenges
Becker’s Hospital Review: Looking Ahead in 2016: Workforce Takes Center Stage in Healthcare
