What Courses Do You Take in a Healthcare Administration Program?
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- Healthcare administration courses apply business and human resources concepts in a healthcare setting.
- Classes in healthcare finance and strategic planning emphasize hard skills.
- You'll learn how to manage teams and resources, analyze budgets, and create quality improvement plans.
- Organizational and time management skills can help you succeed in your healthcare administration classes.
There’s no better time to get started in healthcare — healthcare-related jobs are projected to grow much faster than average over the next decade, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). In fact, eight of the top 20 fastest-growing jobs are in the healthcare field.
If you’re hoping to land a high-paying management position in this growing sector, enrolling in a healthcare administration program can be a great first step. Healthcare administrators help ensure hospitals and other healthcare settings operate smoothly.
If this career path seems like a good fit for you, read on to discover the most common courses included in healthcare administration programs.
Featured Online Healthcare Administration Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
What Do You Learn in a Healthcare Administration Program?
In a bachelor’s in healthcare administration program, you must take the general education and healthcare administration classes required to complete the major. Healthcare administrators will need knowledge of fundamental business principles. Management skills and finance are also key for future healthcare administrators.
With a career healthcare administration, you may be responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of healthcare settings such as hospitals or nursing homes. Alternatively, you may move into the related field of healthcare management, overseeing the daily operations as well as the long-term strategic planning for healthcare organizations.
6 Classes You Can Expect to Take in Healthcare Administration
1. Medical Terminology
Healthcare administrators need to understand the terminology used in hospitals, doctors' offices, and other healthcare facilities. In medical terminology classes, you learn common medical terms.
The course covers anatomical terms, different medical specialties, and terms used in diagnostic care. You also learn about laboratory terminology and clinical procedures. Healthcare administration majors typically take this course early in college because it lays the foundation for understanding the healthcare field.
2. Healthcare Management and Policy
This course explores the healthcare system and teaches you about the development of healthcare policy. You learn about different policymakers and the connection between healthcare policy and economics. By understanding healthcare organizations and major policy issues, you'll build your management skills from a strong foundation.
The course also covers healthcare management topics, including strategic planning, leadership styles, and organizational change. You'll expand your management toolkit with a focus on the healthcare industry.
3. Healthcare Quality Management
Healthcare quality management focuses on patient outcomes and the quality of healthcare services. You learn about how to measure healthcare outcomes while also exploring issues like wait times, productivity, and safety.
The coursework and assignments incorporate career-focused skills. For example, by making process improvement plans, you'll gain practical skills in cost reduction and quality improvement. You'll also explore the importance of continuous quality improvement to understand the performance measures necessary for management roles.
4. Healthcare Finance
In this course, you learn how to apply accounting and financial management concepts in a healthcare environment. You also study the reimbursement process and the financial management of organizations and departments.
During the class, you'll gain an understanding of the broader financial environment for healthcare organizations. The curriculum also teaches managerial accounting principles, so you'll learn how to create budgets and make long-term financial decisions. The course prepares healthcare administration majors for roles as financial decision-makers in healthcare organizations.
5. Organizational Behavior
How do organizations handle change? What role do leaders play within organizations? This course focuses on organizational behavior and how it applies to healthcare workplaces.
You'll examine group dynamics, organizational structure, and resource management. The course also emphasizes a manager's role within an organization, including in creating a company culture. You'll gain practical skills through case studies and exercises. By understanding how organizations adapt and grow, you'll strengthen your management skills.
6. Strategic Planning for Healthcare
Managers play an important role in directing organizational change. This course examines strategic management concepts and applies them in a healthcare setting.
By studying strategic planning, you'll learn how to analyze an organization's effectiveness, create quality improvement plans, and apply changes. You'll also learn how to measure the effectiveness of improvement plans. Related topics include healthcare administration ethics and regulations, which play an important role in healthcare strategic planning.
Featured Online Healthcare Administration Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
4 Tips for Succeeding in Your Healthcare Administration Classes
Ready for your healthcare administration classes? These tips can help you succeed in class and build in-demand skills for your career in healthcare management.
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1
Stay Organized
Strong organization skills can help you manage your coursework, especially if you're earning a healthcare administration degree online. In self-directed settings, staying organized is a key part of succeeding.
And building good organizational abilities can also help you after graduation. Healthcare administrators manage multiple projects and teams, so efficiency is an important job skill. -
2
Practice Time Management
Managing your time will help you complete assignments, study for exams, and balance multiple classes. Set up a schedule early in the semester and block off time before major assignments are due. Learn how to budget your time by finding a system that works for you.
Strong time management skills also help healthcare administrators stay on schedule and meet deadlines. -
3
Take Advantage of Resources
Your professors hold office hours, and your college may offer resources like tutors and a writing center. You can also set up a meeting with your professor early in the semester. Checking in when you're struggling with course material can help clarify confusion points. Or, you can meet regularly with your academic advisor.
Taking advantage of these resources can help you stay on track for graduation. -
4
Focus on People Skills
Healthcare administration courses emphasize hard skills, like creating budgets and managing health information databases. But people skills are a major part of leading healthcare organizations.
Make sure to focus on skills like leadership, communication, and teamwork in your classes. These skills can help you in the job market and in the workplace.
Frequently Asked Questions About Healthcare Administration Classes
What is the difference between a BA and a BS degree in healthcare administration?
Bachelor of science programs typically focus more on cultivating technical, science-based skills than bachelor of arts programs. Bachelor's in healthcare administration programs are usually offered as BS programs rather than BA programs.
What specializations are available in healthcare administration?
In a healthcare administration program, you may have the option to specialize in subjects such as healthcare finance, health law and policy, or health informatics. If you're focusing on healthcare financial management, you may take extra classes in accounting and budgeting.
In a legal and policy specialization, you may have upper-level coursework in public health and medical ethics. If you're looking to gain expertise in health informatics, you can expect to take courses in managing medical records and data privacy.
Is healthcare administration hard?
Healthcare administration requires knowledge in multiple subject areas such as communication, business, finance, management, and medicine. Depending on your strengths, mastering finance principles or building up the necessary basis of medical knowledge needed for this career path may be tricky.
Note: The insights on this page — excluding school descriptions — were reviewed by an independent third party compensated for their time by BestColleges. Page last reviewed February 28, 2024.
