If you’re drawn to working in the healthcare industry, but you’re not interested in a patient-facing position, you may be the right fit for a healthcare administration or healthcare management role.
Individuals in these types of roles work behind the scenes to help ensure that healthcare facilities and teams are running efficiently so they can deliver quality patient care while maximizing profitability for the organization.
But what’s the difference between healthcare administration and healthcare management? While there are big areas of overlap between these professional fields, they do have some key distinctions.
What Is Healthcare Management?
Healthcare management involves leading and overseeing the business activities of a healthcare facility or organization, such as a hospital, clinic, or healthcare system. While a healthcare management role may involve a certain level of administration of day-to-day operations, this type of professional is more heavily focused on the big-picture strategy and business operations.
Here are some examples of some of the more business-focused duties that are typical of
healthcare management jobs:
- Strategic planning and goal setting
- Budgeting and finance management
- Implementation of IT systems
- Purchasing of medical equipment and supplies
- Management of contracts and service agreements
- Oversight of relationships with business and community partners
- Quality assurance for the delivery of patient care
- Compliance review, helping to ensure the facility or organization is complying with laws and regulations
Healthcare managers may be in charge of a specific department or division within a healthcare organization or facility, or they may have a larger role, such as the role of an executive who oversees an entire facility or multiple facilities.
What Is Healthcare Administration?
While healthcare administration does require management skills and understanding of business strategy, this field tends to be more heavily focused on overseeing staff and the day-to-day operations of a healthcare unit or facility.
A few common healthcare administrator duties include:
- Recruiting, hiring, and onboarding new clinicians or staff members
- Creating and managing staff schedules
- Addressing staff-related needs and concerns
- Managing the delivery of patient care services and evaluating opportunities for improvement
- Overseeing technical processes such as billing and health informatics
- Addressing daily operational needs such as by ordering medical supplies
Some health administrators may also carry out some of the same business-focused duties that health managers perform, such as budgeting, financial oversight, and regulatory compliance review.
Common Job Titles Within Health Administration & Healthcare Management
Health administrators and managers can hold many different types of jobs which may vary in seniority level, depending on the role. Here are just a couple of potential job titles for people who work in these two fields.
Potential Healthcare Administration Job Titles:
- Clinical Director
- Healthcare Executive
- Hospital Administrator
- Practice Administrator
- Nursing home Administrator
Potential Healthcare Management Job Titles:
- Executive Director
- Hospital Manager
- Health Information Manager
- Health Services Manager
Educational Requirements for Healthcare Administrators and Manager
Educational requirements vary by employers. Some healthcare employers may require a minimum of a bachelor’s degree while others may require or prefer a minimum of a master’s degree. A couple of degrees that serve as natural a natural segue into healthcare administrator and healthcare manager roles include the following:
While the degrees noted above have “health administration” in the name, they often include education on healthcare management practices. Additionally, prospective students especially interested in business strategy and management within the healthcare industry may also want to consider a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a specialization in health administration.
BSHA, MHA, and MBA – Health Administration programs often include courses on topics including but not limited to the following (as they pertain to healthcare settings):
- Financial management
- Project management
- Leadership models
- Legal and ethical issues
- Information systems
- Strategic planning
- Risk management
- Hospital administration and management
WCU Programs for Aspiring Healthcare Administrators & Managers
Below are some details about BSHA, MHA, and MBA programs offered at West Coast University:
Bachelor of Science in Health Administration (BSHA)
- Instruction Method: Online
- Duration:
- 40 Months at the Accelerated Pace
- 80 months at the Working Professional Pace
- Specializations:
- Finance
- Strategic Management
Master of Health Administration (MHA)
- Instruction Method: Online
- Duration:
- 8 months at the Accelerated Plus Pace
- 12 months at the Accelerated Pace
- 20 months at the Working Professional Pace
- Specializations:
- Informatics
- Organizational Leadership
- Project Management
- Public Health
Master of Business Administration (MBA) – Health Administration & Leadership
- Instruction Method: Online
- Duration:
- 12 months at the Accelerated Pace
- 24 months at the Working Professional Pace
- Specializations:
- Health Administration & Leadership
Healthcare managers and administrators play an important role in turning healthcare facilities in
teams into well-oiled machines so they can achieve organizational efficiency while providing positive experiences for patients.
Click on the links above to learn more about these WCU programs, or fill out the form on this page to get your questions about a program answered
WCU provides career guidance and assistance but cannot guarantee employment. The views and opinions expressed are those of the individuals and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs or position of the school or of any instructor or student.
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