What Is a Health Care Management Degree?

More than 9.3% of the entire U.S. workforce — roughly 14.7 million people aged 16 and older — worked in a health-related field in 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). From registered nurses and surgeons to aides and phlebotomists, health care workers rely on their colleagues with managerial experience to keep processes efficient and patients safe.

What is a health care management degree, and why should you pursue it? A health care management degree can open doors to numerous employment opportunities through administrative training, paving career paths in hospitals, clinics, pharmacies and manufacturers of medical supplies and equipment. However, not all health care managers are clinicians.

Health Care Management vs. Health Administration and General Management

Health care management differs from health administration and general management in both scope and focus. Each of these roles intends to keep a department, a facility or an organization running smoothly while maintaining customer or client satisfaction, but each takes a unique approach.

While health care management focuses on operations like budgeting and activities, health administration focuses on overseeing a team and the services it provides. General management is unique in that it encompasses everything involved in running a business. A general manager may spend half the day budgeting and managing purchases and the other half scheduling shifts or assigning tasks.

What Is the Health Care Management Degree Curriculum?

Part of understanding what a health care management degree is involves looking at the curriculum. The courses cover the legal and ethical considerations of working in the health care field, but they might also cover topics such as process improvement and leadership. Topics include the following:

Introduction to health system organization
Managing health system organizations
Principles of financial management for health care
Health services research methods
Health information systems
Health informatics
Health law and policy
Ethics in health care
Principles of leadership in health service organizations

Some programs will allow students to complete an internship, which offers the opportunity to put classroom knowledge to work in a hands-on setting.

Health Care Management Degree Completion Programs

What about a health care management degree option for students who’ve completed some college, but who haven’t yet earned a degree? Appalachian State University offers an online degree completion program that gives students credit for the courses they’ve already taken, allowing them to earn their degree in a more flexible setting.

The Benefits of Earning a Health Care Management Degree

A health care management degree teaches essential skills that benefit students across various health-related roles and professions. After completing this degree program, students may go on to work in a wide range of facilities or organizations that are involved in or support the delivery of health care.

Here are some of the skills that students develop during their health care management degree programs:

Leadership

Health care management students discover the principles and concepts that drive leadership, especially as they apply to health services. Leadership can be defined as the skills, behaviors and attributes that allow a manager to guide or directly impact outcomes by enabling people to work together.

Communication

Communication is an essential managerial skill for any industry, including health care. A specialized management degree program gives students experience in written and oral communication as it applies to the business side of health care. Learning how to write and speak professionally with an emphasis on intercultural language prepares students to work in the diverse health care landscape.

Operations

What is a health care management degree’s approach to teaching students about organizational operations? Courses like App State’s Quality Management and Process Improvement in Health Care, Health Care Economics, and Human Resource Management in Health Service Organizations give students the tools and techniques required to develop, monitor and improve their clinical and administrative functions, from the basics of supply and demand to personnel management.

Policy and Program Establishment

Policies and programs dictate the way health care facilities provide care. By understanding the basics of health law and policy, students are better equipped to develop effective and efficient health-related programs that comply with legal requirements.

Strategic Planning

Strategic planning involves analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of a health care facility or department, and then looking for opportunities to improve. For example, initiatives can involve creating strategic plans to cut the waiting time for patients, to reduce excessive paperwork or to improve profitability by sourcing from more affordable suppliers.

What Can You Do With a Health Care Management Degree?

After learning what a health care management degree is, students may be curious about the career paths they can pursue after graduation. Health care management degree graduates can work for pharmaceutical companies, doctors’ offices, hospitals, nursing homes and many other types of facilities.

The most common professions include the following:

Clinical Administrator: Clinical administrators usually work in smaller offices or practices to oversee the facility’s daily operations. They may create schedules, handle budgeting, and ensure that staff adheres to health policies and laws
Health Information Manager: Health information managers work primarily with patient data to keep it secure and updated. They use proprietary software to handle electronic health records (EHRs), and depending on the size of the organization, they may oversee a team of health information specialists.
Hospital Manager: Hospital managers oversee the delivery of services in their facilities by performing both clinical and administrative functions. Tasks may include budgeting, resource allocation, staffing, inventory acquisition and performance analyses.
Health Care Consultant: Health care consultants are third-party advisors who analyze the profitability of an institution in an effort to reduce costs and increase profits, while keeping risk at a minimum. They can work in huge public hospital networks or small, privately owned nursing homes.

Make a Difference in the Delivery of Care With a Health Care Management Degree

Earning a health care management degree in the modern competitive job market can lead to many different career opportunities. Whether you prefer working in a small clinic in rural America or overseeing a successful hospital in one of the nation’s urban centers, your degree is your ticket to professional freedom.

App State’s online Bachelor of Science in Health Care Management program is designed to train the leaders of the future. Learn more about how you can develop the skills you need to improve your community’s health care systems in key leadership positions.

Sources:

Indeed, “Health Care Management vs. Health Care Administration”

Indeed, How to Become a Health Care Manager in 5 Steps

Indeed, Learn About Being a General Manager

Indeed, 12 Health Care Management Jobs to Consider

Indeed, What Is a Completion Degree Program? A Definitive Guide

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Healthcare Occupations: Characteristics of the Employed”

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Medical and Health Services Managers