Healthcare Administration
Published on: Monday, October 10, 2022
By: K Krishnan
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They know more about On-line learning than students of yesteryears. However, they may not be so familiar with the Healthcare sector. This week let us explore this sector for the benefit of our students, counsellors and parents. When you mention Healthcare, it is not only Doctors and Nurses.
There are many other careers but they are rarely mentioned or highlighted. Healthcare Administration is one such career.
Pursuing a career in healthcare administration can be very fulfilling and lucrative. A healthcare administrator may work for a hospital, nursing home, physician’s group practice, a home health agency, or another health organisation. This job entails many important duties not only to benefit the facility but to help the community as well.
With this position comes strong responsibility as these roles deal with private electronic records management, hospital budgeting, computer security, new technology, and the healthcare industry’s compliance laws, and replacing older biotechnologies while ensuring there is an adequate amount of income to cover the costs of improvements required to innovate.
It is the healthcare administrator’s job to ensure the hospital runs smoothly by tracking trends and applying changes that will help improve patient care and the organisation’s efficiency. They also oversee all of the hospitals’ staff, including the doctors and nurses.
The hospital administrator works closely with billing and coding professionals, medical records, and insurance companies to safeguard the proper use of plan benefits, large physician organisations, medical groups, and healthcare practices.
Qualities needed to be successful in the healthcare administration
The need for healthcare administrators is increasing and, due to new technology, the role of these professionals has changed substantially, giving them more duties to perform. That said, there are numerous components involved with being successful. The American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), claims there are four main qualities that a healthcare administrator must possess in order to be successful:
(1) Excellent communication skills
Excellent oral and written communication skills are both vital to a healthcare administrator, as they should be able to communicate effectively with their subordinates, colleagues, and superiors to develop and present proposals and reports.
(2) General management skills
Another key factor is strong managerial and leadership skills, as they could be supervising large staffs that include doctors, nurses, administration and human resources staff, and many more professionals.
(3) Adaptability, flexibility, and a good organisational fit
Employers look for candidates that are a good fit for the establishment who adapt well to the surroundings, vision, and goals of their organisation. Displaying competence, confidence, and aptitude will make you the perfect candidate for a healthcare administrator.
(4) Strong character, good professional judgement, and dependability
Not only are managers required to have good judgement and moral values to make critical and ethical decisions, but they must also be willing to take full responsibility for their actions whether they succeed or fail.
Some of the occupations in Healthcare Administration include:
Hospital CEO
Medical Office Business Manager
Hospital Department Manager
Government Policy Maker
Human Relations Personnel Manager of a healthcare staffing agency
Hospital CFO (chief financial officer)
Clinic Administrator
Facility Operations Specialist
Dental Office Administrator
Insurance Company Analyst
Lab/Testing Facility Manager
Government Lobbyist
Insurance Contract Negotiator
Nursing Home Administrator
Facility Project Manager
Chiropractic Office Manager
Where can you study for this career in Malaysia?
There are several universities offering courses in Healthcare Administration in Malaysia. You can start by exploring the following universities and the programmes they offer: -
Allianze University College of Medical Sciences (AUCMS)
l Diploma in Healthcare Management
Asean Metropolitan University College (AMUC)
l Master of Science in Healthcare Management
l Bachelor of Science (Hons) Healthcare Management
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM)
l MBA HealthCare Management - Healthcare Creativity and Innovation
l MBA HealthCare Management - Healthcare Business Supply Chain
l MBA HealthCare Management - Health Informatics
Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM)
l Master of Business – Administration (Healthcare Management)
Career Tips
Health related products and services are bound to grow steadily. When it comes to medical careers, people only think of Doctors and Nurses. However, the bridge between doctors, nurses and all health related careers is none other than Healthcare Administration. Read and explore about this career and widen your knowledge on health related careers.
