Careers in Healthcare: Part Two, Management

Are you a business major looking to make a difference? In Part Two of the “Careers in Healthcare” series, we will focus on the field of Healthcare Management, where no two careers are alike. Fisher’s Bachelor of Science in Management with a concentration in Healthcare Management offers a diverse range of courses such as “Healthcare Delivery Systems,” “Human Resource Management,” “Principles of Marketing,” and more. Graduates from Fisher’s program have gone on to work at hospitals, convalescence homes, rehabilitation facilities, and health insurance agencies, and more. Here’s a look at how most of the major roles in business function in healthcare settings.

Healthcare Administration

Are you organized and interested in the big picture of healthcare rather than individual patients. Healthcare Administration professionals manage the business operations of hospitals, long term care facilities, pharmaceutical companies, insurance related companies and many other related organizations, you will be responsible for tasks ranging from staff scheduling to creating large scale policies to improve a health system’s overall financial effectiveness.

Someone who will be successful in this role is organized, analytical, and a big picture thinker. (Of course a love of working with numbers can’t hurt either.)Not a big numbers person? Here are a couple of other interesting and dynamic career paths that the Healthcare Management concentration program can prepare you for.

Human Resources

Do you want a people-focused career but don’t want to be involved in direct patient care? As an HR professional in Healthcare, you will be using your social and interpersonal skills in every aspect of your job. From hiring and onboarding caring and compassionate healthcare providers to working with legal teams to enforce ethical standards for patient care, you will need to have strong communication skills and be a team player

In addition to people skills, you will also be handling a lot of legal and compliance related activities, so organization and attention to detail are also key for success in this role. If you’re interested in this type of role, Fisher also offers a Bachelor Degree in Human Resource Management which prepares you for a Human Resources career in any industry.

Marketing

Have you wondered how you get information about new vaccines or new medicines developed? Or about public health and safety guidelines? Healthcare marketing professionals are behind conveying that information through social media, video, press releases and more. Large organizations such as hospitals and pharmaceutical companies often have marketing teams who communicate with the public and those who manage internal communications among hundreds of departments and employees. 

 Successful healthcare marketers have strong verbal and written communication skills, think outside the box, and have the strong critical thinking skills required to translate large amounts of complex information into simple, digestible messages. If you want to specialize in marketing in a healthcare setting, Fisher has programs in both Marketing and Communications that offer minors or individual courses that will supplement your degree. 

Career Outlook

Whatever path in healthcare management you choose, it is an area of the economy that is expected to grow. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, careers within the healthcare management field as a whole are supposed to grow by 32% in the next decade, which is significantly faster than the growth of most industries.

Salary and Education 

In addition to stability, healthcare management professionals also enjoy higher than average salaries ranging in the high five and even low six figures (with those in finance related positions tending to earn more.) Higher level positions such as manager and director roles are the highest paying healthcare management positions and may require a graduate degree, but Fisher’s MBA program has recently expanded to include a concentration in healthcare management. 

Next Steps

Healthcare Management is a truly interdisciplinary field. If you’re looking for a stable career with a comfortable income where you also have room to grow and build a unique path, a career in Healthcare Management can lead to all types of exciting opportunities