Administering Health : The Way Forward - By: Ima Johnson

As global healthcare systems become more complex, and more diverse, the leadership and management of our hospitals, healthcare systems and the professionals who work within them becomes more challenging.

The earliest healthcare administration programmes were developed as far back as the 1930s, where the field was established as a separate entity for study, and healthcare management began to be seen as an autonomous profession within the wider healthcare environment. Although less visible than the more well-known fields within the industry, such as medicine and nursing, health systems management has become better recognised in recent years due to more widely available information about costs, access and quality of healthcare across developed countries. Across the United States, a Masters in Health Administration (MHA) is now the standard credential for health administrators, and any alternative degrees or qualifications are considered with this standard in mind.

Degree programmes can be delivered in a variety of settings, colleges of medicine, including business colleges and public health institutes, and effective programmes are also run for distance learning which allows integration within the workplace for professionals already operating within the field of health administration.

Programmes of study which make up the curriculum for a Masters in Health Administration typically include work in areas such as population health, the economics of healthcare, organisational behaviour and management, healthcare marketing and communications, information systems management and assessment, operational assessment and improvements, statistical and financial analysis, application and management, strategy, and policy. Graduates are expected to demonstrate significant levels of understanding of management issues, at local and more extensive levels, and the qualification equips graduates for senior managerial and planning roles within the health services.

Graduates will prove that they are effective financial managers, confident with the structure, organisation and financing of healthcare systems, and familiar with issues of society, law and ethics, as they relate to health.

As health administration professionals find their careers developing, the benefits of an online degree programme become apparent, as students take advantage of the flexibility and convenience of being able to complete the course from home, or at the office, whilst at the same time continuing to gain experience within the workplace.

Professionals who begin their careers at entry level, and who then find themselves mid-career, can boost their experience with a widely recognised qualification, without having to break into their work patterns, while their employers gain the benefits of continuing professional service from their employees as well as the added advantages that fully qualified staff will bring. MHA students also report that they appreciate being able to apply what they are learning directly to their work.

Qualifications for the online MHA course typically include a first (Bachelors) degree in any field, combined with at least two years’ experience in a relevant health field.

About the Author

The Masters in Health Administration online course at Ohio University healthadmin.ohio.edu is a challenging and rewarding way forward, which helps you to build on your leadership skills and introduce you to new areas within the field of health administration. It offers you continuity in your work, combined with an opportunity to advance to a widely recognised professional qualification, and the promise of greater career choice and development in the fut

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