A Bachelor’s in Health Management is a degree designed for future health care supervisors. These programs promise to enhance analytical, conceptual and problem-solving skills while establishing core business competencies. Students study everything from health care finance to policy formation to current regulatory issues. This degree program will prepare graduates for numerous career opportunities in the dynamic and rewarding field of health care management.
Health Management Skills
The academic foundation of a health management degree programs ares classes on health care management. These classes teach students about the proper management of health service systems and organizations through business functions, leadership concepts and managerial principles. Students learn how to successfully supervise employees and perform administrative duties within the contexts of various health care environments.
These basic classes train students how to solve problems, make decisions and maintain operations. They learn about everything from strategic planning to quality management to employee productivity. Students are often challenged to problem solve a real-world operations planning and management execution scenario. Students are also introduced to the basic health care laws and regulations that impact health care processes and organizations every day. Students master how to assess workplace liability, the risks of medical malpractice and ongoing legal and ethical dilemmas faced by medical providers.
Basic Business Knowledge
Health management degree programs teach students basic business skills and knowledge. One of the most important areas of expertise is human resources management. These classes examine how to apply principles, review practices and deal with current HR issues facing health care organizations. For example, these include high employee turnover rates and complex 24-hour revolving schedules. They also include the common challenges of attracting, screening, selecting, motivating and retaining employees in today’s competitive job environment.
Students also take classes in organizational planning, so they will know how to create staffing strategies, manage labor relations and maintain safety and security. Programs require students to take technology classes, such as in health information systems (HIS), so they can learn about maintaining privacy and efficient workflows. Classes on statistics offers students opportunities to collect, analyze, interpret and summarize real world social and behavioral data.
Advanced Electives
Students of health management degree programs will be able to select from engaging and useful topics. For instance, health informatics will focus on information systems in health care environments. Students will gain a basic background in clinical applications, administrative reports, information architectures, electronic health records and security and confidentiality, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. These programs encourage students to integrate key health information systems, patient access platforms and medical devices.
Students can also study the principles of public health in order to understand how to develop activities that benefit the health of communities. They will explore the roles of biostatistics, policy development, epidemiological studies and health care planning. They may also study community health program administration and health care policies. Understanding the politics and economics of the health care system will prepare students to deal with contemporary policy issues such as health insurance laws, Medicare and Medicaid, medical expenditures and malpractice problems.
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A Bachelor’s in Health Management will help graduates find work as managers of clinics, hospitals and health systems. A master’s in health management will prepare them to become clinical executives, care management directors and quality management specialists.