Supplementing your studies with relevant job experience is always a smart move, but what is the best type of work experience for a Master of Health Administration (MHA ) student? Consistent employment over the course of your master’s degree will improve your resume, even if you aren’t working in a healthcare at a medical facility or administration role. By considering your long-term career goals, whether it be a hospital chief executive officer or medical records manager, you can find the best job for your future as a public health professional.
Do MHA Students Need Experience Working in Healthcare
If you are pursuing your MHA, you might be planning to work in a hospital, senior living facility, one of the many assisted living facilities or other medical facility. You may want to get into being a health insurance administrator, corporate healthcare manager, or even become one of the many healthcare consultants. Does that mean you absolutely need work experience at one of those medical facilities or locations? No, but you can make yourself a stronger candidate with the right healthcare job. Because your education is preparing your for a career in management, don’t get stuck working an unrelated job just because it’s in healthcare. Being a janitor, a security guard, cafeteria worker or working in patient care at a hospital won’t make you a strong candidate for a high-level job in healthcare administration. You’d be better suited working in an office administration position outside of a healthcare facility. Ultimately, it is important to stay flexible and build job skills you can use in multiple positions to reach your goal as one of the health services managers in one of the healthcare organizations that suits you. Developing strong written communication skills will help you in any of the healthcare settings out there. The budding hospital administrators and future healthcare consultant need skills such as reviewing existing systems and management skills to become successful. Many MHA candidates have a bachelor’s degree in a health care related field. For example a registered nurse with experience creating patient care plans and ensuring adhering to compliance regulations, may work in health administrations role as a nursing director or other management position. Nursing directors can even evolve into a role as a healthcare consultant.
Office Employment
As an MHA graduate, you’ll be balancing budgets to ensure the organizations spend funds efficiently, supervising employees and possibly medical staff members, and ensuring compliance in departments, such as the nursing department, with government regulations within the healthcare industry. Although you’ll perform these tasks in a healthcare setting, any administrative experience you can gain in school will make your resume shine. Remember, your task as a healthcare administrator is to manage the business needs of your facility so that healthcare providers can focus on patient care and improve patient outcomes. When looking for work experience for an MHA career, you aren’t limited to the handful of available jobs in healthcare administration. You can hone your management skills in a variety of fields that can help prepare you to become a hospital administrator. Plus, your school will help you find a public health internship to get specialized experience in hospital administration in one of the available healthcare department settings.
Part-Time or Full-Time
Going to graduate school doesn’t meant your life stops. You’ll still need to pay bills, take care of your family, and have fun, hopefully without accumulating too much student loan debt. Working while pursuing your MPH degree can help out your finances, but will working full-time harm your studies? The answer depends on where you work and what obligations you have. If you plan to work full-time while in an MHA program, consider taking classes part-time or online. Most public health schools offer a part-time curriculum for students, so you can keep on track for graduation without taking a financial hit. If your full-time job is relevant to your long-term career goals, such as working in a medical practice or for an urgent care administrator, it’s a good idea to keep building your professional skills while pursuing your MPH. However, if you’re stuck at a job you hate in a field with no relation to public health, you might be better off finding part-time work and concentrating full-time on your degree.
What is the job outlook and salary for healthcare administrators?
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS.gov), the job outlook for medical and health services managers is robust, with an expected growth of 28% between 2021-2031, which is much faster than average of all occupations. As the baby boomers age, health needs for this population will require senior employees to fill many rolls for health administrators in health care. The labor statistics state the median salary is $101,340 per year as of May 2021, meaning half make more and half make less than this amount. Gaining skills needed for your desired job description will definitely improve the odds during the hiring process.
What are some professional organizations for healthcare
administrators?
Joining a professional organizations have advantages even while a student. There is often a student membership offered at a reasonable student rate. These organizations offer valuable insight into the profession as well as education and networking opportunities.
The American Association of Healthcare Administrative Management (AAHAM)
American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA)
American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE)
The Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA)
The National Association of Healthcare Access Management (NAHAM)
There is no one job that’s perfect for every public health student. You have to weigh your unique interests, financial needs and family obligations to choose the job that’s right for you. Whether your sites are set on being a rehabilitation facility administrator or a healthcare consultant for a pharmaceutical company, there are many roads to being a senior employee. Luckily, work experience for an MHA career can come from so many different places that you’re almost guaranteed to find a position that’s perfect for you!
MPH staff, 2023