I have great interest in pursuing healthcare administration career
which is in the field of business studies. My passion for this profession has been motivated by many factors. One of them is that healthcare is one of the key sectors of the economy and qualified people are required to ensure that it functions properly. Another reason is that I have suffered the consequences of poor administration in healthcare centers. This motivated me to pursue the career so that I can save other people who could suffer the same consequences. Better services can only be achieved through good management of hospitals and the healthcare sector in general.
Qualifications for Healthcare Administration
There are various qualifications required for one to possess to fit in the healthcare administration profession. One of them is a bachelor’s degree in medicine or nursing (Robbins et al., 2001). This is because a proper understanding of the profession is essential for efficient management. An individual is also required to have qualifications in administration and management with relevant work experience in a busy health center. This equips the applicant with a clear knowledge of how things should be done in the healthcare sector. It will ensure that all the tasks and activities carried out in the hospital are done as per the set requirements.
Responsibilities of Healthcare Administrators
Healthcare administrators are charged with various responsibilities which are defined by the job description of the profession. First, they should ensure the smooth running of all the activities in the health center. They should also ensure that the set rules and regulation that govern the healthcare sector are adhered to. This career also entails ensuring that people working in the healthcare sector comply with the ethical matters in the profession (Weissman, 2002). They should also ensure that the establishment of a healthcare center is in accordance with the laws of the profession and it adheres to the rules promptly. Healthcare administrators are also charged with the responsibility of ensuring that patient are attended to promptly and offered the necessary services.
Job Market Outlook for Healthcare Administration
The current market demand for healthcare administrators is low. This is because there are very few health centers to manage. This implies that there are limited positions for this career in the market. However, the demand is expected to be high 5-10 years to come. This is because of the rise in healthcare investment. Very many health centers are currently being established. However, only few people are willing to pursue the healthcare administration profession ((Robbins et al., 2001) et al., 2001). This is because of the high qualification required for the career and the bulk amount of work associated with it. This implies that in future there will be many vacancies in healthcare administration, but the professional will be few. This will contribute to increasing in the wages of this professional to attract more people to specialize in the field.
Salary in the Healthcare Administration Field
The average annual salary for the healthcare administration field is $110,500. This implies that if a person starts working at the age of 25 years and retires at 60 years, the average lifetime salary is $3,867,500 based on the annual average wage. However, the wage is not the same for all the employees in this profession. This is because people with distinct levels of qualification are paid differently. An example is that professionals with a master’s degree are paid a higher wage than those with bachelor’s degree. Similarly, those with high school diploma are paid a lower amount than degree graduates (Weissman, 2002).
Importance of College Education in the Job Market
There is a significant relationship between college education and the job market. This is revealed by the difference in lifetime earnings of people with varying levels of qualification. It implies that the level of education obtained in college determines the possibility of an individual securing a position in the job market. It also affects the amount of income one can get. This is because people with lower level qualification have smaller lifetime earnings than those with advanced levels of education (Studer, 2004). This is an indication that employers consider the level of a college education when offering job opportunities and determining the amount they will pay the employees.
Barriers in Becoming a Qualified Healthcare Administrator
There are some societal barriers which can prevent someone from becoming a qualified healthcare administrator. One of them is the unavailability of an appropriate university where one can attain a bachelor’s degree which is the minimum qualifications in the healthcare administration profession. Additionally, lack of enterprises where one can get relevant work experience in the profession can be a barrier in the career path (Studer, 2004). Apart from the societal challenges, there are some personal barriers which can make me fail to achieve my career of interest. One of them is that I am poor in paying attention to details. This greatly affects my profession because healthcare administration requires a lot of keenness because it deals with very sensitive matters.
Conclusion
After getting an insight into this career path through my research, I am still interested in the profession. This is because all the societal and personal challenges which can be barriers are things I can conquer. I believe that my aggressiveness can make me achieve the career of my dream. However, I also have interest in the nursing profession.
References
Robbins, C. J., Bradley, E. H., Spicer, M., & Mecklenburg, G. A. (2001). Developing leadership in healthcare administration: A competency assessment tool/Practitioner application. Journal of Healthcare Management, 46(3), 188.
Weissman, E. M. (2002). Antipsychotic prescribing practices in the Veterans Healthcare Administration--New York metropolitan region. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 28(1), 31.
Studer, Q. (2004). The value of employee retention: throughout my years in healthcare administration, I used to think," life will be good if we can just re-engineer to cut expenses.". Healthcare financial management, 58(1), 52-58.
