One critical segment of the healthcare industry is healthcare administration. Healthcare administrators are the backbone of the healthcare industry. They’re responsible for a wide variety of important functions in health organizations, from patient intake at local clinics to executive-level decision making that can impact regional and national health organizations.

What jobs can you get with a degree in healthcare administration?

Some potential career paths for a healthcare administrator include an administrator or human resources specialist at a hospital, clinic, assisted living facility or other health organization. You could also focus on areas within healthcare that have cross-industry applications, such as a medical records, information management specialist, finance or coding specialist at a health organization. As you progress along your career path and take on more leadership responsibility, you could grow into manager or director roles within your specialty. This experience can then be leveraged to assume manager or director roles for an entire healthcare facility or health organization, or even for executive director positions for a healthcare system.

What do you do as a healthcare administrator?

At the basic entry level position, a healthcare administrator’s day to day function will depend on the requirements of the position and organization, but most healthcare administrators will need to be proficient in interpersonal communication and data entry in software suites required for scheduling, coordination, forms or billing.

For example, a clinic coordinator might be responsible for scheduling patient visits and ensuring patient data is up to date in the system. Healthcare administrators in this position would need to interface with patients and ensure their information is entered correctly in the system. This is an important job, since incorrect information could result in issues with insurance and billing, which would not only impact the healthcare organization, but would also create headaches for the patient, as anyone who has ever had a claim denied due to a clerical error can attest.

What education do you need to work in healthcare administration?

A successful career in healthcare administration starts with education. An associate degree, either an AS or AAS, is a good gateway to a career as a healthcare administrator. An AS or AAS can help you obtain a variety of entry level positions in healthcare administration and the healthcare industry.

When you are ready to take on more responsibility and transition to a leadership (and higher paying) role, a bachelor’s degree is beneficial to career progression. Programs like ACE’s fully online bachelor’s-completion program in healthcare administration will give you the foundational skills and knowledge to pursue leadership roles in health administration within a variety of healthcare settings. ACE’s program engages in application-based coursework, where you’ll learn how to analyze complex health data to promote evidence-based decision-making. The curriculum emphasizes the role of globalization, diversity, community health, interdisciplinary collaboration and resource allocation in creating an effective balance in managing healthcare costs, quality and access.

Of course, education can be a challenge for working professionals with a full-time job and other personal obligations. Fully online programs like ACE’s bachelor’s degree are great options for those who need to learn on their own schedule. At ACE, classes are asynchronous and qualified professors are only an email away if you have questions or need assistance. ACE also has a plethora of additional student supports and resources, such as individualized student success coaches and free access to Tutor.com.

A bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration is a solid foundation on which to build a fulfilling career in healthcare administration, one that can lead to manager, director and other leadership positions that truly drive the landscape of healthcare forward. If you have a drive to guide the planning, policy and operations of health organizations, creating a system that ensures efficient operations, data-driven decision making and, ultimately, positive patient outcomes, this is the career path for you.

·¬ÇŃĘÓƵ is ready to help you build a rewarding career in healthcare administration. With our fully online bachelor’s-completion and master’s degree in healthcare administration, we’ll equip you with the knowledge you need for the jobs you want.

The push for sustainable development gained substantial attention in 2015 when the published “Transforming Our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” which listed seventeen goals for nations around the world to accomplish by 2030. The UN Nation Members unanimously agreed to the 15-year goal and signed up for the challenge. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, President of Uganda, was “the dawn of a new era towards eradicating poverty, transforming economies and protecting the planet.”

An Emphasis on Corporate Social Responsibility

The UN’s call for sustainable development created a need for sustainability-minded leaders. Leadership decisions are an essential factor in sustainable development. The UN’s challenge, along with demands from stakeholders, led to numerous business leaders deciding to implement corporate social responsibility (CSR) into their decision-making and companies’ daily practices.

Governments oversee businesses through various regulations, such as environmental policies addressing air pollution, water use and waste management, to name a few. However, beyond meeting minimum regulation standards, there are no laws requiring businesses to adopt sustainability practices. Therefore, when we observe businesses promoting their sustainability efforts, those businesses are following self-imposed sustainability goals.

Typically, businesses share their CSR efforts and outcomes with stakeholders through annual reports. Other ways businesses promote their CSR accomplishments are through various mediums, such as emails, newsletters, websites and company blogs. But knowing CSR is a self-reporting business model meant to help, , “a company be socially accountable to itself, its stakeholders, and the public” you might wonder, how do we know a business is meeting standard sustainability objectives?

is a nonprofit organization encouraging and supporting businesses in CSR practices. It’s best known for certifying businesses as B Corporations, known by their nickname as B Corps. B Corps are broad and diverse, found across numerous industries. (Famous brands include Patagonia, TOMS, Athleta, Ben & Jerry’s and Warby Parker. In 2016, ·¬ÇŃĘÓƵ also became a Certified B Corp.) Businesses that become certified through B Lab have aligned their organizational goals with the UNs’ global agenda for sustainable development, pledging themselves to be measured against standards that are more objective than just self-reported metrics.

Preparing for Jobs in Sustainability

The rising focus on sustainability has created a need for business professionals with knowledge in this area, along with roles that focus on improving a company’s sustainability efforts. Those who wish to pursue jobs and careers in this area will need sustainability education.

The purpose of sustainability education is to increase students’ sustainability literacy. According to higher education professionals , sustainability literacy is “having the understanding, skills, attitudes and attributes to take informed action for the benefit of oneself and others, now and into a long-term future.”

The colleges and universities who have a pulse on industry trends are incorporating sustainability education into their curriculum, from revising courses to include topics of sustainability to new courses and programs with sustainability concentrations.

At ACE, for example, students can specialize their business degree in sustainability through a dedicated focus of study. This coursework prepares students to lead their communities and organizations in addressing sustainability issues and is available to students in any business program, whether it’s the MBA, M.S. in Organizational Leadership or M.Ed. in Educational Business Administration. Students learn:

• How various business structures incorporate sustainability, examining traditional corporations, benefit corporations, certified B Corps, nonprofit organizations and public institutions.
• The importance of collaboration and partnership and explore how organizations and stakeholders work together to create collective impact in their communities.
• About global challenges across the triple bottom line, a popular sustainability framework that helps businesses identify best practices and needed improvements beyond just a financial bottom line to include environmental and social implications.

Not only is this knowledge pivotal for launching a career within sustainability, but students are able to practice skills directly applicable to their professional life by demonstrate their learning through a variety of practical methods, such as traditional scholarly writing, recording podcasts and developing storytelling presentations.

There are less than six years to go before the world reaches the end of the UN’s 15-year challenge. With sustainability issues arising every day, the need for sustainability-minded leaders is greater than ever. Pursuing sustainability education is a great way to enter a growing business sector and make a difference with your business career.

Accelerate a career in sustainability with one of ·¬ÇŃĘÓƵ’s fully online business programs, where you can specialize your degree in sustainability while also learning the general skills you need to be a successful business professional.

As such, what are the steps to secure a career as faculty in higher education? A growing field with more competitive candidates requires a strategic approach to successfully navigate a career in academia.

Academia operates on two pillars, namely teaching and research. These primary duties grow over time into more administrative roles with tenure for faculty seeking higher education leadership roles, such as heads of departments and deans.

Teaching

The first step toward a career in academia is completing a degree in the field you would like to teach and research in. The degree level needed to begin teaching at the tertiary level varies, but most U.S. universities require a terminal degree, most often a Ph.D., in the intended career field. Some begin teaching with a master’s degree at the instructor level rank. However, advancement to the rank of professor – assistant professor, associate professor and full professor – requires a doctoral degree. The field of study for undergraduate studies is typically less relevant, as people frequently dive into sometimes completely different graduate degree tracks. It’s important that the terminal degree be within the area you want to teach in, as the expectation is that you are at the near-expert level in your field to lead in teaching and research.

Research

The other arm of academia resides with research. If you enjoy researching – genuinely are concerned with the expansion of knowledge for the benefit of scientists and the community at large – academia is likely a great fit for you. People often start off with very broad research interests, which they refine as they progress in their academic journeys. Typically, the dissertation is the most significant contribution to current literature that represents one’s research interests. Researchers also frequently identify within a specific research paradigm: quantitative researcher, qualitative researcher or mixed-methods researcher. This identity is important for securing career opportunities that are a good match for the nature of the field and institutional orientations.

Other Requirements

Recent graduates from doctoral programs often go on to secure postdoctoral research positions as a preparatory track to full-time faculty positions. During these tenures, postdocs focus on researching and publishing to enhance their skillsets and expertise for entry-level faculty positions, usually at the assistant professor level. Other typical requirements for academic faculty positions include and diversity statements.

If your goal is to become an academic, these are some important steps and considerations to account for in strategizing your career plans. With the correct and articulate plan, you can make your dreams of a career in academia a reality.

Prepare for your journey as faculty with a doctoral-level programs at ·¬ÇŃĘÓƵ.