Any Healthcare Professionals with a Degree in Healthcare Administration

HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD · Feb 15, 2016

In my experience, bachelor degrees in "healthcare administration" are pretty much worthless. Nurses who wish to move into leadership positions must obtain BSN & MSN. Healthcare admin degrees are very enticing to potential students who believe that this will provide entry to a well-paid healthcare management job - in my part of the country, they are heavily advertised by all the commercial (for profit) schools. However, in some cases, healthcare admin degrees ARE beneficial for allied health professionals who do not have advanced degree options in their area of specialty.

Basically, managers of clinical areas need to have advanced education in their clinical specialty area. Managers in operational areas need advanced education in their operational area (finance, accounting, supply chain, biomed, risk management, etc.). Management jobs are unlikely to be filled with anyone who does not already have relevant experience.

elkpark · Feb 15, 2016

I second what HouTx says. In my experience over the years, nurses in administrative and leadership positions have had MSNs in leadership/management or MBAs. The only people I've seen with degrees in "healthcare administration" are people whose clinical specialties don't offer a graduate degree with a specialization in administration/management, in which case it's better than nothing, but there is still an expectation that people will have a graduate level degree in order to move into management/administration.

CPCTColeman · Feb 16, 2016

Thank you guys for your input.

FutureCruzanRN · Feb 18, 2016

I have a BS on Health Admin and Policy , and have never really used it. If I had enrolled into an MBA or MHA like my other classmates it may have proved to be fruitful. I know of some people with the degree working in community health successfully with these two degrees. I think it is more difficult to attain a hospital job in these fields though without a nursing degree or experience.

CPCTColeman · Mar 7, 2016

Just want to bump it up

NV Nurse · Mar 7, 2016

I work with a couple nurses who have their MSN and MHA... There nursing degree opened doors for them . The staff I know with a Bachelors in Hospital Administration, that I know of in my facility, work as unit clerks/secretaries....