When you picture yourself leading a team, what do you see? A bustling wing in a medical center? A tree-lined residential community where patients live on-site? A hometown private practice? There’s a wide array of options in the healthcare industry, and the knowledge and skills you’ll develop while earning your Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) will give you plenty of choices.

If you’re a compassionate healthcare professional looking to grow in your career, advancing your education will help you take that next step.

The Demand for MHA Graduates

An aging population. An increasing focus on preventative health. A boom in building medical facilities. For these reasons and more, there’s never been a better time to enter the healthcare field. In fact, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that 2.4 million new healthcare jobs will be created between 2019 and 2029. With practitioner, administrative, and support staff positions available at all skill levels, it’s also clear there’s an enormous need for people to take the lead. With such a demand, many areas around the country can’t fill these higher-level positions quickly enough.

Employers are hungry for qualified business-minded leaders in healthcare. Today, due in part to industry demand and applicant competition, many leadership and executive-level healthcare positions require a graduate degree such as a Master of Healthcare Administration. An MHA is geared toward developing ethical, professional, and skilled healthcare leaders. Students pursuing an MHA typically already work in the field and are looking to move into roles with greater responsibility.

Advanced training is important today in an ever-evolving industry. As the medical sector becomes more complex, both in policy and technological advances, there’s a greater need for innovators, communicators, and big-picture thinkers. Mixing patient care with a solid business acumen provides an edge to MHA graduates looking for a new position. 
The BLS reports that demand for medical and health services managers, the classification it uses for MHA-level careers, will grow by 32 percent between now and 2029.

Available Jobs for MHA Graduates

With a Master of Healthcare Administration, you’ll be qualified to work in a variety of positions and locations, focusing on everything from clinical care and disease prevention to finance and business development. Here are just a few examples of where MHA graduates lead the way:

• Hospitals
• Rehab centers
• Group practices
• Urgent care centers
• Research facilities
• Government programs
• Insurance providers
• Retirement communities
• Healthcare suppliers
• Educational or advocacy organizations

The highest level of jobs, such as an executive director or CEO, consider other factors such as previous business and leadership experience. With an MHA, you can aim high, continuing to advance as you gain leadership experience and prove results.

Who Would Benefit from an MHA?

No matter what you’re doing career-wise today, and no matter what your current academic credentials, your experiences are likely a good foundation for a master’s in healthcare administration.

Students pursuing their MHA come from a mix of professional backgrounds and credentials. These can include:  

• Pharmacists, physicians, or nurses seeking to further their leadership, analytical, and finance skills 
• Healthcare administrative workers looking to advance in their current careers
• People employed by insurance or medical services companies who are looking to expand their industry knowledge to move up within their related companies 
• Business or technology professionals such as accountants and database administrators who have an interest in applying their skills and knowledge to the challenges and issues within healthcare

Healthcare positions continue to be ranked among the “best jobs of the year” or “hardest positions to fill,” and this demand means leadership roles will grow, too. Taking your education to the next level could very well be a good investment, as the need for master’s degree-level candidates continues to increase.

If you’re looking to continue to make a difference in the lives of patients and colleagues while advancing in your career, consider learning more about ACU’s online Master of Healthcare Administration program.