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Postgraduate (MSc, MA, MBA and PhD) Programs in Healthcare Management
Find postgraduate programs in HEALTHCARE MANAGEMENT
Healthcare varies around the world in many ways. For one, countries spend dramatically different amounts – even adjusted for the size of their gross domestic products. The United States, for instance, spends more that 15% of its GDP on healthcare, whereas European Union countries average little more than half that (8%). In spite of that funding differential, however, the US does not get generally better overall health outcomes than do the European Union (or other industrialised) countries.
Countries also vary in how they fund healthcare expenditures. Some, such as Canada and the United Kingdom, have national health services. The government hires doctors and nurses and runs hospitals. Other countries, such as Denmark and Sweden, have single payer systems. Healthcare is provided privately, but payment is publicly funded. The government distributes tax money for healthcare but does not actually deliver healthcare services. Yet other countries, such as France and Germany, have multi-payer health insurance systems. Universal health insurance is provided through regulated health funds; hospitals and medical practices are privately provided. The United States – predictably, given its outlandish spending on healthcare – is sui generis .
Find postgraduate programs in PUBLIC ADMINISTRATIONTrends In Healthcare Management
Numerous substantial trends continue to drive this field, including:
• New medical technologies.
• Ageing populations and longer life expectancy.
• Limits to government spending.
• Immigrants’ uncertain access to healthcare.
• Increased number of obese people – along with the diseases of obesity (diabetes, high blood pressure, etc).
• Increasingly complex pattern of payers
• Increased patient knowledge (due in part to proliferation of information on the web).
• Increased patient demands for rapid, highest-quality care.
Choosing a masters program
Most healthcare masters programs are one year in length but otherwise differ in many ways. Some are orientated toward administration; others toward policy. Their institutional settings also vary: healthcare masters programs can be offered in business schools, public administration schools, or schools of health (or human ecology). Some courses are meant for those entirely new to the field; others for those already trained in one medical field or another. Few programs are designed to be all things to all people (and of those that are, even fewer succeed). Thus, it is critical you know what focus will best suit your needs.
Also keep in mind that healthcare is provided and paid for in dramatically different ways in different countries. Therefore, an excellent program regarding healthcare finance could be nearly useless for you if it focuses on a payment regime largely unrelated to the one you will face in practice. For this reason, most healthcare degree programs are local in focus.
The prerequisites vary according to the type of institution offering the program and its intended audience. For instance, some postgraduate programs are aimed at those who already have some type of medical or nursing degree. Many programs that allow or require specialisation also demand relevant coursework for your chosen speciality. Thus, if you intend to focus on information systems management in health service organisations, you may well need to meet typical IT requirements for programming ability and the like.
Many programs also look for:
• Coursework in accounting and statistics
• Demonstrated interest in the profession
• Some clinical background.
MBA in Healthcare Management
An MBA in Healthcare Management is the ideal choice for those who want to pursue a management career in hospitals and healthcare companies, as it will give the student management qualifications specifically tailored to enhance their professional healthcare skills. Modules of study are likely to include: Management in Healthcare Systems; Business; Economics; Managing Financial Resources; Strategic Management; Project Management; and HR Management.
Frankfurt School of Finance and Management in Germany offers an MBA in International Healthcare Management (IHM) which is suitable for those currently involved in all aspects of healthcare – be they suppliers, providers, working in health insurances or involved in the regulatory bodies. This postgraduate program is designed to equip the students with entrepreneurial skills, expertise and integrity, to enable them to succeed in a globalised healthcare sector. The IHM MBA is studied both on- and off campus and designed to be done in tandem whilst the student is still working as it is a 20-month part-time course.
PhD in Healthcare Management
Studying a PhD in Healthcare Management will give those interested in the field of healthcare management the chance to explore it at an even deeper level and partake in research in an original aspect of healthcare.
The University of the West of England (UWE) has a Professional Doctorate which leads to the award of Doctor of Health and Social Care that is designed for experienced professionals determined to use their studies to make a positive difference to practice and service delivery. This postgraduate program can be studied part time over four years and is available in the UK to Home/EU students and is also delivered in Hong Kong.
Keele University offers a PhD in Health Policy and Governance and a PhD in Healthcare Professional Focussed Research both of which are available to study full time over three years or part time over six years. The PhD in Health Policy and Governance includes comparative and international health studies, studies of the health policy making and implementation process and public health policy. While the PhD in Healthcare Professional Focussed Research aims to contribute towards preventing musculoskeletal conditions from taking hold and encompasses a range of perspectives, focussing on healthcare professionals, including clinical and health psychology as well as general practice and nursing. On this postgraduate program students will work as part of active research teams collect data and successfully fulfil their data management requirements for their research project.
Career Opportunitites
Healthcare is an extremely large, complex field. As such, it attracts entrants with a healthcare focus and others with a functional focus outside of healthcare. Healthcare managers come from a stunningly wide range of educational and professional backgrounds. For instance, some will be products of healthcare programs at business schools, others of healthcare programmes at public administration schools, and so on. Similarly, managers will come to healthcare from their backgrounds in financial management, management of information systems, etc.
The trends cited above make it clear that healthcare will take a growing share of most nations’ (growing) economies. This will drive a continuing increase in demand for skilled professionals into the foreseeable future and beyond.
Typical job titles
• Healthcare manager
• Financial manager
• Clinical manager
• Marketing analyst
• Hospital administrator
• Assisted living supervisor
• Quality analyst
• Healthcare policy analyst
• Health education manager
Professional associations (UK and US)
• Institute of Healthcare Management (UK)
• American College of Healthcare Executives
Introductory readings
Healthcare management differs greatly from one country to another. The economic, managerial, and political environments vary so greatly that someone starting out in the field would do well to focus initially on readings keyed to his or her chosen country. One exception is provided by Angela Coulter and Chris Ham, editors, The Global Challenge of Healthcare Rationing (Open University Press), which takes an interesting look at aspects of healthcare around the world.
UK
Alison Morton-Cooper and Margaret Bamford, Excellence in Healthcare Management (Blackwell), covers key issues in human resource, finance, information, training, and quality management, as well as the political aspects of healthcare. A suitable alternative is provided by Carolyn Semple Piggot, Business Planning for Healthcare Management (Open University Press).
US
The Health Administration Press, which publishes widely in this field, has excerpted chapters from various of its publications to provide a helpful introduction to financial, marketing, human resource, and strategic management in Back to Basics: Foundations of Healthcare Management .
Those looking for a cross-cultural look at the field should consult Angela Coulter and Chris Ham, editors, The Global Challenge of Healthcare Rationing (Open University Press).
