What Courses Do You Take in a Healthcare Administration Program?

Healthcare administrators need to understand the terminology used in hospitals, doctors’ offices, and other healthcare facilities. In medical terminology classes, you learn common medical terms.

The course covers anatomical terms, different medical specialties, and terms used in diagnostic care. You also learn about laboratory terminology and clinical procedures. Healthcare administration majors typically take this course early in college because it lays the foundation for understanding the healthcare field.

This course explores the healthcare system and teaches you about the development of healthcare policy. You learn about different policymakers and the connection between healthcare policy and economics. By understanding healthcare organizations and major policy issues, you’ll build your management skills from a strong foundation.

The course also covers healthcare management topics, including strategic planning, leadership styles, and organizational change. You’ll expand your management toolkit with a focus on the healthcare industry.

Healthcare quality management focuses on patient outcomes and the quality of healthcare services. You learn about how to measure healthcare outcomes while also exploring issues like wait times, productivity, and safety.

The coursework and assignments incorporate career-focused skills. For example, by making process improvement plans, you’ll gain practical skills in cost reduction and quality improvement. You’ll also explore the importance of continuous quality improvement to understand the performance measures necessary for management roles.

In this course, you learn how to apply accounting and financial management concepts in a healthcare environment. You also study the reimbursement process and the financial management of organizations and departments.

During the class, you’ll gain an understanding of the broader financial environment for healthcare organizations. The curriculum also teaches managerial accounting principles, so you’ll learn how to create budgets and make long-term financial decisions. The course prepares healthcare administration majors for roles as financial decision-makers in healthcare organizations.

How do organizations handle change? What role do leaders play within organizations? This course focuses on organizational behavior and how it applies to healthcare workplaces.

You’ll examine group dynamics, organizational structure, and resource management. The course also emphasizes a manager’s role within an organization, including in creating a company culture. You’ll gain practical skills through case studies and exercises. By understanding how organizations adapt and grow, you’ll strengthen your management skills.

Managers play an important role in directing organizational change. This course examines strategic management concepts and applies them in a healthcare setting.

By studying strategic planning, you’ll learn how to analyze an organization’s effectiveness, create quality improvement plans, and apply changes. You’ll also learn how to measure the effectiveness of improvement plans. Related topics include healthcare administration ethics and regulations, which play an important role in healthcare strategic planning.