Florida is widely known for being one of the top destinations for traveling and vacationing. It’s also one of the states that has a growing retirement population. According to the United States (US) Census Bureau’s 2014 population estimates, the Pew Research Center reported that four counties in the state of Florida ranked for having the highest percent of population growth for ages over 65 in the US. What that inevitably means is that the demand for healthcare is also on the rise.
The Need for Healthcare Workers
The need for healthcare workers comes in conjunction with healthcare needs. This may sound simple, but the process can often be far more complex. Good workers are sometimes hard to find. When it comes to healthcare workers, it can be even more difficult to employ quality workers.
Looking for a Healthcare Job
From doctors, nurses, to administrative help, finding a healthcare job in the South Florida area may be a little easier than anywhere else in the country. Although no job is guaranteed, it is well worth noting the statistics that prove the state of Florida has the most counties ranking for the highest retirement population.
Even if you are considering an administrative job within the healthcare sector, and not directly treating patients, there’s still a decent level of professional communication that needs to be conducted. Any respected healthcare facility will want to make sure that its staff reflects this. Healthcare facilities, small and large have a responsibility to employ the most competent workers who have a good understanding of their skillset, and have the ability to work well in a medical work environment, while demonstrating quality care with patients as needed.
Consider a Degree in Health Services Administration
If you’re interested in pursing a career in the healthcare industry, and are more intrigued with the administration part, then what you might be interested in is enrolling into a Bachelor of Science Health in Services Administration program. This degree focuses on the organizational part of the healthcare sector. So, if you have the desire to work in this industry, but know that you have strong administrative skills, then pursing a bachelor’s in this program will give you the opportunity to enhance the talents you already have. The next step is just finding the right college or university that offers such a program that’s the right fit for you.
A Suggestion: Florida National University
Florida National University (FNU), an accredited college offers a stellar Bachelor of Science in Health Services Administration degree. FNU’s bachelor’s program offers a curriculum that is designed to train students with the skills needed for different kinds of administrative positions in the health care industry. This academic program is also comprised to prepare students for graduate level courses if they so choose to go that route. An FNU student can earn his or her degree by completing 121 credit hours of coursework.
FNU’s Health Services Administration program will prepare students to enter the professional healthcare workforce by teaching them the principles of business management and accounting, and get them familiar with medical terminology, medical insurance coding and billing, along with medical office management and procedures. Once students get a good understanding of this, they will be ready to learn some of the upper level courses. Some of these courses include:
- Financial Issues in Health Care
- Ethics in Health Care
- Community Health and Epidemiology
- Health Care Marketing
- Health Care Law
- Human Resources Management
- Long Term Care Administration
- Introduction to Medical Informatics
Between the lower and upper level courses, students will need to complete a total of 67 credit hours to fulfill their core requirements.
In addition to the core courses, 39 credit hours of general education requirements will be needed to complete this bachelor’s program. The courses include the basic subjects of:
- Communications – 9 credit hours
- Humanities – 6 credit hours
- Behavioral / Social Science – 6 credit hours
- Natural Science – 7 credit hours (This also includes 1 hour of lab time.)
- Mathematics – 7 credit hours
- Computers – 4 credit hours
Electives
As with any bachelor’s program, there is the requirement of completing a certain number of elective credit hours. FNU provides a list of suggested courses for students to take that will complement core classes in their academic portfolio. With FNU, a total of 15 credit hours will be required, but students have 18 credit hours to choose from. Here is the list of suggested electives for the bachelor’s in Health Services Administration:
- Entrepreneurship
- Supervisory Skills
- Negotiation and Conflict Resolution
- Legal Aspect and Legislation in Healthcare
- Health Information Systems
- Ethics of Caring for the Elderly
Each of these elective courses is worth 3 credit hours. To view the official course requirements for this degree, visit the official FNU webpage here.
Taking Courses Online
One of the major benefits to enrolling in FNU’s Health Services Administration’s bachelor’s program is that you’ll have the option to take these classes online. What that means for residents living in the South Florida area is that you won’t have to deal with any commuting delays. Also, if you’re working and wish to earn your degree, you’ll have the flexibility to do that by taking classes online.
Types of Health Service Jobs You Can Apply For
There are plenty of jobs within the healthcare industry that you can apply for. The larger the facility, the more likely they are to hire. If you prefer to work in a more specific area within the healthcare sector, then you may have to look a little deeper into the job pool. Here is a list of potential jobs that you can get with a HSA degree:
- Healthcare Management
- Hospital Administrator
- Nursing Home Administrator
- Dental Office Manager
- Health Informatics
- Outpatient Care Facility Coordinator
- Public Policy and Admin
For a complete list of FNU academic programs, visit our official online catalog here. Contact FNU to schedule an appointment with one of our advisors today!
