According to the U.S. Department of Labor, those with a graduate degree in hand earn significantly more than those who enter the workforce with a Bachelor’s degree or a high school diploma. Considering this, the article ‘Careers with Graduate Degrees in Healthcare and Business’ briefs about some popular graduate programs in healthcare, business & nursing.
Careers with graduate degrees in healthcare and business
1. Careers with Graduate Degrees in Healthcare and Business
Numbers don’t lie: The weekly average earnings of professionals with a master’s degree was $1,272
in 2010, a cool $234 more than those with just a bachelor’s degree, and a whopping $646 more than
high school graduates earned.1
Food for thought? Call for action? Call it anything—it seems evident that education can pay off. So
before you pay heed to the cynics who ridicule the value of advanced degrees, consider these
graduate degree programs, which have the potential to turnaround your professional life.
Master of Science in Healthcare Administration
Healthcare administration refers to the management of healthcare facilities like hospitals, clinics,
residential care centers, nursing homes, etc. Like any other business, healthcare requires qualified
and trained professionals to manage facilities and ensure their smooth operation, and that’s precisely
what a Master’s of Science in Healthcare Administration program trains graduates to do.
Roles for graduates of a Master’s of Science in Healthcare Administration program include generalist
health services managers, who could be responsible for managing an entire healthcare facility.
Another branch of healthcare administration that graduates of this program can explore is health
information management. Health information managers are responsible for maintaining patient
records and ensuring their security. Theirs is among the most important duties within a healthcare
environment.
Master of Business Administration
There was a time when an MBA was preserved for the crème de la crème. Only a few elite institutions
offered MBA programs, and even fewer hopefuls were allowed entry into them—only after meeting
stringent eligibility criteria.
Over the years, the MBA degree has become democratized. There is a skilled and talented manager
hidden inside a lot of people, and all they need is a chance to develop those skills. The growth in the
number of flexible and online MBA programs has made it possible for such people to realize their
dream of someday leading a team.
An MBA program can help qualify graduates for executive positions in a variety of business fields,
depending on their specialization and interest. From banking to hospitality and retail to education—
business graduates have an important role to play in almost all industries.
Master of Science in Nursing Administration
The growth path for a registered nurse is pretty standard. It’s simply a transition from being a bedside
patient care provider to a nurse manager—or so one would think. The path may be straightforward,
but the transition may be rocky.
Since the duties of a nurse manager include supervision of the clinical and administrative operations
of a healthcare unit, they need superior clinical skills and a strong theoretical foundation that only a
Master’s of Science degree in Nursing Administration or a related nursing program can provide.
2. Their knowledge of business and management principles, laws related to healthcare, and familiarity
with advanced nursing concepts can help make graduates of this program ideal candidates for
leadership roles within a clinical facility.
Master of Science in Nursing Education
Registered nurses interested in branching off from direct patient care to research and academics
often choose a Master’s of Science in Nursing Education program.
As nurse educators, they have the huge responsibility of guiding and mentoring the new entrants into
the field. Not only do they have to train them in the clinical aspects of nursing, but also instil in them
the mental toughness and physical perseverance needed to perform this noblest of roles.
Nurse researchers, on the other hand, have the important task of making sure that continuous
improvements take place in their profession through their efforts.
Source:
1. bls.gov/emp/ep_chart_001.htm
