What is a Master of Health Administration?

A Master of Health Administration is a postgraduate degree in the field of Health Administration. Someone with this degree is capable of managing a hospital, retirement home or health care center. He or she makes sure that the center is financially stable, runs efficiently and assesses the performance of the agency.

A student who already has a bachelor's degree in a health-related field can go on to earn the Master of Health Administration. Many schools all over the world offer this academic degree. Some countries require recipients of the Master of Health Administration to take a test proving their knowledge before they can work in a healthcare setting.

Someone who wants to be a healthcare administrator must have excellent people skills. He or she must be able to communicate with patients, other healthcare professionals and insurance agents. This person also needs to have superior computer skills and organizational skills to keep the facility operational. He or she needs to have the ability to assess a problem and come up with a solution quickly.

Related degrees include the Master of Public Health, the Master of Healthcare Administration and Master of Health Services Administration. These degrees all teach students how to run a healthcare facility. It takes at least a year to complete the master's degree after completion of the bachelor's degree.

Electronic patient records require frequent updating to ensure that their information is completely up to date. The healthcare administrator is in charge of the patient records, but he or she will delegate work to medical records technicians. The administrator must oversee the file system so that the healthcare facility runs smoothly.

Someone with a Master of Health Administration must also supervise financial matters in the healthcare facility. He or she might plan or maintain budgets, manage patient files and speak with health insurance companies. The administrator must know how to use a computer and create spreadsheets. Therefore, schools that award a Master of Health Administration focus on math, computer skills and accounting.

The average day of someone who has a Master of Health Administration varies depending on the facility. An administrator works very long hours, especially in larger hospitals, which are open all day and night. He or she also might work on-call, which might mean being called in to work at any time. The administrator must attend meetings and seminars frequently to stay updated on developments in the field of healthcare. He or she also might need to travel long distances for these seminars.