Bus. Admin. Degree w/ a concen. in Human Resources or a BS in Healthcare Mgmt?

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Dewailer, Sep 25, 2009.

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  1. Dewailer

    Dewailer New Member

    After years of battling with myself on a career I have finally narrowed it down. I'm 32 and feel so helpless at times as I've not started my career. I'm in the hospitality field right now and I just fell into it by chance and really want out.

    I have one more year to go with my AA in Business Administration and am planning ahead for my bachelor's. I have no experience in either of these 2 fields but they interest me greatly. However, it seems like both fields are very hard to break into. Can anyone offer me any advice based on their personal experience on a career in these fields? How hard is it really to get into, salary, day to day duties? I look forward to any suggstions or comments.
     
  2. 03310151

    03310151 Active Member

    My simple test is to go to indeed.com and search for jobs with each of those as a requirement and then look at how much experience you need in addition to that.

    It never really turns out that well. But, just as a reference I tried it with the requirements for a Bachelors in Healtcare Administration. There are a lot of jobs out there for this field but many of them do require experience in the field.

    Salaries? Thats another ball game. What do you make now (you don't have to say) and how much do you think you will make based on today's numbers in your new career field?

    HR? Good luck. I would gently advise you against this career field.

    Take care,

    Cory
     
  3. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member

    I suggest you stick with a BS in business administration - it would be applicable to either of the career paths you listed plus many more. You could include some elective courses related to HR and healthcare.
     
  4. Dewailer

    Dewailer New Member


    I am leaning towards the Healthcare Admin degree but am still so skeptical because everything seems to require experience. I make about $42,000 per year and am hoping for a bump in salary once I have my degree. I will look at indeed and take a look at the requirements. I was really hoping to get into Federal but I'll look around some more and see what's out there. I appreciate the feedback.
     
  5. Dewailer

    Dewailer New Member

    This was also an option that I was looking into as well from Bellevue and take a concentration. I'll look at it a bit more... thanks for the advice.
     
  6. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member

    What is your current line of work?
     
  7. Dewailer

    Dewailer New Member

    I'm currently in hospitality - within Tourism in the US Virgin Islands. I've been in this field for about 10 years.
     
  8. Dewailer

    Dewailer New Member

    Anyone else???
     
  9. abnrgr275

    abnrgr275 Member

    Dewailer,

    Don't feel bad about being undecided on your life-long career; in today's work environment most people are going to be employed in several jobs over the course of their lifetimes and traditional, pension-based careers are getting harder and harder to find. It sounds like you've narrowed your immediate future employment goals down to the healthcare management and HR fields which is a good start. You might want to check out www.shrm.org, which is the Society for Human Resource Management. Their website has tons of information pertaining to HR careers and education as well as listings of local SHRM chapters which could be of benefit to you. I'm not sure about the healthcare management field but there are bound to be some professional associations which would assist in your networking and career exploration endeavors. Employment with the federal government is an option within the HR and healthcare fields so that might be a good place to start. Check out the job listings at www.usajobs.opm.gov.

    Hopefully you can get some more suggestions from others in regards to which degree program would meet your needs. I would tend to think that a B.S. in Business Administration with an emphasis in either HR or healthcare would help you to prepare for a job in either field depending on your ultimate career goals.

    abnrgr275
     
  10. BryanOats

    BryanOats New Member


    There are many options for online education, for example:

    TUI University (RA) offers the B.S. Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resources Management. They also offer a B.S. in Health Science Health Care Management. They might let you combine the program's to fit your needs. http://www.tuiu.edu/professionals/index.html.



    California Coast University (NA) offers the Bachelor of Science in Health Care Administration.http://www.calcoast.edu/programs_bshca.php
    They have some human resource courses they may let add to the B.S.-H.C.A.




    And the links below may be helpful:
    Bachelor of Science in Health Care
    http://education-portal.com/articles/Bachelor_of_Science_(BS):_Healthcare_Administration_Degree_Overview.html


    http://www.elearners.com/online-degrees/bachelor/health-administration.htm

    http://www.universities.com/Distance_Learning/Degrees_Bachelor_Degrees_Healthcare_Administration.html


    Bachelor of Science - Human Resources Management


    http://www.elearners.com/online-degrees/bachelor/human-resources.htm

    http://www.universities.com/Distance_Learning/Degrees_Bachelor_Degrees_Human_Resources.html

    http://www.allbusinessschools.com/featured/bachelors-human-resources/
     
  11. Dewailer

    Dewailer New Member

    Thanks so much for the suggestions.... my heart really wants to be in Human Resources but the jobs in today's economy seems to be hard to come by. Though Healthcare Admin. may be a safe career path and while I'm interesed in it... I much more prefer HR. But I'll continue to do some more research and look forward to any more comments.
     
  12. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member

    In my opinion (and experience) HR is not a great career path. But why not look for a HR job in heathcare? That way you can more esily switch jobs as time goes by.

    A good way to get into healthcare is to start as a volunteer at a medical center (hospital) or red cross. That way you make lots of good contacts. Here is what my local medical center needs (I highlighted the HR listing):

    As a volunteer, you might visit patients and help with such matters as assisting with menus, running errands or discharging patients. You may also be assigned to serve in any of the following areas on and off the xxxxxx Medical Center campus:

    Alcohol & Other Drugs Awareness Hour
    xxxxxxx Center
    Auxiliary Office
    xxxxxxx Children’s Center
    xxxxxxx Center
    Blood Bank
    Cancer Center
    Chaplaincy Program
    Collectors Corner
    Critical Care
    Diabetes Program
    xxxxxxx Outpatient Care Building (Reception)
    xxxxxxx Cancer Center
    Emergency Department
    Five Star Club
    Foundation Office
    Gift Shops
    Heart Failure Clinic
    Hospital Information Desk
    Human Resources
    Information Systems
    xxxxxxx Urgent Care Centers
    Medical Records
    Nursing Stations
    Parkinson’s Center
    Pharmacy
    Physical Therapy Inpatient/Outpatient
    Pre-Op
    Professional Buildings
    Public Relations
    Radiology Inpatient/Outpatient
    Recovery
    xxxxxxx Wellness Center
    Same Day Surgery
    Surgery Waiting Room
    xxxxxxx Building
    Volunteer Office


    This activity would look good on a resume.
     
  13. Dewailer

    Dewailer New Member

    Thanks so much!!
     
  14. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    Bumpity. :eek:
     

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