The global healthcare ecosystem has taken a lot of hits over the last five years. Problems that were festering for decades—such as the looming crisis of shortages and the prohibitively high cost of even routine care—have all come to a head in the post-pandemic environment.
Strong leadership is not a cure-all for the problems that the healthcare industry is facing. That said, there are some positions that move the needle more than others. Doctors and nurses are now and will always be of critical importance. We need them, and in greater numbers than currently exist.
With these statements being true, a natural impulse for someone who wants to make a difference in healthcare might be to consider a nursing or other patient-side position. Certainly, this can be a productive way to contribute to your local healthcare system.
On the other hand, leadership roles are a higher-leverage position. While a nurse might spend twelve hours of their time working with a dozen patients, an administrator or other type of healthcare leader can, during that same period, make choices that impact hundreds or even thousands of people.
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In this article, we take a look at why and how leadership roles can play a transformative role in shaping the modern healthcare landscape.
Problems Healthcare Leaders Can Solve
Most people have an idea of what sort of problems a doctor or a nurse can solve. Aren’t “healthcare leaders,” mostly just the people who cash your checks when treatment is all over?
There’s more to it than that.
Depending on the position, healthcare leaders will develop systems. Refine processes. Optimize the hospital for better efficiency. Higher rates of patient success. Working from this side of the hospital bed, they can tackle issues such as:
- Shortages.
- Human error.
- Data integration.
- Patient privacy, and
- Way too many other things to list.
Basically, administrators handle all of the things that doctors and nurses can’t. Don’t forget that hospitals are big, multimillion-dollar businesses. And while many people are a little uncomfortable with that component of patient care, it remains essential.
What is an MHA?
So you might be wondering: What is an MHA degree?
MHA degrees are graduate-level programs, which means they usually require two to three years of coursework.
You’ll also generally need a relevant undergraduate degree. Most people who enroll in MHA programs have a background in nursing or administration. However, it’s important to check individual course requirements, as every program may differ slightly.
If your educational background does not perfectly fit what the school is looking for, you may still be able to enter after completing a few prerequisites.
Often, this can be done in about three months, or the equivalent of one academic semester.
Nursing Leadership
There are also leadership options that are more directly connected to patient care. Nurses who want to take on a more strategic role within their hospital ecosystem often pursue graduate school.
Advanced practice positions expand their responsibilities and, in some cases, include management-related tasks, such as providing leadership on a floor.
Beyond the MSN, it is possible to earn a doctorate in nursing. Doctoral programs vary in what they allow a nurse to accomplish.
That said, nurses with a doctorate degree can go on to major leadership roles, including the C-suite of their hospital with a Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) placement. CNOs make decisions that affect every nurse in the hospital.
They develop high-level strategies and are often compensated with salaries of $200,000 or more. The work is extremely competitive, as each hospital typically has only one CNO.
However, if you are willing to commit to earning a doctorate in nursing, you can expect a bright and productive career.
A Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) or PhD in nursing typically takes three to six years to complete, depending on prior education and whether you study full-time.
In addition to executive roles, doctorate-prepared nurses can work in research, university faculty positions, or advanced clinical leadership roles.
Problems Leaders Can Solve
We’ve discussed, in technical terms, why leadership is a high-leverage position, but in what ways are these benefits really being experienced? Let’s take the example of a hospital that is struggling with staffing. This, of course, is a pretty typical issue. Virtually every hospital in the United States is shy at least a few nurses and some agents are understaffed. It’s leaders who can take data on why people are leaving and, equally importantly, why some people don’t leave.
They can then leverage this data into better recruitment strategies. They can cross-collaborate amongst different departments.
They could initiate a partnership, for example, between HR, who would typically handle the hiring, and marketing, who would understand how to frame content in a way that attracts the right people.
Using their employee retention data, they could develop better recruitment campaigns designed to identify candidates who will stick around for the long haul. They can also make high-impact moves when it comes to retaining people who are right on the bubble.
In other words, nurses who might stay or go depending on what happens within the hospital. They can find out what is bothering employees and develop a systemized response for addressing it.
Better compensation, smarter scheduling, maybe enhanced access to mental health resources. If an administrator or healthcare leader could even improve retention by 10 to 20 percent, it would make an enormous difference in the lives of the communities that they are serving.
Interested in Giving Leadership a Try?
Healthcare leadership is, to say the least, a niche field. Certainly, it isn’t the career path that most young children imagine for themselves.
Any healthcare job is heroic and impactful. Certainly, they are all worth your time and consideration. But if you aren’t fully committed to the idea of patient-side care, leadership work can be a highly rewarding and deeply impactful alternative.
