Why Study Hospital Management Courses: Top 10 Reasons

A hospital management course trains students for managerial and administrative roles in hospitals and healthcare institutes. The course may be offered at the undergraduate or graduate level, covering topics such as public health care regulations, medical ethics, marketing, information technology, finances, leadership, and more. 

Graduates of this program can work with multiple departments and act as intermediaries between doctors, governing boards, department heads, and other healthcare staff.

In India, Bachelor of Hospital Management (BHM) is a course that focuses on managing healthcare services in healthcare facilities such as nursing homes, clinics, diagnostic centres and other institutions. 

The course can be taken after qualifying in an entrance test or based on 10+2 marks. After completing this, students can explore work opportunities in the private and government healthcare sectors like hospitals, nursing homes, healthcare organisations, retirement homes, and insurance companies.

Importance of a Hospital Management course in India

In India, a hospital management course is significant for several reasons:

• Hospital management is essential to the smooth operation of medical facilities and consistently delivering high-quality services.
• Healthcare administration is in great demand, making it a desirable career path.
• The information and abilities needed to manage healthcare services in hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, diagnostic facilities, and other associated institutions are taught in a hospital management course.
• Many facets of healthcare administration, including finances, operations, human resources, marketing, and information technology, are covered in the course.
• It aids students in acquiring the leadership abilities necessary for overseeing groups of healthcare professionals.

Hospital management jobs in India include roles such as hospital manager, healthcare management systems project manager, and hospital administrator. While the average salary for a hospital manager in India is INR 7 lakhs per year, a degree in hospital administration can help secure higher pay packages in top MNCs, private pharma companies and government enterprises.

Let’s explore all the reasons why pursuing a hospital management course can benefit you in the long run. 

Why Pursue Hospital Management Course

1. Career Opportunities in Hospital Management

In order to run an efficient and successful healthcare facility, many career opportunities are available for aspirants to choose from. The following are a few job options in hospital management:

Clinical Directors

They are in charge of monitoring healthcare institutions’ business and legal operations, guaranteeing high-quality patient treatment. They oversee staff workers and direct teams of healthcare professionals. Clinical directors can work at medical institutions such as clinics, hospitals, and mental health centres.

Average Annual Compensation: INR 10 LPA

Hospital Administrator

A hospital administrator is a professional who oversees the daily operations of a hospital by planning, directing, and coordinating health services. They are responsible for ensuring that the medical facility employs effective and efficient practices that deliver the best care possible. 

Average Annual Compensation: INR 4.0 LPA

Quality Improvement Manager

A quality improvement manager in hospital management is a healthcare professional who works to improve patient care, safety, and outcomes. They research and create quality improvement programs, develop effective strategies, and monitor their effectiveness. 

Average Annual Compensation: INR 19 LPA

Health Information Manager

The management, control, and security of patient health information, including symptoms, diagnoses, medical histories, test results, and treatments, falls within the purview of a health information manager (HIM). Additionally, they guarantee that medical data is correctly maintained in the electronic medical record (EMR) and readily available to nurses, doctors, and other healthcare specialists.

Average Annual Compensation: INR 10 LPA

Patient Services Manager

A patient services manager in hospital management is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of a healthcare facility, ensuring that medical tools and materials are adequate, equipment and machinery are efficient, and paperwork for admission and release is managed. They also act as a liaison between patients, staff, and other departments within the hospital.

Average Annual Compensation: INR 6.1 LPA

Medical Records Manager

A patient services manager in hospital management is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of a healthcare facility, ensuring that medical tools and materials are adequate, equipment and machinery are efficient, and paperwork for admission and release is managed. 

Average Annual Compensation: INR 3.7 LPA

2. High Demand for Skilled Hospital Managers

Due to the growing complexity of healthcare systems and the requirement for the efficient administration of healthcare providers, there is a significant demand for qualified hospital managers.

Hospital administrators need a variety of abilities, including interpersonal communication, strategic planning, financial management, quality control, and staff supervision. Recently, the healthcare sector has expanded quickly, which has resulted in overall growth in the healthcare job industry.

3. Advancement Opportunities in Healthcare Administration

Pursuing a hospital administration degree can lead to advancement into higher healthcare management roles. Diverse career paths within health services administration, such as director of managed care, pharmaceutical project manager, clinical manager, and nursing home administrator, are open to exploration. With ample experience and certifications, you can easily transition into C-suite roles as you grow.

4. Enhancing Leadership and Management Skills

Enrolling in a healthcare management program can dramatically impact your leadership and management skills. With detailed assistance in leadership practices such as organising and implementing (management) skills, real-world healthcare practices like aligning and mobilising the staff eventually simplify.

Effective healthcare leadership involves demonstrating immensely valued skills such as effective time compliance, ethical practice, and communication, which comprise a detailed part of the hospital management curriculum. 

5. Developing a Strong Understanding of Healthcare Systems

Healthcare management’s advanced practices combine in-demand skills and tools to deliver effective patient care. As the healthcare software market is set to reach USD 104.1 bn by 2030, it is easy to acknowledge how healthcare organisations are rapidly relying on automated systems to align their processes.

Therefore, a hospital management program from an accredited institution will equip you with in-demand skills to stay abreast with the latest healthcare tech advancements. 

6. Global Recognition

The healthcare sector has tremendously taken global recognition following the effective use of financial and physical resources of hospitals or medical organisations to provide the best quality of healthcare services. Considering the extensive opportunities provided to healthcare graduates, more people are seeking skilled professionals with healthcare and hospital management degrees. 

7. Competitive Salary

The average income for a hospital management course in India varies depending on degree and experience. For instance, the beginning pay for an MBA in Healthcare Management is often in the range of INR 5 lakh to INR 20 lakh per year. The typical income for recent graduates in hospital administration is more than 5 lakhs. However, with the addition of years and experience, the figure consistently grows. 

Check out our free courses related to upskill yourself.

8. Professional Networking

Becoming part of a dynamic healthcare curriculum from any reputed institute enables candidates to acquire networking opportunities. Through networking, access to connections, resources, and knowledge significantly grows. It also allows recognised peers to impart their knowledge and ideas. Networking may lead to long-lasting relationships with mutual benefits. 

9. Practical Learning

Students may master anatomy and healthcare management principles by enrolling in hospital administration courses that provide 100% practical knowledge. From hands-on experience in developing and implementing rules to setting standards for medical facilities through practical learning, aspirants gain access to all the necessary skills. 

Along with healthcare learnings, hospital management candidates also inherit exceptional business acumen, enabling them to implement their skills in domains outside of healthcare management.  

10. Job Stability in Healthcare Industry

Since healthcare facilities prioritise experience in the relevant domain as the most important aspect of any healthcare role, this sector offers better job security than others. However, hospital management courses further strengthen core administrative skills crucial in making any job more secure. 

Some of these may include.

• Communication skills
• Time management
• Maintaining a positive mindset
• Expanding horizons with consistent upskilling
• Patience

Conclusion

Acquiring a degree in hospital management can open up a range of job options for you as well as prospects for advancement, promising competitive pay and perks. To provide prompt care and avoid undesirable consequences like patient mortality, it is equally crucial that hospital management is well-trained. 

Overall, taking hospital management courses can be an exceptionally fruitful decision for individuals enthusiastic about helping others and interested in healthcare domain.

How upGrad Helps

If you’re looking for the best-performing healthcare or hospital management courses, upGrad is the right place to go! 

upGrad’s Executive Post-Graduate Programme in Healthcare Management is an 11-month online programme specifically designed to suit the strict schedules of working professionals hoping to develop practical knowledge and skills in the healthcare field. 

Offered by the Loyola Institute of Business Analytics (LIBA) in partnership with upGrad, anyone can pursue this program. No matter your background, as long as you have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institute, you can transition smoothly into healthcare management.

The program covers various aspects of healthcare management, such as quality of care, marketing, budgeting, and planning for Covid-19 and beyond. The course content includes video and text-based materials along with research projects. Upon completion of the programme, candidates receive a prestigious certification from LIBA.