The healthcare system continues to grow exponentially and the shortage of healthcare providers and staff continues to be an issue - especially in this region with a smaller population and less healthcare options. One key area of healthcare is health administration. Roughly 50% of healthcare operations are non-clinical and the demand for healthcare administrators specifically is high with an expected employment increase of 28% by 2031. This region (and nationally) does not have an adequate supply of qualified healthcare managers. The aim of this micro-credential is to help bridge the gap in this issue and provide an entry pathway for those looking to work in the healthcare management field. A further aim is to either target current clinical providers that are looking to step into administration but need to be educated further first, current full-time students who may wish to add this to their degree if they are interested in working in the field, current non-clinical health workers that are looking to advance, and those looking to start a new career.
Upon completing this micro-credential, students/workers with two years of experience in the healthcare field (or those that obtain this experience after completion) will be eligible for the Certified Medical Manager national certification through the Professional Association of Health Care Office Management (PAHCOM - more information here). This certification is highly valuable and will help with job placement and future growth for the field. The plan is for the micro-credential to also be available as stand-alone without obtaining the certification. Ultimately, this micro-credential provides a wealth of opportunities for this region and can help bridge the healthcare management employment gap exponentially, while providing new opportunities for our students.
Stackable to Degree Program
This micro-credential is credit bearing and the goal will be for it to fit into existing academic programs, such as Community and Public Health Education or Business, and to be stand-alone as well. For CPHE, two of the required courses are already embedded into the program so students would be able to take the other two as free electives. For Business, one of the courses is already embedded in the program and the remaining three could be added as free electives. This micro-credential will be strong on its own, but allowing the credits to fit into these existing academic programs will strengthen it further.