How to Choose an MSN in Health Systems Administration + Online Option
This article explains the MSN in Health Systems Administration degree program, some of the subjects and courses that the degree covers, and why you may want to consider this degree to achieve greater career advancement. It also presents an online high-quality MSN in Health Systems Administration program that you may want to look into.
What Is an MSN in Health Systems Administration?
The master of science in nursing (MSN) with a health systems administration focus is designed for registered nurses (RNs). These programs are usually offered in such a way that they can be completed around the student’s working schedule, for instance through part time or online learning. This ensures that students can also complete a practicum as part of their degree.
The MSN in health systems administration takes nurses outside of the clinical realm, moving them instead into the management of health care organizations. Hence, they take various classes that have little to do with delivering care to patients, and more to do with business. The main focus of the degree, therefore, is on leadership strategies. Furthermore, schools ensure that the curriculum is relevant to today’s issues being faced by health care systems.
Each school can set its own curriculum, although most will focus on a specific core. Core courses tend to include:
- Health care policies (looks at both historic and current policies, their applications, and how they can be improved)
- Health care theory and conceptual basis (looks mainly at nursing practice models)
- Strategic planning in health care (focuses on medical and financial issues within the current health care system). Essentially, graduates can create new organizational models that ensure the organization, health care staff, and patients benefit the most.
Why Earn an MSN in Health Systems Administration?
By earning an MSN in health systems administration degree, you may qualify for advanced certifications through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Alternatively, the MSN may also enable you to enroll in a DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice) program, thereby advancing your career even further. Mainly, it will enable you to become even better at what you already do, and to make a difference in the health care outcomes of everybody in the country.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has reported that medical and health services managers had a median salary of $96,540 per year as of May 2016. However, this is at the bachelor’s degree level. Those with a graduate degree or above are more likely to find themselves in the top 10% of earners, who earn $172,240 per year or more. The BLS has also reported that there will be a 17% increase in demand for these professionals from 2014 to 2024, which is much faster than the national average and will translate into some 56,300 new jobs.
Online Option for MSN in Health Systems Administration
Seton Hall University
If you are interested in obtaining an MSN in health systems administration, you may want to consider the online MSN Health Systems Administration with Case Management (MSN HSA) degree program offered by Seton Hall University. This degree provides students with the essential skills to be an executive nurse leader. It focuses not just on practical nursing skills, but also in other areas, such as care delivery, operations, strategic planning, finance, and any other element of hospital administration.
The program is delivered online and requires 30 credits for completion. Most students can achieve this in two years. Graduates become advocates for high-quality nursing care, while at the same time being realistic about budget constraints. Seton Hall University is nationally respected for its forward-looking and compassionate nursing education, producing graduates who understand quality care and health care reform.
The program:
- Delivers students who can take on positions in middle management.
- Creates advocates for high-quality nursing care, while understanding budget constraints at the same time.
- Analyzes scientific foundations, including quality improvement science and nursing science.
- Teaches graduates to assess their organization, understanding the links between decision making and leadership.
- Looks at conflicts within organizations and creates business plans to drive positive outcomes.
- Looks at institutional policies that focus on costs, ethics, patient/provider risks, privacy, and more.
- Scans the current health care environment, reviewing budget and planning decisions, risks, and more.
- Focuses on communication and interdisciplinary areas within health care systems.
Seton Hall University is highly recognized. In fact, it is ranked #16 for Nursing Administration and Leadership. About 80% of its faculty are educated at the doctorate degree level. Finally, it is ranked 76th in the U.S. News & World Report for its graduate nursing programs. Meanwhile, SuperScholar ranks it in the top 50 online master’s in nursing programs, and Forbes has recognized it as one of America’s top colleges.
The MSN HSA is known to be of incredibly high quality, being accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. Students are immersed in patient care operations, learning from both non-nursing and nursing executives. Students also gain practical skill development thanks to the values-based approach of the Catholic university. Mainly, it prepares students for the ANCC nursing administrator credential, as well as for the Commission for Case Manager Certification (CCMC) examination. The school was founded in 1937 and has been a center of excellence since then.
The core curriculum of the degree includes:
- Theoretical Basis of Nursing
- Forces in Health Care
- Nursing Research
- Using Research for Evidence-Based Practice
- Nursing and Health Systems Administration
- Case Management
- Financial Management of Health Care Systems
- Legal and Risk Management Issues in Health Care
- Managed Care and Reimbursement Systems (a clinical course)
- Managerial Internship in Health Systems Administration (also a clinical course)
Those who obtain the degree from Seton Hall University have a wealth of career opportunities available to them. The MSN HSA prepares graduates to take on a variety of health care-related administrative roles at the executive level, and many graduates earn more than $150,000 a year by working for non-health care-related industries, health insurance companies, managed care organizations, and hospitals. Common career opportunities include:
- Vice President, Patient Care Services
- Chief Operating Officer
- Vice President of Case Management
- Chief Nurse
- Clinical Nurse Director
Summary
As you can see, completing an MSN in health systems administration degree is a great way to significantly advance your career in the field of health care. You can work in a variety of different health care related fields, moving outside of clinical care. Instead of personally looking after patients, in other words, you ensure the organization and its staff have the ability to do so. This will provide you with tremendous job satisfaction.
References
Medical and Health Services Managers. (2015, Dec. 17). Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/medical-and-health-services-managers.htm
Online Master of Science in Nursing, Health Systems Administration with Case Management. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://online.shu.edu/msn-hsa
American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nursecredentialing.org/
Commission for Case Manager Certification (CCMC). (n.d.). Retrieved from https://ccmcertification.org/
