University of Phoenix Survey: 70 Percent of US Adults Have Never Considered a Career in Health Services Administration

Unfamiliarity with jobs, lack of proper skills may be contributing factors

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Aug 09, 2018, 11:00 ET

PHOENIX, Aug. 9, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Employment of medical and health services managers is projected to grow 20 percent from 2016 to 2026, faster than the average for all occupations.¹ As such, there is an anticipated need for healthcare workers who manage employees, medical information and projects, including electronic health records and health information technology.² This growth is driven by consumer demand from an aging population, increased life expectancies and better management of chronic conditions.³

University of Phoenix key findings from survey of 2,000 US adults, aged 18 and older.

However, a recent University of Phoenix^® College of Health Professions online survey of 2,000 U.S. adults found that 70 percent have never considered a career in healthcare, specifically health services administration, which includes medical and health services managers. For those who have never considered a career in this aspect of healthcare, 17 percent said they do not feel they have the proper skills to become an employee in the health services administration job market, and 18 percent stated that they do not want to go "back to school" to get a degree.

"In my experience, people may overlook opportunities that exist because the thought of learning a new skillset or going back to school can be a daunting prospect," said Dr. Mark Johannsson, dean for the School of Health Services Administration at University of Phoenix. "What people do not realize is that there are a number of hard and soft skills that are transferrable across industries and that many are directly applicable to roles within health services administration, including people skills, certain technical capabilities and, most importantly, a willingness to learn and good 'old fashioned' hard work. It is our responsibility to offer career-relevant education that helps people to pursue potential opportunities in fulfilling careers in health services administration."

The lack of consideration in joining the healthcare industry may be attributed to an unfamiliarity with the diversity of jobs that exist within the industry. According to the survey, only one in five adults are "very familiar" with job titles such as doctor's office/clinic/facility and administration managers, and even fewer are familiar with other roles, including positions in digital/tech program management and health information.

Familiarity with health services administration job titles:

Job Title	Never Heard of It	Very Familiar
Digital/tech program manager	22%	10%
Health information manager	19%	13%
Program manager	13%	13%
Patient services manager or coordinator	15%	14%
Medical records coder/programmer	13%	14%
Patient intake specialist	15%	14%
Medical billing specialist or manager	8%	17%
Operations manager	10%	17%
Administrative manager or coordinator	10%	18%
Doctor's office/clinic/facility manager	8%	19%

These roles can provide an opportunity for people to become involved beyond the bedside, influencing aspects of patient care through various channels, including medical coding, office management, operations, and policy and patient services.

While 70 percent of employable adults say that they have never considered a career in health services administration, nearly one in five (18 percent) might be interested sometime in the future. To consider a career in health services administration, respondents indicated that they would need the following information: growth opportunities within the industry (43 percent), number of open positions that exist for careers in the field (38 percent) and the diversity of careers available within the industry (35 percent).

University of Phoenix offers bachelor's and master's programs in health services administration that prepare students with the knowledge and skills needed in the industry, including communications, finance, regulations, technologies empathy and ethics. To learn more about these programs and other healthcare programs offered through the College of Health Professions, visit phoenix.edu.

For more information about the survey findings, visit our survey page.

Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of University of Phoenix between April 26 and May 10, 2018 among 2,000 US adults aged 18 and older, who work full-time, part-time, are self-employed, are unemployed looking for work, students, or homemakers. Figures for number of employees were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online. For complete survey methodology, please contact Amanda Barchilon.

About University of Phoenix^® College of Health Professions
University of Phoenix^® College of Health Professions offers leading-edge graduate, undergraduate, certificate, and non-degree programs aimed at preparing students to improve the quality of healthcare in their communities and the industry. The College of Health Professions is helping to ensure that today's graduates can effectively tackle tomorrow's healthcare challenges. For more information, visit phoenix.edu/chp.

About University of Phoenix^®University of Phoenix is innovating to help working adults move efficiently from education to careers in a rapidly changing world. Flexible schedules, relevant and engaging courses, and interactive learning can help students more effectively pursue career and personal aspirations while balancing their busy lives. University of Phoenix serves a diverse student population, offering associate, bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs from campuses and learning centers across the U.S. as well as online throughout the world. For more information, visit phoenix.edu.

¹ https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/medical-and-health-services-managers.htm#tab-6² Ibid.
³ https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/ecopro.pdf

SOURCE University of Phoenix