Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Management
As director of the Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Management (BHMC) program, Assistant Professor Ron Brouwer keeps his finger on the pulse of the healthcare industry. He knows what challenges his students might face in their healthcare careers, so he speaks confidently about how his degree program prepares them for the workforce.
“The hands-on approach I take in my profession allows me to share experiences related to many different healthcare situations, such as a cancer diagnosis, mountains of bills that pile up due to hospital stays or expensive procedures, and learning to navigate insurance policies,” said Brouwer, who worked in the healthcare industry as a practice manager, patient financial services manager, and patient administration department head prior to joining Bellevue University full time in 2020. “It’s also imperative that healthcare administrators know how to succeed with minimal staffing levels and often staffing shortages.”
Program graduates learn the relevant skills and knowledge they need to tackle these types of issues and assume leadership roles in their healthcare organizations. They learn how to build community coalitions, which is vital to maintain consistency of care for patients; assess evidence-based practices; critique and improve management procedures; establish and maintain high standards of patient care; and effectively manage the business side of healthcare organizations.
Master of Healthcare Administration
Change is constant in healthcare, which is why students in the Master of Healthcare Administration program learn how to think critically and respond nimbly to issues as they arise in their profession. Those areas could include everything from the application of information technology, to finance, to new systems designed to streamline care for delivering quality, value-based care for patients.
“The MHA prepares students to examine how healthcare administrators play a role in the ever-changing healthcare environment,” said Professor Mike Freel, who directs the program.
Students in the program learn from their professors and from each other. They come from a wide variety of organizations, including large health systems, smaller rural and critical access hospitals, long-term care facilities, insurance companies, healthcare staffing firms, and technology companies. MHA courses provide students with additional knowledge and skills related to leadership, healthcare technology, quality initiatives, finance, healthcare delivery models, strategic management, healthcare operations and human resource management. “Many of our graduates accept new roles within their organizations as managers, leaders and executives. Many have published articles on healthcare administration topics, taken on new work initiatives and advanced within their organizations,” Freel said. “The MHA opens doors for healthcare administration professionals.”