Health Care Administration
Develop your management and leadership skills in UW – Eau Claire’s accredited Health Care Administration program, which includes a year-long Administrative Residency experience, and positively impact patients, residents, and families’ live as a future health care leader.
Make a Positive Impact as a Health Care Leader
Accredited as a Health Service Executive (HSE™) program by the National Association of Long Term Care Administrator Boards (NAB), the health care administration program is an excellent path for those interested in long-term/post-acute care. Learn what it takes to plan, direct, coordinate, and supervise the delivery of health care services at a variety of organizations through high-impact practices like immersion experiences, community service, research with faculty, and study abroad opportunities.
A 12-month paid administrative residency in a long-term care facility will provide further insight into your field and connect what you learned in the classroom to what's happening in the real world. In addition to gaining new skills and professional experience, you'll also learn how to balance the unique health care needs of those you serve with dynamic changes in the health care industry.
Upon graduation, students are eligible to sit for the Nursing Home Administrator licensure exam in Wisconsin, Minnesota and other states. The HSE™ qualification is also accepted for licensure in the majority of states.
Because health care professionals are needed in many different organizations and fields, you will find a wide range of career paths available to you. Graduates go on to pursue leadership and managerial positions at skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, hospitals, retirement communities, group homes, rehabilitation centers, outpatient clinics, hospices, and more, as well as other ancillary health care-related fields such as vendors, state agencies, insurance companies, etc.
Program Details
Accreditation Information
UW-Eau Claire's health care administration degree is HSE-accredited by the National Association of Long Term Care Administrator Boards. Graduates are eligible to sit for the Nursing Home Administrator licensure exam in Wisconsin, Minnesota (and many other states) and to earn the HSE™ qualification, which is accepted for licensure in the majority of states.
UW-Eau Claire's health care administration program includes a paid, 50-week Administrative Residency, giving students professional experience in a real health care setting. Throughout their residency, students have had the opportunity to do things like implement programming to reduce staff turnover, develop emergency operations plans and create services that better engage residents living with dementia. Many graduates credit this experience with giving them the skills needed to succeed in their profession.
The UW-Eau Claire Center for Health Administration and Aging Services Excellence (CHAASE) is an on-campus center dedicated to supporting HCAD students. They provide over $30,000 in student scholarships, and fund opportunities for students to conduct research, attend professional networking events, and experience hands-on learning from alumni and friends of the program. Immerse yourself in experiential learning activities side-by-side with health and aging services providers and professional associations from across the country.
Most HCAD students are active in the UW-Eau Claire American College of Health Care Administrators (ACHCA) student chapter. This student organization is a great way to further explore your major and future profession, as the chapter frequently hosts social events for senior care residents, raises money for Alzheimer’s research, and sponsors tours to health care organizations. Members have the opportunity to volunteer, participate in fundraising, socialize and get to know peers, develop their own leadership skills, and network with health care professionals professionals.
Meeting potential employers and gaining a better understanding of different types of care facilities and leadership roles is a critical component of the health care administration program. The HCAD program embeds career exploration and leadership development throughout the program. To further help you explore career paths, CHAASE hosts an annual Partnership Open House, specific to HCAD residency sites and career opportunities. Because of these career development networking opportunities, many HCAD students are employed in career positions before graduation!
Blugold Stories
If you have a head for business and a heart for caring, there is a place for you in healthcare administration. You really do have to have both of those skill sets. When our students have a good education and a strong heart, they are going to be in demand and can be really successful.
Even if you don’t think you’ll get a scholarship, it’s worth applying. Scholarships not only provide financial relief, but they also recognize your hard work. The process itself can also help you with job applications and other opportunities later on.
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Where can the health care administration program lead me after graduation?
As a UW-Eau Claire health care administration graduate, you will have the knowledge, tools and professional experience to best support the health care needs of aging populations. Health care administrators plan, direct, coordinate and supervise the delivery of health care services at organizations such as assisted living facilities, group homes, outpatient clinics and hospices. They must balance the unique health care needs of the people they serve with dynamic changes in their industry, such as evolving integrated health care delivery systems, technological innovations and complex legal and regulatory environments.
Graduates of the program are prepared for a variety of managerial positions in the health care field, such as nursing home administrator, executive director of assisted living, director of rehabilitation facility, human resources director, marketing manager, pharmaceutical salesperson, health insurance broker and health care consultant. Our program also provides excellent preparation for those who wish to pursue graduate school and positions in the acute care sector (hospitals).
Example Careers
- Executive director
- Admissions director
- Administrator
- Healthcare administrator
- Alzheimer's care unit director
- Operations executive
- Contract and proposals specialist
- Marketing assistant
Recent Graduates
Assistant Campus Administrator
Crest View Senior Communities
Minnesota
Assistant Administrator
ManorCare
Illinois
Contract Specialist
Gunderson Lutheran
Wisconsin
Recruiting Coordinator
DaVita Kidney Care
Colorado
Administrator
Villa Healthcare
Wisconsin
Health Care Administrator
Good Samaritan Hospital and Medical Center
Minnesota
The health care administration bachelor's degree prepares you for success through a strong liberal education partnered with major-specific coursework in administration, health care and business. Rooted in experiential learning, the renowned program will help you to build communication, teamwork, leadership, troubleshooting, relationship-building, good judgment and problem-solving skills — all of which are highly valued by employers.
Here are a few courses in Health Care Administration at UW-Eau Claire.
HCAD 101
Introduction to Health Care Administration
Survey of the field of health and aging services and the functions of various administrative roles. Provides experiences upon which to base decisions about health services administration as a career.
HCAD 201
Overview of the U.S. Health Care System
A multidisciplinary course addressing issues that affect policy and delivery systems in health care. The course seeks to orient the student to the spectrum of issues and the dynamics of the U.S. health care system.
HCAD 222
Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Aging
This course presents a multidisciplinary overview of critical issues related to aging. Research and theory supplement an exploration of issues and career opportunities in gerontology, from both research and service provider orientations.
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