Professional Career Action Plan

Professional Career Action Plan Ida Jackson HCS/449 Health Administration Capstone September 10, 2012 Urmi Bhaumik Professional Career Action Plan Creating a professional career action plan will compose attainable goals and design a step-by-step plan to achieve important professional goals. It is important to have a roadmap that will guide anyone from beginning to end for successful goal attainment.

My action plan summarizes my professional goals and my career goal of becoming a health care administrator in a hospital or a physician’s office. I will assess the skills currently obtained and the skills that need altering to improve my chances of reaching my career goals. My action plan will also show the steps required to reach my career goals and a timeline to complete each one.

Achieving my goals will require focus and motivation to follow the professional plan to the final attainment of my career goals (University of Phoenix, n. ). After assessing my professional goals it became evident that working in health care management in any health care facility is my career goal but prefer a career in a hospital or a private care health care office. I want to obtain experience in the health care field and focus on attaining my ultimate career goals. Becoming a health care administrator requires many steps to reach my goal of a position in a health care facility.

The first step is to continue my education and achieve my master’s degree and a commitment to professional development. While working on my education it is important to obtain experience as a health care manager. This can be accomplished by networking, job searches, volunteering, an internship, or job shadowing. Another source is The American College of Health Care Executives offers an opportunity for networking and information sharing.

When considering the many issues in health care an organization, such as the American College of Health Care Executives foundation founded to be health care leaders of hospitals, hospital, and healthcare organizations. The American College of Health Care Executives will assist individuals in making a positive and informed decision about a career as a heath care administrator by providing resources such as career services, continuing education, and resume services which will assist in my career goals (American College of Health Care Executive, 2008).

Health administrators are responsible for managing a health care facility by ensuring the medical staff always provides optimal patient care and that the facility is complying with regulations set by the government and the Joint Commission. Health administrators are also responsible for budgeting; overseeing medical purchasing and delivery, interviewing, and hiring staff. They are also attentive to detail, and educating the local community on what services are offered at the health care facility and also organizing health fairs in the community (Cole, 1998).

As a health administrator I will be successful if my focus is on running the health care facility like a business because the success of a business is dependent on good management skills and will attest to me success as a health administrator. Today with the certain uncertainty of the economy it is imperative that as a health administrator I must evaluate practices at the health care facility and eliminate the less profitable services and strengthen programs of major health importance (Current Preoccupations of Health Officers, 2011).

Health administrators possess effective leadership skills, strong people skills, organized, and have health care knowledge.

I choose to obtain my degree as a health administrator because of my organization skills, natural leadership qualities, effective communication abilities, writing abilities, and my exceptional problem-solving ability but these qualities are just the tip of the skills required to be a health administrator. I have discovered that ultimately reaching my goal of working as a hospital administrator requires more experience and extensive education.

Because I lack experience I went to the local hospital and spoke with the Chief Executive Officer to inquire about internships and it was suggested that I job shadow an assistant health administrator and when a position becomes available I would receive first consideration. A successful health administrator will possess strong managerial skills and a master’s degree to be marketable as a health administrator. The focus includes, obtaining a precise understand of the dynamics of the health care field on a more professional and managerial level.

I need to alter my tendency to be impatient and focus on gaining experience in understanding the needs of patients. Learning what requirements are needed to assist me in managing a health care organization efficiently is important to my success. “There are two types of administrators, generalists and specialists. Generalists are responsible for managing or helping to manage an entire facility and specialists are responsible for the efficient operations of a specific department such as finance, accounting, budgeting, or human resources” (Health Careers Center, 2004, p. ). Health care administrators are responsible for developing policies and procedures in a health care facility, and this is no easy task and requires careful and precise planning.

A health administrator should be approachable and should never take the position too seriously and maintain a sense of humor to avoid becoming overly stressed. A career as a health care administrator is achievable as it is expected to grow between 21% and 35.

Health care administrators with strong business and management skills along with relevant experience and at least a master’s degree will have the best opportunity to achieve their goals quickly (Health Careers Center, 2004). Creating an action plan will benefit my professional career goals by providing a detailed plan of action and a timetable for achieving the required education and necessary experience needed to achieve my goals. The action plan requires personal assessment to summarize my strengths and weaknesses so I have a full understanding of my outstanding qualities and those I need to improve.

My professional action plan gives me a clearer concept of what steps I need to take to achieve my goals. The final goal of a career as a health care administrator’s changes from a dream and becomes reality by providing a concrete plan of action to reach the optimal goal in the end. Conclusion Creating a professional action plan required assessing the skills I possess and the skills I need to improve to achieve my career goal of achieving the position of a health care administrator.

Throughout my research I have learned that there are a variety of skills and requirements for this position and furthering my education is essential in reaching my goals. Job opportunities in the health administration field will continue to grow for individuals with work experience in the health care field, business, and management skills, and it is important to achieve a master’s degree in health administration (Bureau of Labor Statistics, U. S.

Department of Labor, 2012).

Creating a professional action plan is beneficial in making goals come to life by providing a step-by-step plan and the essential tools needed to achieve my final goal of working as a health care administrator. My action plan efficiently summarizes my professional goals and my career goal of becoming a health care administrator in a hospital or a physician’s office. References American College of Healthcare Executives. (2008).

Health Care Administrator. Retrieved from http://www. ache. org Bureau of Labor Statistics, U. S. Department of Labor.

(2012). Occupational Outlook Handbook, 010-11 Edition, Medical and Health Services Managers. Retrieved from http://www. bls. gov/oco/ocos014. htm Cole, E.

(1998). New hospital administrator working to find niche in FW. Business Press, 11(16), 21 Current Preoccupations of Health Officers. (2011). American Journal of Public Health, 101(6), 1046-1048 Health Careers Center. (2002).

Health care Administrator. Retrieved from http://www. mshealthcareers. com/careers/healthcareadmin. htm University of Phoenix.

(n. d. ). Faculty notes: Week 3. Retrieved from University of Phoenix, HCS449- Health Administration Capstone course website.