Geriatric Care Management Certificate, Life Care Planning Certificate or a B.S. in Health Care Management
Geriatric Care Management Certificate
Learn to assess, coordinate, and monitor the health and human services needs of your elderly clients and their families. Graduates may work as geriatric care managers in a variety of practice settings including: independent practice, government agencies, home health agencies, long-term care facilities, insurance companies, assisted-care facilities, social service agencies.
Life Care Planning Certificate
This program provides the essential skills and expertise for health care professionals to analyze, research, and perform assessments utilizing the tenets, methodologies, and foundations of the life care planning process. Students incorporate standards of practice and ethics, gain an enhanced understanding of the medical and psychological aspects of disability and chronic health conditions, and develop a disciplined approach to utilizing research literature, practice guidelines, and published data in support of plan recommendations.
B.S. in Health Care Management
This program prepares students for positions in the planning, directing, coordinating, and supervising of health care delivery. Positoins availabe include hospitals; nursing homes; health maintenance organizations; physician group practices; diagnostic, surgery, and rehabilitation clinics; long-term care facilities; the insurance industry; and government agencies.
To specialize as a home health nurse, you must first earn a Registered Nurse degree. This usually requires a two- to four-year course of study which results in one of three initial nursing degrees: an Associate of Science Degree in Nursing (ADN), the end result of a two-year program offered by nearly 850 community and junior colleges around the country; a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing (BSN), a four-year course of study currently offered by more than 674 accredited colleges with nursing programs; or a Registered Nurse degree from an RN Diploma Program, often referred to as a "hospital diploma," which is a specialized program that lasts about three years.
In all 50 states and the District of Columbia, once the student has graduated from an approved nursing program, he or she must then pass the NCLEX, a national examination, in order to obtain a nursing license. In addition to passing the NCLEX (National Council Licensure Examination), a national standard exam, nurses must be licensed by the state in which they will practice. Although requirements vary from state to state, licensed graduates of any of these three degree programs for the most part qualify for entry-level positions as staff nurses as well as many other positions. There are also numerous opportunities to move beyond these basic degree programs, as about 417 nursing schools currently offer master's degrees in nursing, and 93 offer doctoral degrees.
Browse our directory of accredited online health care management degrees
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that in 2004, about 2.4 million people were employed as registered nurses, making this the single largest occupation in the healthcare field. Nearly 60 percent of RNs were employed in hospitals.
According to the Department of Labor, employment of registered nurses is expected to grow "much faster than average for all occupations" during the upcoming decade. Due to the large number of nursing jobs that will be created, registered nurses are predicted to create the second largest number of new jobs among all occupations in the U.S. Job opportunities for registered nurses in all specialties will be excellent, to the point that the industry is even now experiencing difficulty attracting and retaining an adequate number of RNs.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics figures indicate that the median annual salary of registered nurses in all specialties in 2004 was $52,330, with a range running from less than $37,300 to a high of more than $74,760. The highest median wages were paid by employment services ($63,170) and hospitals ($53,450).
Find all advertised home health nursing jobs in the United States.
