The healthcare industry is – and will continue to be – in a state of tremendous change. From economics, to policies, to governance, to quality, the issues surrounding healthcare are far-reaching and complicated. That’s not to say, though, that healthcare advancement is behind us. Quite the opposite.
Next-generation influencers are taking on new, expanded and visionary roles to propel this nation’s healthcare system forward. Healthcare administration leaders, for example, are taking on a dual role; first as innovator and second as educator, bringing forth new ideas for policy, practice and patient improvements.
Meanwhile, those committed to educating and equipping tomorrow’s healthcare leaders are advocating out-of-the-box thinking, strategizing and leading in an arena that’s become, at times, unwieldy and contentious.
Make an impact for yourself – and a nation
Rapid change in healthcare is inevitable, so keeping up is no longer an option. Instead, you have to be two, three, even 20 or more steps ahead. But how? Through research, exploration and problem solving. The nation’s healthcare system needs fresh yet practical solutions to help solve real-world healthcare dilemmas, gaps and problems.
Higher levels of leadership are needed, including those who possess refined verbal and written competencies, expanded technical and technological abilities, and advanced interpersonal aptitude. Yet these skills don’t come easily – or automatically. Instead, they require proficiencies beyond even a master’s-level degree; they require a degree of the highest level, a terminal degree. A terminal degree can prepare you to make logical, relevant connections between classroom learnings and real-world efficiencies and effectiveness.
A practitioner-oriented education, however, differs from a research-based degree. Whereas a Doctor of Philosophy or Ph.D. in healthcare administration degree focuses on substantive advancement of theoretical research within a discipline, an applied doctorate degree, such as Franklin University’s transfer-friendly Doctor of Healthcare Administration or DHA, focuses on expanding your knowledge within your field and combining it with applying it practically in real-world setting.
Become a more dynamic leader
Our DHA program reinforces the core technical aspects of quality research, yet also equips you with such sought-after skills as communication and technology. Franklin’s applied doctorate is a practical degree that enables both subject mastery and field application. That means you’ll be prepared to research and communicate complex, organization-wide issues.
Franklin’s applied Doctor of Healthcare Administration is a program designed to help you:
- Design organizational strategies to improve healthcare operations and outcomes
- Develop innovative healthcare leadership practices based on executive leadership practices
- Assess and refine your own leadership competencies
- Apply research to advance the field of healthcare administration
Improve healthcare processes, efficiencies and outcomes
Few would argue the large and complex nature of the administrative side of healthcare. Few also would argue the need for improvement in even the leanest, safest, most patient-friendly healthcare organization. The truth is, there’s always room for improvement – and you could be the catalyst for change in your healthcare organization. While earning your doctorate in healthcare administration from Franklin, you’ll focus on ways to drive quality improvements, including patient safety, risk management and service quality. You’ll explore various efficiency- and process-improvement models, as well as research quality improvement drivers within both public and private sectors. More importantly, you’ll be prepared to research, evaluate, develop and recommend appropriate prevention, mitigation and improvement strategies.
Make more informed decisions
When it comes to healthcare decision making, be it process improvement, program effectiveness or sustainability strategies, the crux of any decision is evidence. That’s why our doctoral program for healthcare includes major area coursework related to workflows, databases, informatics and analytics. Your Franklin DHA will help you better understand retrieving, analyzing and reporting intelligence metrics as part of healthcare decision making.
Create and influence healthcare policies and regulations
In spite of being highly regulated and governed, healthcare continues to require new and updated policies to ensure sustainability and parity. Your Franklin DHA will help you explore various aspects of corporate, state and federal policymaking, including regulations, enforcement and organizational impact. You’ll learn how to evaluate the role of agencies in implementation and enforcement, create policies at all government and corporate levels, and influence change for existing policies and regulations.
Get 360-degree support
We’ve taken a comprehensive and systematic approach to our online doctoral program, which includes team-based curriculum development, doctorally qualified faculty, and student-centered activities designed for the working adult. You’ll receive robust academic support from a variety of resources, including a graduate advisor, faculty advisor, personal librarian and peers, as well as the Student Learning Center staff and your Dissertation Committee members. You’ll also enjoy a cohesive and robust graduate culture and cohort. Together, our practice-minded faculty and your fellow students will support, mentor, encourage and keep you accountable to the program – and to yourself. At Franklin, you’re never alone on your doctoral journey.
Transfer up to 24 credit hours
Want to complete your terminal degree in less than three years? Franklin grants up to 24 hours of prior-learning credit for previous doctoral work. We honor your prior learning and make it easier to get credit for what you already know. Transfer credit can help you earn your applied doctorate degree faster, as well as reduce your overall tuition expenses.
Succeed with our unique dissertation structure
If there’s such a thing as a no-fear dissertation process, Franklin has it. We’ve intentionally designed a dissertation structure to help you complete your dissertation step-by-step, beginning with your enrollment in the program. We’ve also built-in faculty mentoring and guidance, and peer-to-peer support so you’re never left to “figure it out” on your own.
Throughout the DHA program, you’ll develop important research skills and the necessary writing prowess to publish a dissertation or a dissertation in practice as a capstone project to your studies. Your dissertation will showcase your ability to identify a topic of interest within the workplace, develop a proposed solution to a problem, and test your hypotheses in the real world.