While You Were(n't) Sleeping: The Future of Health Administration Education

The COVID-19 pandemic had an immediate and enduring impact on society at-large and specifically on health administration education. Initially, the priority was to survive the pandemic by abandoning all levels of normalcy, and then, rather quickly, it shifted to finding new ways to maintain some level of normalcy as the higher education community transitioned to remote and hybrid modalities. The effects of this shift on health administration students were captured by Louis et al. (2021), and similar effects have been captured on health administration faculty as well (Brooks et al., 2021). But, as we have adapted to new ways of living during a pandemic, other societal forces and phenomena have begun to emerge that may prove to have durable effects on health administration education for decades to come. The following is the result of a discussion of a brain trust of health administration faculty, representing various health administration program levels (undergraduate, graduate, and executive) from various regions of the United States, who have enumerated areas of concern (and opportunity) for health administration education over the next 10 years. The topics discussed include (a) course delivery and modali ties;(b) diversity, equity, inclusion and justice;(c) wellness and well-being;and (d) the evolving professional field of health administration in an effort to understand what the future may hold for health administration education.

What is the value of administrative fellowships in the era of COVID-19?

During the spring of 2020, health systems across the country experienced significant financial losses due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic;these led to widespread layoffs, furloughs, and hiring freezes. Recognizing the potential impact this could have on the employment market for healthcare management graduates, we conducted a national survey of administrative fellowships, an important pathway for early careerists. We found that 73% of organizations plan to continue their administrative fellowships in 2020–21, citing their organizations' commitment to fellowships as a pipeline for leadership talent as a driving factor. Moreover, 92% of respondents indicated that fellows played a significant, high-impact role in their COVID-19 responses, supporting command center operations, setting up testing services, and supporting telemedicine expansion. Though these findings are positive regarding the future of fellowships, even a modest contraction could have a negative impact given a perennial shortage of fellowships relative to eligible graduates. Looking ahead, graduate programs should work collaboratively to expand the availability of fellowships, collaborate with practitioners to expand the role of fellowships as a pathway to increase diversity in leadership, and ensure that our curricula support the development of competencies that will equip students with adaptability and flexibility in increasingly complex environments.

The COVID- 19 Impact on Health Administration Education: Understanding Student Perspectives on the Transition From In-Person to Remote Course Instruction

COVID-19 has infected millions of Americans. To combat the spread of the virus, state and local officials instituted social distancing guidelines that forced schools to shutter campuses and transition from in-person to remote learning. In this study, we examined health administration (HA) student perspectives on the transition from in-person to remote learning. We sought to understand how schools attempted to manage student concerns, how adaptations to remote learning were implemented, and what influences the transition had on student stress and anxiety. We used a mixed-methods study design that included (1) a survey of undergraduate and graduate students from six geographically diverse HA programs, and (2) a focus group with 6–10 students from each program. Our survey response rate was 52% (n =215). We found that students experienced five phases following the transition: grief, loss of engagement, fatigue, coping, and resilience. Focus groups also revealed stress and anxiety, as well as communication from leaders, as important themes. We present integrated survey and focus group findings, and supplement with exemplary quotes where applicable. We conclude by discussing a number of insights provided by HA students that may help guide program leadership and HA faculty who are teaching future remote courses.