Healthcare facilities such as hospitals and doctor’s offices invest resources in increasing their operational efficiency and optimizing their care delivery. Professionals who specialize in healthcare quality improvement (QI) evaluate relevant data and work closely with clinical providers and administrators to accomplish these critical goals.
Healthcare quality improvement professionals generally have above-average salaries, and the profession is expected to see strong job growth. Individuals who earn a healthcare management degree can develop the healthcare systems knowledge and analytical skills they need to make a real impact in this field.
What Is a Healthcare Quality Improvement Specialist?
Quality improvement specialists analyze organizations’ business operations to find ways for them to improve their effectiveness. These professionals gain insights from data on the organizations’ operational procedures and outcomes and then use those insights to recommend business solutions. In the healthcare sector, QI professionals focus on the quality of the care delivered by facilities and their patients’ outcomes.
Typical job duties of a healthcare quality improvement specialist include:
- Conducting assessments on patient satisfaction and clinical performance
- Analyzing data to assess progress toward quality and safety goals
- Developing and implementing quality improvement initiatives
- Communicating quality improvement best practices to healthcare administrators and providers
Healthcare QI professionals need to be skilled at using specialized quality management systems to analyze data, track metrics and manage risks. Quality improvement specialists also must have expertise in healthcare laws and regulations to be able to assess organizations’ compliance. They often work closely with patient safety specialists and health informatics specialists on recommendations to improve the quality of facilities’ care delivery and their safety measures.
Succeeding as a healthcare quality improvement specialist requires an in-depth understanding of healthcare systems, management principles and healthcare regulation compliance. The role also requires project management and data analysis skills.
Steps to Become a Healthcare Quality Improvement Specialist
Quality improvement professionals draw on their healthcare industry expertise and business skills to find ways for healthcare facilities to improve the quality of the care their providers deliver and their patients’ outcomes. For example, specialists need experience with healthcare QI analytical tools such as process maps and control charts. These roles typically require the right combination of education and healthcare experience.
1. Earn a Bachelor’s Degree
For most QI specialists in the healthcare field, earning a bachelor’s degree is the first step in their career path. Most employers require candidates to have at least a bachelor’s degree in a discipline that offers a foundation in the necessary skills for the job.
Business and healthcare management are common majors for prospective healthcare quality improvement specialists. Coursework in the American healthcare system, healthcare management and healthcare quality improvement can help individuals gain knowledge and skills that are directly related to this role.
2. Gain Healthcare Experience
Undergraduates can begin gaining experience while earning their bachelor’s degree by pursuing an internship. Real-world experience in healthcare administration can help students build career-focused skills and begin to develop a professional network.
After graduation, working in healthcare, either in clinical or nonclinical roles, provides excellent preparation for professionals interested in moving into quality improvement. Roles in patient care, operations or nursing help individuals develop valuable expertise about how healthcare organizations operate.
3. Showcase Quality Improvement Skills
Obtaining a relevant professional certification is a way for individuals to demonstrate their expertise in healthcare quality and safety. Some employers prefer to hire QI professionals who hold a certification.
Qualifying for a certification typically requires passing a rigorous exam. The certified professional in healthcare quality (CPHQ) credential offered by the National Association for Healthcare Quality is one of the most recognized credentials in the field.
4. Consider a Master’s Degree
Healthcare quality improvement professionals preparing for career advancement should consider the benefits of earning an advanced degree. Graduate-level training can increase an individual’s earning potential and lead to senior-level and executive roles.
A master’s in healthcare management program emphasizes quality in healthcare delivery and patient safety, and is designed to prepare students for roles focused on improving patient outcomes, such as healthcare quality improvement manager.
Healthcare Quality Improvement Salary and Job Outlook
Healthcare quality improvement specialists had a median annual salary of approximately $78,000 as of November 2024, according to Payscale data. Those who advance into management roles can see six-figure salaries. Medical and health services managers had a median salary of $117,960 in May 2024, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Demand for healthcare services is expected to increase in the coming years, according to the BLS, and with that will likely come a rise in employment in healthcare administration. Healthcare managers are projected to see 23 percent job growth from 2024 to 2034, according to the BLS. That is significantly faster than the 6 percent job growth projected for all management occupations.
Earn a Healthcare Management Degree at SEMO Online
Becoming a healthcare quality improvement specialist is a good choice if you are interested in pursuing a meaningful, rewarding career. Earning the right degree can help you launch or advance in your career in this growing field.
SEMO Online’s Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Management program with a concentration in healthcare quality incorporates coursework in healthcare quality and value, performance improvement and regulatory compliance. Students also study medical practice management and healthcare strategy while gaining real-world experience through an internship.
Healthcare management majors have the option to apply their upper-division coursework toward an online Master of Science in Healthcare Management or an online Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Health Administration.
Find out how SEMO Online can help you embark on a career in healthcare quality improvement.
Recommended Readings
Healthcare Management Career PathHow to Become a Hospital Manager
Skills Needed for Healthcare Management
Sources:
Michigan Primary Care Association, Quality Improvement Specialist
National Association for Healthcare Quality, CPHQ: The Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality Certification
Payscale, Average Clinical Quality Improvement Specialist Salary
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Medical and Health Services Managers
ZipRecruiter, What Is a Quality Improvement Specialist and How to Become One