Assessing the Impact of Professional Certifications on Time-to-Hire 25

ORIGINAL ARTICLES
Assessing the Impact of Professional
Certifications on Time-to-Hire, Job
Satisfaction, and Career Growth of Health
Administration Alumni
Zo Ramamonjiarivelo, PhD, MBA, Cristian Lieneck, PhD,
MHA, CPHIMS, FACHE, FACMPE, FAHM, Clemens Scott Kruse,
PhD, MHA, MBA, MSIT, FACHE, Lloyd Greene, EDD, MA, &
Larry Fulton, PhD, MMAS, MS, FACHE, CStat CSci, CAP, CQE
CSSBB, PStat

Abstract
Professional certifications are valuable resources; they reassure hiring or-
ganizations about the knowledge and competence of candidates and help
certified individuals to be more competitive in the job market. As such, some
academic programs have included professional certifications in their curricula.
The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of professional cer-
tifications implemented in both undergraduate (BHA) and graduate (MHA)
healthcare administration programs on time to employment, job satisfaction,
and career growth. Data were collected using a survey of BHA and MHA
alumni administered on Qualtrics (response rate = 24%; n = 75). Our depen-
dent variables included job satisfaction, job growth, a linear combination of
the two, and time to employment. Validated survey instruments were used
to measure the dependent variables. Our independent variable was “profes-
sional certification” using the dichotomous values of Lean Six Sigma, Excel
Basic, Excel Expert, and QuickBooks certifications. Survey response latitudes
and longitudes were also captured to assess the impact of geographic location
on the dependent variables. Results from Welch two-sample t-tests suggested
that Excel Basic certification was significantly associated with shorter time to
employment, while Excel Expert was marginally associated with shorter time
Please address correspondence to: Zo Ramamonjiarivelo, PhD, MBA (corresponding author)
Associate Professor, School of Health Administration, Texas State University, zhr3@txstate.edu
26 The Journal of Health Administration Education Spring 2020

to employment. None of the certifications were associated with job satisfac-

tion, job growth, or the combination of the two. Results also suggested that
students hired in larger cities reported higher levels of satisfaction and growth.
While this is a preliminary study, findings support preceptors’ requests for
students with Excel skills.

Introduction
Professional certifications are often included as a formal aspect of higher-
education programs such as health administration and business. For these
types of programs, the certification is often a clear fit with the curriculum.
Research suggests that even when such certifications are not closely related to
program requirements (e.g., liberal arts programs), students and the institution
can still benefit from certifications that demonstrate industry-specific skills
(Blumenstyk, 2018, 2019). Employees and human resources managers have
shown increased interest in hiring candidates with recognized professional
certifications that provide third-party verification of skills (Adams, Brauer,
Karas, Bresnahan, & Murphy, 2004; Raymond, 2001). Such external certifica-
tions may also play a major role in career growth (HRCI, 2010).
Extant literature suggests that professional certifications benefit both
employers and employees. On the one hand, employers benefit from hiring
applicants with external certifications because they add credibility to the
organization, they possess up-to-date knowledge and skills that increase ef-
fectiveness and efficiency in job performance, they expose the organization to
innovative ideas, and they have a positive impact on the organization’s profit-
ability (HRCI, 2010; Lee, 2018; Stefl, 2008). Furthermore, research demonstrates
that individuals value these external, professional certifications because they
increase and update their knowledge of the profession, indicate the employee’s
required competence and commitment to the profession, increase confidence
in job performance, provide job security, enhance work quality, determine
credibility, increase reputation, ensure ease of finding future jobs, facilitate
professional growth, offer potential for higher compensation, and increase
employee satisfaction (Adams et al., 2004; HRCI, 2010; Niebuhr & Biel, 2007;
Schroeter, Byrne, Klink, Beier, & McAndrew, 2012; Stefl, 2008).
Professional certifications are part of lifelong learning of healthcare ad-
ministrators as suggested by the American College of Healthcare Executives
(ACHE, 2012), and there are some job postings that include professional certi-
fications in their list of credentials. Program faculty conducted an assessment
of their healthcare management courses and provided suggestions for external
certifications that mirror their course objectives and overall competency model.
While several professional stakeholder organizations offer both membership
 Assessing the Impact of Professional Certifications on Time-to-Hire 27

opportunities (to include student memberships), credentialing opportunities

also exist in the field of healthcare management (Healthcare Management
Degree Guide, 2020). It was quickly recognized that such credentialing pro-
grams were not attainable for current students (both bachelor of health ad-
ministration [BHA] and master of health administration [MHA]), most often
due to (1) program membership dues and (2) a requirement for membership
tenure (number of years as a student and/or full-paying dues member) prior
to entering the credentialing process. Further, it was then identified that other
external certifications attainable by both undergraduate and graduate students
better mapped to the program’s competency model and curriculum at a more
organic, learning objective level.
In addition, these certifications, infused into program curriculum, were
intended to apply course objectives to real-world practitioner processes and
programs, as well as assist in the marketability of program graduates upon
graduation.
Given that professional certifications enhance graduates’ competitiveness
in a job search, because they validate the candidates’ knowledge and expertise
of the subject matter, graduates with professional certifications will find a
job faster than those without certifications, holding other variables constant.
Once hired, employees with professional certifications are viewed as more
knowledgeable and competent than those without certifications. Therefore,
they may be given more challenging responsibilities and higher compensa-
tion that may lead to faster career growth and satisfaction, respectively. The
researchers also assumed that if the value of certifications was to be assessed
in the study, job satisfaction would also be important to evaluate (possibly
linking certification to performance, with performance influencing the alum-
nus’s overall job satisfaction).
If professional certifications have a positive effect on both employers
and students (future employees), academic program administrators should
consider their adoption (assimilation into program curriculum). To determine
the value of the certifications also requires proper and ongoing assessment
by the academic program. Programs should consider including assessment
mechanisms to measure the effectiveness of any adopted certifications, and
which certification(s) to adopt is a question that requires exploration.
Often lacking (but not entirely new concepts) in higher education (White
& Vester, 2017), Six Sigma quality improvement initiatives, Microsoft Excel
spreadsheet intricacies, and especially financial accounting software particulars
are typically learned after an employee has been hired and training is issued
on-the-job. Furthering the initiative for job-ready graduates, such certifica-
tions formally document the candidate’s qualifications for the position and
28 The Journal of Health Administration Education Spring 2020

instill additional self-confidence in accepting the position (Mangan, 2015;

Blumenstyk, 2019).
The authors of this article are faculty and administrators in both under-
graduate and graduate professional programs for healthcare administration.
Two years ago, our programs chose to adopt multiple professional certifica-
tions commensurate with our role as healthcare administrators. The ACHE
Board of Governor’s Exam in Healthcare Management requires five years’
tenure as an ACHE member (does not include student membership type)
before Fellowship status is considered. However, there are other certifications
appropriate for healthcare administration students to assist in this initiative
during career readiness preparations.
The advisory board for undergraduate and graduate programs at the
authors’ university asked the programs to increase students’ proficiency in
Microsoft Excel skills. The program leadership for both the BHA and MHA
programs responded by teaching the body of knowledge for the MS Excel
MOS Basic and MS Excel MOS Expert certifications. Implemented in the ap-
propriate courses, these certifications must be attempted by all students and
are part of the course grades. For the undergraduate student, the Excel MOS
Basic certification is required as part of the finance course, and the Excel MOS
Expert certification is part of the operations management course. For graduate
students, Excel MOS Basic is part of the statistics course, and the Excel MOS
Advanced is part of the healthcare finance course. Students are provided
LinkedIn learning tutorials and a faculty-led training session to prepare. Pass
rates for MOS Excel Basic are between 95% and 100% (undergraduate and
graduate). MOS Excel Expert is more difficult, and the pass rate is between
70% and 80%.
Our programs selected Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, Microsoft Excel, and
QuickBooks certifications to address the following competencies: Quality
Improvement, Risk Management, Patient’s Perspective, Quantitative Analysis,
and Professional Development and Lifelong Learning. They were also chosen
to meet the needs/suggestions of stakeholders. For instance, Microsoft Excel
proficiency was suggested by our programs’ advisory board as an important
skill that students should acquire. Based on the recommendation of our Com-
mission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME)
accreditation team and our preceptors, we included Lean Six Sigma Green
Belt (LSSGB) certification in healthcare in our curricula. LSSGB certification
is valuable due to the growing pressure healthcare organizations are facing
with respect to improving healthcare quality while reducing cost. However,
the U.S. healthcare system has a shortage of workforce that specialize in qual-
ity improvement. Therefore, equipping our students with this certification
 Assessing the Impact of Professional Certifications on Time-to-Hire 29

will make them more competitive in the job market. In the same vein, we
chose QuickBooks certification to fill the shortage of accountants in the U.S.
healthcare system, who are important in helping organizations to become
more cost-effective.
The Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE) provides LSSGB
in Healthcare certification for both BHA and MHA programs. This certifica-
tion is provided during the quality improvement courses for both the BHA
and MHA programs. Students are given at most three opportunities to pass
this examination; the pass rate for the undergraduate students ranges between
80% and 93%. For the graduate students, the pass rate is typically between
90% and 100%.
Students in the BHA program must now attempt Intuit’s QuickBooks
certification (QuickBooks Certified User) as part of the financial accounting
course, while MHA students are provided the option to do so. The financial
accounting course in the BHA curriculum remains the benchmark study-skills
and math applications course for the degree program, preceding a rigorous
financial management course to be taken the following semester. Students in
this accounting course are to ultimately develop valid and reliable financial
statements using specific GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles)-
compliant procedures, as well as recent Affordable Care Act (ACA) (2010)
income statement requirements. The first two-thirds of the course’s semester
follow traditional classroom protocols, to include textbook readings, lecture,
homework, and high-stakes examinations. One competency to be demon-
strated by the student is manually creating detailed healthcare organization
financial statements (handwritten). However, reality is then infused into the
course curriculum by focusing the final third of the semester on automated
bookkeeping and financial statement development. This task is completed
by using Intuit’s QuickBooks educational software and related instructor
resources in the school’s on-campus computer lab. Utilized by many business
schools across the country, QuickBooks offers a Certified QuickBooks User
(QBCU) credential for students who pass the Intuit online QuickBooks desktop
examination. In the end, students learn the intricacies of financial accounting
by manual collection, accumulation, and presentation of financial information,
and then apply the accounting cycle process and related classwork within an
automated accounting software to best replicate their professional expecta-
tions beyond graduation.
Two years have passed since these decisions were made, so the leadership
of these programs chose to conduct an initial alumni query (assessment) to
determine the marketability and job satisfaction relative to these certifications.
The program leadership designed a survey separate from its annual alumni
30 The Journal of Health Administration Education Spring 2020

survey to measure the effectiveness of the certification. The research questions

were: (1) What has been the alumni marketability effect of the professional
certifications (additional offers, rapid employment), (2) what has been the job
satisfaction of alumni who obtained professional certifications (high-paying
jobs, desirable locations), and (3) what has been the career growth of alumni
who obtained professional certification? We hypothesized the following:
Compared with alumni who have not obtained professional certifications, alumni
who obtained professional certification(s) will have a shorter time to employment, a
higher job satisfaction, and a faster career growth. Further, we gathered informa-
tion regarding placement location to map satisfaction by region and looked
for patterns (exploratory). Limited research on the incorporation of external
certifications in healthcare administration programs currently exists, while
program faculty conducted this exploration to assist in due-diligence and
competency-based curriculum initiatives.

Methods
Research Question Review and Sampling Frame
This preliminary study evaluated the value of professional certification and
the number of its associations with the dependent variables: job satisfaction,
job growth, a linear combination of satisfaction and growth, and time to em-
ployment. The baseline hypothesis was one-directional, assuming that certi-
fications should positively affect all dependent variables. Gender differences
were also investigated. The study leveraged previously validated surveys on
job training and job satisfaction (Schmidt, 2004) and career growth and orga-
nizational commitment (Weng, McElroy, Morrow, & Liu, 2010). In addition,
the location of each survey respondent was also evaluated to see its effect on
the dependent variables through geospatial mapping.
This study was approved by the university’s Institutional Review Board
(protocol #6790). The sampling frame for the study was all 2014—2019 alumni
from the university’s BHA and MHA programs. The sampling frame is ex-
pected to be a reasonable representation of the population of interest. The
total number in the sampling frame was 415 alumni.

DATA, MISSING DATA, AND SOFTWARE

Survey data were collected using Qualtrics. Over the course of 6 weeks, 415
alumni were invited three times to participate. During this time, 101 attempts
to take the survey were recorded (24% response rate). However, 24 responses
were almost totally incomplete resulting in 77 useful observations. Additionally,
one individual selected “I choose not to participate,” and another provided
two different submissions, ostensibly to update job status. The latter of the
two submissions was retained. The result was n = 75 complete responses.
 Assessing the Impact of Professional Certifications on Time-to-Hire 31

In addition, four of the remaining respondents (all out-of-state placements)

were missing latitudes and longitudes. These were imputed using their cur-
rent positions and alumni LinkedIn information. Two respondents did not
answer the certification question. These nonresponses were assumed to be
modal (no certification) responses. Four respondents did not respond to time
to employment. Three of these were known, and one was not seeking employ-
ment. Imputation using actual values was performed. Two respondents did
not select citizenship status, and we populated those missing values by using
academic programs data. After these manipulations, only 3% of the observations
were missing. The 3% missing were imputed with means column-by-column.
This is a conservative method that will result in more Type 2 errors during
mean testing. R Statistical Software (2018) and Microsoft Excel were used for
the analysis (R Core Team, 2018). Excel provided the GIS mapping using 3D
Maps connected to Bing, while R generated the remainder of the descriptive
and inferential analyses.

VARIABLES AND DEFINITIONS

The dependent variables of interest were job satisfaction, job growth,
a linear combination of the two, and time to employment. Job satisfaction is
defined as the average of the Schmidt (2004) survey instrument responses shown
in Table 1 after reverse coding. The scale for each question was a 6-point Likert
scale. Job growth is the average of the Weng et al. (2010) survey instrument
measure on a 5-point Likert scale (see Table 1 for the instrument). A linear
combination of the two variables was generated by rescaling and addition.
The 6-point Likert scale average was rescaled to 5-points and added to the
5-point Likert average. See Equation 1.

Survey questions are shown in Table 1. Question 13 and subcomponents

evaluate job satisfaction, while question 14 and parts evaluate job growth.
Other variables measured and defined are shown in Table 1.

Survey Item Recoding

Gender responses were assigned based on academic program data (all were
recent graduates of approximately the same age group). Job data were recoded
as administrator/manager, analyst/coordinator/specialist, or other. Occupa-
tion data were recoded as either direct care or other. Work/visa status was
either “American citizen” or “other.” Time to employment (“Time_to_Job”)
was coded as {–3, 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15} to estimate (as a quantitative variable) the
32 The Journal of Health Administration Education Spring 2020

categories {> 3 months before graduation, 0 to 3 months before graduation, >

0 to 3 months after graduation, > 3 months to 6 months after graduation, > 6
months to 9 months after graduation, > 9 months to 12 months after gradu-
ation, > 12 months after graduation}, respectively. Further, the variable was
collapsed to {employment before 3 months after graduation, employment later
than 3 months after graduation} to evaluate as a categorical variable. Finally,
respondents with Microsoft Excel Expert certification were also coded as hav-
ing Excel Basic certification (a dichotomous variable), as it is a subset of skills.

Geographical Information System (GIS) Analysis

Survey response latitudes and longitudes were captured as part of the analysis.
While these may not perfectly reflect the locations of the respondents’ posi-
tions, a sample of 20 proved a 1:1 match for the city where their occupation
was. Using these location variables, maps of satisfaction, growth, and the linear
combination of the two were generated using 3D mapping in Microsoft Excel
(which links to Bing mapping). This analysis is descriptive in nature only but
provides interesting and logical insights.

Statistical Tests
Due to the relatively small sample size, it was not possible to build large
multivariate models. Instead, we evaluated the effects of certification and as-
sociations on the dependent variables separately. While this increases Type 1
error, the study itself was preliminary, intended to generate ideas and insights
for a larger-scale implementation and further faculty member collaboration
on the initiative.
Welch two-sample t-tests (robust to violations of normality) were used for
evaluating certifications, associations, and gender against mean job satisfac-
tion, mean job growth, the linear combination of the two, and mean time to
employment. The dependent variables were also evaluated against the number
of associations via correlation.

Results
RELIABILITY
We first evaluated the reliability of the survey items using Cronbach’s alpha
after reverse coding the appropriate items. For question 13 subcomponents,
Cronbach’s alpha was .879 with a bootstrapped 95% confidence interval of
(.831, .909) after 10,000 samples. For question 14 subcomponents, Cronbach’s
alpha was .938 with a bootstrapped 95% confidence interval (.901, .960). Both
results indicate that the survey questions are measuring their associated
constructs reasonably.
 Assessing the Impact of Professional Certifications on Time-to-Hire 33

DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS
Means, standard deviations, minimums, and maximums are shown in Table 1.
The average alumnus was employed in 4 months (sd = 4.5) and had mean job
satisfaction of 4.4 out of 6 (sd = 0.67). Mean job growth potential was rated as
3.7 out of 5 (sd = 0.7) for the average alumnus, and the mean linear combina-
tion of satisfaction and growth was 7.4 out of 10 (sd = 1.13). Most respondents
were female (64%), citizens (87%), and part of direct care organizations (68%).
A large number of respondents were administrators/managers (36%). The
average number of professional associations identified by respondents was
.200, although many may have forgotten to include IISE, which provides the
certification for LSSGB once membership is established. Nearly 35% of alumni
reported LSSGB certification, with 33% reporting Excel Basic certification, 18.7%
reporting Excel Expert certification, and 17.3% reporting QuickBooks certifica-
tion. Statistics for individual questions from the survey are shown in Table 1.

DESCRIPTIVE GRAPH
The box plots for the dependent variables showed only a few outliers for job
satisfaction and job growth and a large right-skew for time to employment
(Table 1, Figure 1). A hierarchical clustered correlation plot of the independent
and dependent variables of primary interest showed that job growth and job
satisfaction were highly correlated (r = 0.92) at the a = .05 level. Surprisingly,
time to employment was negatively correlated with satisfaction (r = –0.3) and
the linear combination of satisfaction and growth (r = –0.27), both at the a =
.05 level (correlation matrix not shown).

GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS MAPS

Plots of satisfaction, growth, and the linear combination of the two revealed
some interesting descriptive maps (Figures 2 through 4). Students placed in
larger cities such as Austin, San Antonio, Houston, and Dallas reported higher
levels of satisfaction and growth. This finding is not surprising, as larger cit-
ies typically offer more career options and possibilities, as compared to more
isolated, rural locations. There are implications for placement here, as El Paso,
Midland, and other outlying suburbs were associated with lower perceived
satisfaction and growth by survey respondents.

INFERENTIAL STATISTICS
Welch two-sample t-tests confirmed no statistical significance between female
and male time to employment, job satisfaction, and job growth; however,
there was limited evidence (a = .10) that the linear combination of satisfac-
tion and growth favored males (t72.03 = –1.679, p .097, Xbar1 = 7.228, Xbar2 =
34 The Journal of Health Administration Education Spring 2020

Table 1.
Descriptive Statistics

Variable (n = 75)  Mean  SD  Min  Max 

                          Aggregated Survey Scores 
4.000  4.502  –3  15 
Time to Employment 
Job Satisfaction  4.401  0.667  2  5 
Job Growth  3.698  0.701  1  5 
Satisfaction & Growth  7.365  1.131  3  9 
                        Demographics and General 
Information  0.360  0.483  0  1 
Male? 
Direct Care Organization?  0.680  0.470  0  1 
Administrator/Manager?  0.360  0.483  0  1 
Citizen?  0.867  0.342  0  1 
Number of Professional Associations?  0.200  0.520  0  2 
Lean Six Sigma Certified?  0.347  0.479  0  1 
Excel Basic Certified?  0.333  0.475  0  1 
Excel Expert Certified?  0.187  0.392  0  1 
QuickBooks Certified?  0.173  0.381  0  1 
                              Time to Employment         
Length of time (in months) taken to obtain a 
4.00  4.502  –3  15 
job before or after graduation 
                       Job Satisfaction         
1.  Paid fairly  4.520  1.389  1  6 
2.  Little promotion chance  4.284  1.419  1  6 
3.  Unsatisfied with benefits  4.747  1.462  1  6 
4.  Receive recognition  5.027  1.219  1  6 
5.  Job meaningless  4.973  1.262  1  6 
6.  Infrequent raises  3.667  1.417  1  6 
7.  Fair chance promotion  4.440  1.211  1  6 
8.  Fair benefits   4.613  1.365  1  6 
9.  Feel unappreciated at work  4.800  1.305  1  6 
10. Efforts seldom blocked  3.067  1.464  1  6 
11. Like work  4.720  1.279  1  6 
12. Unappreciated due to pay  4.487  1.435  1  6 
13. Equitable benefits   4.581  1.346  1  6 
14. Few employee rewards  4.351  1.278  1  6 
15.Too much work  3.548  1.507  1  6 
16. Feel a sense of pride  4.917  1.148  1  6 
         
         
         
         
 Assessing the Impact of Professional Certifications on Time-to-Hire 35

Table 1.
Descriptive Statistics

Variable (n = 75)  Mean  SD  Min  Max 

                       Job Satisfaction (cont)         
17. Some benefits not provided  4.082  1.592  1  6 
18. Too much paperwork  4.137  1.527  1  6 
19. Efforts not rewarded  4.370  1.380  1  6 
20. Satisfied with promotion chance  4.176  1.329  1  6 
21. Proactive in self‐improvement  5.356  0.812  3  6 
22. Satisfied with chances for salary increase  4.095  1.347  1  6 
23. Promotion as fast as elsewhere  3.438  1.335  1  6 
24. Deliberate in seeking out opportunities  4.838  0.930  3  6 
25. Job is enjoyable  4.784  1.189  1  6 
                    Career Growth         
1. Job helps career goals  4.014  0.966  1  5 
2. Job relevant to career goals and growth  4.073  0.920  1  5 
3. Present job sets foundation for career goals 
4.000  0.930  1  5 
realization 
4. Present job provides good opportunities to 
4.103  0.856  1  5 
realize career goals 
5. Present job encourages development of 
4.177  0.869  1  5 
work skills 
6.  Present job encourages work knowledge 
4.279  0.836  1  5 
development 
7.  Present job encourages accumulation of 
4.191  0.793  1  5 
richer work experience 
8.  Present job continuously improves 
4.191  0.889  1  5 
professional capabilities 
9.  Present job offers fast promotion  3.088  1.049  1  5 
10. Present job promotion probability is high  3.456  1.032  1  5 
11. Present position is ideal   3.764  0.902  1  5 
12. Being promoted faster compared with 
3.132  1.102  1  5 
colleagues 
13. Salary growing quickly  2.895  1.080  1  5 
14. Present job has high probability of salary 
3.264  1.122  1  5 
increase 
15. Salary grows faster than colleagues’  2.835  1.085  1  5 
 
36 The Journal of Health Administration Education Spring 2020

Figure 1.
Mean satisfaction by location

Figure 2.
Mean growth by location

 
 Assessing the Impact of Professional Certifications on Time-to-Hire 37

Figure 3.
Mean of the linear combination of growth and satisfaction by location

Figure 4.
Box plots of dependent variables

 
38 The Journal of Health Administration Education Spring 2020

7.609). Citizenship status, organization, and job types had no bearing on any
of the dependent variables. Figure 5 in Appendix A depicts the distribution
of satisfaction/growth via gender.
Welch t-tests of time to employment versus each of the four certifica-
tions provided strong evidence that Excel Basic certification reduced time
to employment (t70.5 = 2.007, p = .025, Xbar1 = 4.62, Xbar2 = 2.76) and limited
evidence that Excel Expert had the same effect (t36.1 = 1.314, p = .099, Xbar1 =
4.23, Xbar2 = 3.00). Lean Six Sigma and QuickBooks certifications were not
statistically related to time to employment. The mean time to employment for
those with Lean Six Sigma certifications was 3.35 months versus 4.44 months
for those without it. Surprisingly, QuickBooks certification resulted in little
difference in time to employment (4.15 vs. 4.03). Correlation analysis between
time to employment and the number of associations was also insignificant.
Welch t-tests revealed no statistically significant relationships between satis-
faction, growth, or the combination of the two in relation to certifications or
the number of associations. Figure 6 in Appendix A depicts box plots of time
to employment versus certifications.

Discussion
In this exploratory study, we found three major results. First, time to employ-
ment is statistically lower for those with Excel MOS Basic (2.76 months vs.
4.62 months) and Excel MOS Expert (3.0 months vs. 4.23 months). This finding
supports our preceptors’ requests for students with Excel skills. While not
statistically significant, the time to employment for those with LSSGB certi-
fication is also lower (3.35 months vs. 4.44 months). The time to hire value of
certification holds up from a human resources management (HRM) point of
view. Competency-based interviews that link competencies to job tasks have
been suggested to be highly predictive of a successful hire (Peregrin, 2014).
Coincidentally, they also satisfy Joint Commission requirements for job descrip-
tions, performance evaluations, and employee development documentation.
While QuickBooks certification does not have a meaningful statistical effect
in this study, program faculty acknowledge the necessity of student exposure
to an automated financial accounting software (which incorporates MS Excel
spreadsheet use) as a vital addition to the program curriculum. Additionally,
a low number of survey respondents with this specific certification may be
due to the QuickBooks certification initially being offered as extra-credit in
the financial accounting course, prior to being changed to a required course
task for all enrolled students.
A secondary finding indicates that males have a higher linear combination
of satisfaction and growth versus females (7.228 vs. 7.609). The reason for this
 Assessing the Impact of Professional Certifications on Time-to-Hire 39

is unknown and may require further investigation. Since this study is explor-
atory, we will replicate with a larger sample in the future to see if this result
remains. In addition, the potential linkage between professional certification
and job satisfaction may require the application of certification-based skills on
an initial hire or soon thereafter. Otherwise, there would be little contribution
of certification to job satisfaction (Herzberg, 1968).
A third finding (descriptive) suggests that students placed in larger cities
report higher mean levels of satisfaction and growth, while students placed
in suburban areas are associated with less satisfaction and growth. This find-
ing may just reflect that larger cities have more possibilities. Placement poli-
cies should focus more on the large metro areas subject to student-specific
requirements.

STUDY LIMITATIONS
The study has some limitations. First, our sample size precluded the use of
more robust inferential statistics, such as regression, which allows us to control
for some confounding variables that may be associated with time to hire, job
growth, and job satisfaction. Second, we used survey data that may be subject
to recall and social desirability biases. Third, given our sampling frame, the
results of this study are not generalizable to all BHA and MHA programs.
Additional areas identified for future research include additional mapping
of certifications to job postings and position descriptions across a variety of
healthcare management markets, further assessing the study variables between
the graduate and undergraduate degree programs, and continuing to build
upon the overall perceived value of the infusion of external certifications in
program curriculum. Opportunities to continue the exploratory analysis will
assist program leaders in demonstrating competency-based knowledge and
skills by both program completion and external, third-party certification at
the individual student level. It is also suggested that program reputation and
overall marketability of program graduates be assessed long-term. Furthermore,
another area for future research may consist of assessing the relationship be-
tween professional certification type and the kind of jobs that graduates obtain.

Conclusions
Recent years have demonstrated an ongoing concern surrounding higher
education costs and benefits, as assessed by multiple stakeholders: students,
graduates, parents, and especially employers of these graduates. Everyone
involved is searching for the best value (quality over cost), yet such variables
continue to be inherently latent, with many expectations and perceptions for
each varying by individual (Borden & Holthaus, 2018). Higher education
40 The Journal of Health Administration Education Spring 2020

institutions, while rapidly changing in their delivery methods, continue to

work on delivering a product that will satisfy as many stakeholders as possible
(Newman, 2019; Weissman, 2019), and the infusion of external certifications
into the course content and classroom experience demonstrate such initiative.
However, higher education competencies and workforce development skills
(such as additional industry certifications and continuing education credits)
are often viewed as separate initiatives (Kim & Tamborini, 2019).
Higher education also continues to serve as a gateway toward career de-
velopment and progression for many professions. Individual motivations to
attend college may vary, and the conferred degree upon completion of one’s
studies is still considered quite an achievement. That said, the overall value
of the undergraduate education has continued to be investigated by younger
generations as they are expected to pay more now, more than ever, for the
same educational opportunities as their predecessors (Lobo & Burke-Smalley,
2018). Often using government (subsidized and unsubsidized) loan programs,
the demonstrated burden of school debt has all higher education stakeholders
continuing to question overall value.
Healthcare administration programs are professional management pro-
grams, teaching competencies required in the many sections of the healthcare
industry. Ongoing societal perspective regarding the difference between
“book smarts’ and “street smarts” is often discussed by those hiring recent
graduates of programs, and educational programs are constantly trying to
demonstrate the relevance of course objectives, as related to the “real world”
(Witt, Sandoe, Dunlap, & Leon, 2019; Caplan, 2018; Darling-Hammond, Wil-
hoit, & Pittenger, 2014). In an attempt to further demonstrate applicability of
course material to the external field, our BHA and MHA programs choose to
incorporate external certifications into selected courses to help achieve this
initiative in their curriculums. Healthcare administration programs should
consider incorporating appropriate certifications and assessing the value of
those certifications. These considerations should include stakeholder input
and value, as well as follow-on assessment of perceived effectiveness. From a
HRM perspective, perceived merit (professional certifications) versus earned
merit (actual job performance) are important concepts and issues to consider
as hiring managers try to make these distinctions.

 Assessing the Impact of Professional Certifications on Time-to-Hire 41

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 Assessing the Impact of Professional Certifications on Time-to-Hire 43

Appendix A
Table 2.
Survey Questions Data Type
Variable  Definition  Type 
Mean Job Satisfaction  Mean of Table 1 Questions, {0, 1, …6}  Quantitative 
Mean Job Growth  Mean of Table 1 Questions, {0, 1, …5}  Quantitative 
Mean Job Satisfaction & 
Growth  5/6 × Mean Job Satisfaction + Mean Job Growth  Quantitative 
Time to Employment  Recoded Categorical Variable  Qualitative 
Latitude  Latitude where survey was taken  Quantitative 
Longitude  Longitude where survey was taken  Quantitative 
{Corp., Gov’t, Hospital, University, Group 
Organization Type  Practice, Other}  Qualitative 
Work Visa Status  {American Citizen, Other}  Qualitative 
{1 = belongs to professional associations, 
Any Association  0=otherwise}  Qualitative 
Lean Six Sigma  {1 = Certified, 0 = Not Certified}  Qualitative 
Excel Basic  {1 = Certified, 0 = Not Certified}  Qualitative 
Excel Expert  {1 = Certified, 0 = Not Certified}  Qualitative 
QuickBooks  {1 = Certified, 0 = Not Certified}  Qualitative 
 

Figure 5.
The linear combination of job satisfaction and job growth scores (x-axis) by gender
(y-axis)

 
   
44 The Journal of Health Administration Education Spring 2020

Figure 6.
Time to Employment (x-axis) by certification status (y-axis) for Lean Six Sigma
Green Belt Certification (upper left), Excel Basic (upper right), Excel Expert (lower
left), and QuickBooks (lower right)

 
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