Brief Description
As a Health Administrator, you will be involved in improving the efficiency and quality of patient care. Improvement of delivery of health services will be your responsibility while ensuring that that the facility you manage is up to date and compliant with current standards, recruit quality staff, represent your facility with private or governmental boards, and manage the budget under which your facility operates. Working in this career will allow to effect the quality of patient treatment of everyone that is treated at your facility!
As a Health Administer, you will work in a office setting that is often hosted in a hospital or nursing home. Typically as an administrator you will work more than 40 hours/ week, and often work during the weekend in order to meet your duties depending upon your setting. Being available to respond for emergent situations is also possible depending upon setting.
How Do I Become a Health Career Administrator?
Acquisition of a bachelor’s degree from a 4 year accredited college is required to become a healthcare administrator. It is advantageous for those wishing to pursue a career in healthcare administration to obtain a degree in the following areas: Health Administration, Health Management, Nursing, Public Health Administration, or Business Administration. A potential healthcare administrator can also obtain a master’s degree in the aforementioned areas of education. Candidates with a master’s degree is preferred to increase competitiveness.
Related Complementary Course work:
- Medical Terminology
- Hospital Organization
- Health Information Systems
Important Qualities:
A healthcare administrator is an individual that uses analytical skills in order to address a variety problems that may arise as part of daily duties. Using well developed communication skills, a healthcare administrator will work as part of the healthcare team by ensuring patient healthcare quality. This is is accomplished through good working relationships with the health care team and therefore utilizes interpersonal skills to complete job duties. Healthcare administrators often lead the healthcare team to ensure efficiency and quality and must incorporate the above mentioned qualities in order to be an effective leader.
Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations
Requirements defer upon state:
- Bachelor’s Degree
- Complete State-approved Program
- Pass National Licensing Exam
* Master degree is preferred.
Life After Graduation
After completing your Bachelor’s degree, work experience is preferred as either a social worker, RN, medical records and health information technicians, administrative assistants, or financial clerks. Job advancement is available from the aforementioned careers to a healthcare administrator. Once a job is secured in healthcare administration, the administrator can expect to work beyond the normal 40 hour work week. Often administrators must work with the a healthcare team to coordinate the healthcare system to increase quality of patient care.
Salary
Median wage $92,810
Range: $55,890-$161,150
Median Wage based upon location:
Hospitals (state, local, private): $99,930
Government: $99,310
Offices of Physicians: $86,050
Home Healthcare Services: $81,940
Nursing and Residential Care Facilities: $76,730
Professional Information Services
Professional Association of Health Care Office Management
American Health Information Management Association
American College of Health Care Administrators