Healthcare Administrator

Duties and Responsibilities: Health care administrators, also known as medical and health services managers or health care executives, coordinate the activities of medical organizations ranging from doctors’ offices to hospital departments to health care corporations. They create goals and the strategies for achieving them, and communicate this information to all employees. Because administrators tend to such business concerns as budgeting, scheduling, information management, marketing and internal communication, the medical staff can concentrate on health care. Administrators also ensure their facilities comply with all regulations and may represent their areas of responsibility at board meetings or public hearings.

Salary: $88,580

Education: Education

A bachelor’s degree (four years) is the typical entry-level preparation needed for health care administration jobs. Some employers, however, will promote from within or hire other professionals with related experience (such as nurses) who are ideal for an administrative role because of their direct health care knowledge. For high-level executive positions, a graduate education (two to three years) is usually the starting point. This means attaining a MBA, or a different type of master’s degree, or a doctorate in health administration. Subspecialties are often available, especially in graduate programs. These include long-term care administration, health care services, or health information management. Prospective health care administrators should look for educational programs accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education. An accredited program has successfully gone through a process that ensures accountability and a commitment to quality improvement.

Reflection: I wouldn’t like to be a Healthcare Administrator because I don’t like what they do in their job and they also don’t a lot of money.