Health Administrator
Job Description
Health administrators are those leaders who hold the reins at hospitals, physician group practices, home health agencies and nursing homes.
Health administrators also work in the public sector, in areas such as health departments, or in the private sector.
Potential private sector employment locales may include:
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Pharmaceutical companies
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Health insurance providers
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Consulting firms
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Companies that produce medical supplies and equipment
A health management degree opens up career opportunities that are expansive and invigorating. Those starting out in the field enjoy advancement opportunities and a network of contacts through the health care management community and program alumnus that are invaluable throughout the time spent in their careers.
Those launching a career in health care management must first select the approach that will provide them with specialized skills and knowledge that is essential to managing health-related organizations.
Health management graduates can help shape health care policy through the pursuit of careers with local, state or federal agencies.
Some agencies that are often sources of employment for health management graduates include Medicare and Medicaid Centers or the Food and Drug Administration.
Other national associations with potential employment opportunities include the Red Cross or the American Hospital Association.
Responsibilities
Health administrators may be generalists or specialists. Generalists manage, or help in the management of entire facilities or systems. Specialists work at the helm of specific clinical departments or service programs.
These health care managers, who also work under the designations health services managers or health administrators, are responsible for directing the operation of hospitals, health systems and other types of health care organizations.
Their responsibilities may include:
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Overseeing general function of the facility
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Organizing services
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Instilling and monitoring programs
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Supervising staff
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Budgeting duties
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Maintaining relations with other organizations
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Other management-level functions, depending on the size and type of organization
Skills
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Communication |
Must effectively communicate with your co-workers to ensure the best care and the proper procedures. Must be able to communicate in high-stress environments. |
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Active Listening |
Offering your full attention to an individual person or group in order to fully understand problems and their nature. |
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Critical Thinking |
Must use logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems. |
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Judgment and Decision Making |
Needs to be able to act autonomously and make difficult decisions that would benefit the patient or make corrections. Must consider all benefits and repercussions of potential actions and choose the appropriate one. |
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Complex Problem Solving |
Must be able to identify complex problems and develop and evaluate corrective options and implement solutions. |
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Stress Management |
Must be able to endure intense situations and handle pressure that comes with extreme situations you may encounter. |
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Trustworthiness |
Must be trustworthy because you have people's lives in your hands and what you do could help or hurt them. They are entrusted with a great responsibility and must live up to it. |
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Perceptiveness |
Gauging how people react and read their body language to decipher their feelings and predict their actions. They must be able to determine if people could be a risk to themselves or others and to distinguish truths from lies. |
Working Conditions
Health administrators and managers do not work directly with patients on a day-to-day basis, unlike clinicians who may work in their facilities.
Instead, administrators help to formulate policy, make changes when needed and help lead the nation’s health-related organizations in a way that best serves individual patients by improving the overall health care system.
Working long hours is the name of the game for health administrators. They may manage facilities such as hospitals, nursing homes or clinics, which operate around the clock.
Therefore, a manager is subject to being called at all hours to deal with issues. There may be some travel involved in this field since managers may be called on to attend meetings or inspect satellite facilities, etc.
Health care managers may work in any of the following settings:
- Hospital and health systems management
- Medical groups
- Biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies
- Health information technology firms
- Care management organizations
- Supply chain companies
- Health insurers
- Investment banks
- Government or policy organizations
- Large corporations that direct their health and other benefits program
- Health care management consulting firms
It is estimated that 300,000 people are employed in some aspect of health administration today, from middle management positions to the CEO office.
These health administrators work in organizations of only one or two staff members to major international companies that employ hundreds to thousands of employees.
Salary Outlook
| Estimated Annual Salary | Average Hourly Wage | Positions Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| $68,612.00 | $32.99 | 333,000 |