Becoming a Hospital Administrator

A hospital is a business. It is the hospital administrator’s job to make sure that the business aspects of the hospital are running efficiently and effectively. Read on to learn more about what it takes to become a hospital administrator.

Job Duties of a Hospital Administrator
The following are some of the specific job duties a hospital administrator does to keep a hospital running smoothly:

• Manage Personnel: Recruit and hire nurses, doctors, assistant administrators, and interns. Make evaluations about how well doctors, nurses, and other hospital employees are doing their jobs.
• Manage Finances: Set rates for health care and make hospital budgets. Plan and participate in fundraising events for the hospital.
• Manage Facility Operations: Develop procedures for patient services, medical treatments, quality assurance, and department activities.
• Manage Public Relations: Plan public relations activities such as community health events.

Educational Requirements of a Hospital Administrator
A master’s degree in healthcare or business administration is the standard requirement to become a hospital administrator. It will take 2 years to complete one of these programs and the college or university must be accredited. A Health Care Management degree should have some of the following coursework:

• Pharmaceutical industry information
• Health information technology and policy
• Hospital organization
• Hospital Management

Salary of a Hospital Administrator
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that in May 2008 administrators who worked in general medical and surgical hospitals had median annual wages of $87,040.

Job Outlook of a Hospital Administrator
The Department of Labor reports that employment for hospital administrators is expected to grow much faster than average in the next decade. The best job opportunities will be for those who have excellent business management skills and experience working in the health care field.

Facilities a Hospital Administrator Can Work In
Large hospitals typically employ several administrative specialists to be in charge of specific clinical departments. Only one administrator will work above the administrative specialists and run the hospital.

In addition to hospitals, administrators can work at the following facilities:

• Nursing care facilities
• Physician offices
• Nursing and residential care facilities
• Home health care
• Federal government health care facilities
• Insurance carriers
• Outpatient care centers

In conclusion, a hospital administrator’s job is to run the business side of a hospital. It’s a challenging and exciting career path. Hospital administrators will need to be able to quickly and intelligently make decisions to ensure a hospital is running efficiently.