Healthcare Administration

You want a high-paying career in the medical industry, but you aren’t really interested in going through medical school, learning all that anatomy and doing clinicals. Well, there is a career that may fit your interests perfectly, and that’s healthcare administrator. Find out what you’ll do, how to get there, and what your compensation will be as a healthcare administrator by reading on.

What A Healthcare Administrator Does

You, in your healthcare administration job, are going to need to be up on all the current regulations and laws so that you can effectively communicate them to the medical facility staff ensuring compliance. You know––try to avoid malpractice and other workplace hazards.

You will need to be detail oriented; you’re running a rather large business that comes with loads of scheduling, billing, and paperwork. As a leader, you will need to have management qualities, along with impeccable interpersonal communication skills. Sound like you? Then check out what you’ll be doing on a daily basis:

• You’ll take what the medical facility has been doing well, and make it better.
• And the things they’ve been doing not so well, you’ll revamp.
• All companies need goals and objectives, and medical facilities are no different. You are in charge of those.
• You want to be surrounded by good people who have skills to help accomplish those goals and objectives.
• You’ll be hiring and training them. Or, at least, have the final word on the hiring process.
• You’ll keep an eye on the finances.
• Creating schedules for employees will fall on you.
• You’ll create and enforce budget.
• You’re the face representing the medical facility. You’ll be at the board meetings and the like.
• You will keep track of things such as the type of care offered, and how many beds you have filled and are available within the facility.
• Constant communication is important, so you’ll always be talking with your staff.

Depending on where you work, your title could instead be nursing home administrator, clinical manager, or health information manager. Or, your facility may have a completely different name for this position.

How To Become A Healthcare Administrator

Becoming a healthcare administrator is not a quick entrance into the medical field. Most employers will expect you to have your degrees, certifications, and some related work experience prior to offering you a job.

How to become a healthcare administrator:

• Graduate high school or get your GED.
• Go to college and get your bachelor’s degree in health administration, health management, business administration, nursing, or another related field.
• Complete your graduate program, which is an additional 2-3 years.
• Your program should include one year of supervised administrative experience. Gain some more work experience.
• Many states will require you to pass a licensing exam before you can begin to work as a healthcare administrator.
• Certifications are available. Although they are optional, many hiring managers will prefer candidates who have certifications.
• In order to advance in your profession, a master’s degree is necessary.

Salary And Job Outlook For Healthcare Administration

We can expect to see about 61,400 new positions opening each year for healthcare administration candidates now through 2033 (bls.gov). People are living longer and remaining active until later in life. This is creating new opportunities across the entire health and medical fields for quality candidates. There will be an increase in medical facilities such as clinics and small hospitals, and large hospitals are expanding. For those reasons, the field of healthcare administration will be growing along with the entire industry. Now is a really good time to consider this career; it’s going to just keep growing.

The average annual wage for healthcare administrators in the United States in 2024 was about $137,730, with the top 10 percent making closer to $219,080 or more. Some of the top-paying industries for healthcare administration professionals in 2024 were insurance and employee benefit funds ($244,470), pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing ($240,250), and scientific research and development services ($225,860).

In addition, the highest paying states for healthcare administration in 2024 were: 

• New York ($177,230)
• New Jersey ($169,520)
• Georgia ($168,460)
• Washington ($165,140)

If healthcare administration doesn’t meet all you were looking for, check out these other great careers in the medical field here: Med Career Now careers

Read: Administrative Careers in the Medical Field

Find a healthcare administration program near you: Healthcare administration programs