Hospital Administrator - Job Description, Salary, Education and Career Guide for Becoming a Hospital Administrator
Every large organization with many employees must have some sort of general manager. In a hospital setting, this management task is the job of the hospital administrator.
Job Description
What is a hospital administrator? Hospital administrators oversee the various hospital departments and other related medical facilities including outpatient clinics, hospices and drug-abuse treatment centers. Hospital administrators must follow and enforce policies established by a board of trustees. These rules help administrators to plan, organize, direct, control and coordinate medical and health services.
Hospital administrators have numerous responsibilities that include:
- acting as liaisons among the governing boards, medical staff and department heads
- helping all departments work together as a team
- recruiting and hiring doctors, nurses, interns and assistant administrators
- conducting or coordinating employee evaluations.
In addition to creating policies for the medical center, hospital administrators are in charge of developing procedures for medical treatments, as well as ensuring quality assurance and other patient services.
A hospital administrator’s job includes public relations, ensuring that the facility maintains a positive image. Administrators must attend numerous health planning councils, hold fund-raising events and occasionally travel to professional association conventions. Being a hospital administrator is a demanding job that also requires keeping up with ever-changing medical technology, government regulations, financing options and health insurance benefits.
Salary Guide
The average hospital administrator salary varies with the size of the hospital facility, the medical organization’s budget and the level of responsibility. In 2004, a hospital administrator salary in a hospital or clinic with six or fewer physicians was about $72,800 per year. A hospital administrator salary for a hospital with 26 or more doctors could be as high as $133,000 per year.
Education and Training
Generally, a bachelor’s degree with five years of experience in medicine or a hospital setting is required to achieve an administrative position in the healthcare profession. A hospital administrator is no exception to this rule. Those who have a bachelor’s degree should be able to find a job in some sort of healthcare facility to prepare them for a hospital administration job.
Since a hospital administrator needs to know about business practices as well as medicine, it helps to have a master’s degree in any of the following disciplines:
- business administration
- health services administration
- health sciences
- public service administration.
The health services administration degree generally includes a one-year internship or residency in a health care center.
Prior Work Experience
Most health care professionals start out as administrative assistants in large or medium-sized health institutions. Eventually, administrative assistants work their way up to become an assistant hospital administrator and then to an official hospital administrator.
Candidates should complete an internship or volunteer work in a medical environment prior to pursuing a career in hospital administration.
Career Advancement
A healthcare administrator’s leadership ability, budgetary and organizational skill set are helpful for any type of business. For this reason, successful hospital administrators are able to move on to some sort of top corporate position. A healthcare administrator can be successful as a Chief Financial Officer (CFO) or Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
Related Associations and Groups
These sources can provide additional information about hospital administration:
- American Association of Healthcare (AAH)
- American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE)
- American Association of Healthcare Administrative Management (AAHAM)
- American Hospital Association (AHA).