Should i become a healthcare administrator

It is one of the most rewarding parts of the job — the ability to affect change and do something positive and meaningful through your work. People who work in healthcare are often considered valuable community members because they give their time to heal others, and executives are also considered visible and valuable because they are in high-powered positions where they call the shots. As a healthcare administrator you will have both reputations and can use your role in the community to make a difference in many different ways.

Not only that, but hospitals and other healthcare organizations often employ large numbers of people in their region. As such, you will also be credited with employing, managing, and protecting the jobs of hundreds or even thousands of people.

Healthcare administrators keep medical facilities running smoothly by managing the day-to-day operations and planning future improvements. Depending on your role, job description of healthcare administrators can vary but may include:. Not all of these duties will apply to every position.

You may also move into a higher position at a facility and take on greater responsibilities, like shaping programming for the entire organization. You can choose to focus on a particular area through coursework, internships, clinical experience and certifications. Think of an MHA as the starting point for your career goals; you have the freedom to shape your path.

Healthcare administrators must complete a wide variety of tasks. They need to be detail-oriented yet also look at the bigger picture. Here are the essential healthcare administration skills you need to succeed at this role:. Your undergraduate coursework should include a mix of healthcare and business courses to prepare you for your job duties. Before pursuing a higher level of education, it is beneficial to gain real-world experience.

Other programs may prefer applicants who are currently working in the field. While direct healthcare administration experience is ideal, you may also get applicable experience in a different but related role. For many candidates, the next step is to earn a master of health administration MHA. Healthcare administrators seeking leadership positions will want to strike the right balance and will help with navigating cross-departmental issues or initiatives.

You may know how to coordinate a nursing unit like a champion, but if you have a limited understanding of how HR, billing or other key focus areas operate and their needs, you may struggle. You might not be able to build experience in every facet of healthcare administration, but do what you can to seek out opportunities to learn more about other functional areas.

These are the people that can help build your understanding of what issues they face in their daily work, facilitate conversations and potentially even help pave the path for career advancement. Healthcare administrators in high-level leadership positions set policies whose ripple effects can impact entire communities. That means sometimes the role is more akin to steering a cruise ship than steering a speed boat. Change comes gradually and only after great effort to get everything moving in the same direction.

For instance, Ho points out that it took 10 years for electronic order sets to roll out and become widely implemented due to technical and user challenges. While not every initiative will be an undertaking as big as this, even smaller projects can sometimes get bogged down.

Patience—as well as knowing when to take charge—play a big part in your effectiveness in these scenarios. It was the best thing that ever happened! Calder is another firm believer in the value of a mentorship. At the event, she made a positive impression on the CEO, who then helped her secure an internship.

Long story short, this bold networking attempt turned into a fruitful, long-term, professional relationship. The severity of this may depend a bit on your role or seniority within an organization, but healthcare administrators should brace themselves for the disruptions that can come with interdepartmental politics.

No one likes to have a plan go off the rails or see their best efforts fall flat when it matters most. One quickly learns that imperfect decisions are not catastrophic, unless of course they are patient-care oriented.

Calder says it took some time to adjust to the surprise situations that could shake up her plans. The expenses for all U. Advance your career with The University of Scranton. In their studies, prospective health care administrators are expected to cover a variety of subjects, including accounting, human resources, ethics, law, and health administration. This broad spectrum helps to describe the kind of skills and knowledge that hospital administrator jobs require. In particular, applicants must be current on all topics and trends in health care administration, adept in their use of technology, detail-oriented, engaged in problem-solving, and comfortable in a leadership role.

Some hospitals prefer prospective administrators who also hold a nursing degree or medical degree, but this additional education is not typically compulsory. With a combination of training and experience, people who work in hospital administration can enhance the way hospitals are run. Based on the skills described, the hospital administrator job description can be quite broad, depending on the size and needs of the particular institution.

However, most people who take a job as a health care administrator need not worry that they will be expected to do everything related to hospital administration daily. Rather, it means that those who want hospital administrator jobs have a wide assortment of potential departments and positions to choose from, including:.

Depending on the job demands and the hour nature of hospital work, people may be expected to work nights, weekends, or irregular shifts. Employees in the industry with a great deal of talent and experience and a good work ethic may eventually be promoted to health administration executives.

While professional certifications are not necessarily required in a hospital administrator job description, a few certifications are available in the hospital administration industry. Anyone who wishes to become a medical administrator in a nursing care facility must maintain a license in accordance with their state. The first certifies a person to act as a health care administrator in a sole provider clinic, while the second notes that the certification holder has demonstrated expertise in a variety of health care technology systems, a vital skill for the industry.

These certifications can be used toward state licensing requirements. Many professionals in health administration careers ultimately choose to work in a hospital, but not all. Since several different facilities and industries make products or provide health care services and treatment to individuals, all kinds of businesses and institutions need qualified health care administrators.

There are also medical administrator jobs in the following fields:. The appeal for varied institutions that can provide care to all different kinds of patients with a range of needs means that specialized facilities will continue to grow.