What Do Health Administrators Do?

The Hospital Administrator

Health administration covers a wide variety of occupations. Perhaps the best known work setting in health administration is the hospital. A top hospital administrator, almost always an individual with a Master's degree, coordinates the operations of various branches of the hospital, plans for future programs and facilities, and works with the governing board, government officials, and the general public to serve the needs of the hospital and its community.

Mid-Level Hospital Manager

Mid-level managers in a hospital work under the highest level of hospital administration. Mid-level positions include such areas as finance, personnel, public relations, and patient relations. In these areas, except for smaller facilities, the Master's degree tends to be required for the Department head.

Any person working in a hospital must be able to work well with people and to accept the challenges of a dynamic job environment. However, students should be aware that current job market trends suggest a reduced availability of hospital positions and more availability of non-hospital positions. Also, a Master's degree is usually a necessity for any individual seeking to rise above the entry levels of hospital administration.

For these and other reasons, interest in non-hospital settings has been increasing recently. Non-Hospital Careers in health administration include:

Long-Term-Care Administrator

The LTC Administrator coordinates what has been traditionally called a "nursing home", but which today is increasingly referred to as a health care facility. With the aging American population, not only are such facilities multiplying, but also increasingly sophisticated hybrids such as the continuous care/retirement center (CCCRC) and health care/adult day care center are developing.

Administrator with a Managed Care Organization

As employers and government struggle to control health care costs, the role of managed care organizations has increased dramatically. The traditional managed care organization is an HMO (Health Maintenance Organization), a complex organizations combining traditional insurance, preventive programs, and acute care.

In addition, an increasing number of HMO "cousins" are emerging combining some of the features seen in HMO's in new ways. Among these are preferred provider organizations (PPO's) and point-of-service systems (POS's). Health administrators are needed to aid in such organizations in areas like new market development and physician relations.

Clinic Administrator

Many physicians today are forming group practices with several MD's working together. In such settings, they usually hire a person knowledgeable in health administration, particularly finance, to coordinate the administrative needs of their practice.

Administrator with a Corporate Health Office

Large conglomerates of hospitals, long-term-care facilities, clinics, of various combinations of these are tending to dominate health care. Capable individuals are needed to staff their central offices.

Public Health Administrator

Individuals knowledgeable about health administration are needed by government at the federal, state, and local levels. Among typical governmental organizations offering employment are public health departments, health planning agencies, regulatory bodies, and the Veterans Administration (VA) health care system. The major military services also need health administrators to staff their health care operations and have programs which can provide both experience and graduate training in exchange for commitments of service.

Administrator with a Hospital Supply Firm

American health care institutions spend billions annually on supplies. Administrators with supply firms negotiate special buying agreements and advise clients on more efficient purchasing methods.

Health Care Consultants

As the complexity of the American health care system increases, opportunities increase for firms which specialize in providing expertise to other health organizations needing such. Consulting firms range from one-person operations providing assistance in a single area, such as computers or public relations, to giant corporations offering a wide variety of services to their clients.

Further Information

This page has considered several of the varied career opportunites available in the field of health administration. Related information can be found on pages dealing with job seeking in HA and the HA employment market. After checking these pages, if you have further questions, you may wish to talk with an HA adviser or with an officer of the HA student organization (HHAO) for more insights into career opportunities in the field.

You may also want to check the HA careers page maintained by the American College of Healthcare Executives.

HA Occupations Page by MB (last updated 09/26/04)