Healthcare Administration Salary and Career – Overview
Healthcare administration is one of the fastest-growing professional fields in the US and has immense room for career advancement. It also has a high earning potential, work-from-home opportunities, and various online degree programs.
In this article, we shall take a closer look at what healthcare administrators do, how much healthcare administrators earn as a salary, and the careers that are available for aspiring healthcare administrators in the US in 2023.
What is Healthcare Administration?
Healthcare Administration Salary and Career in 2023 – What Is Healthcare Administration?
Healthcare administrators are also called healthcare service managers or healthcare executives. A healthcare administrator is responsible for planning, coordinating, and directing healthcare services.
Healthcare administrators usually work closely with physicians, nurses, and other healthcare providers to ensure that the healthcare facility runs smoothly and safely and remains compliant with all local and national regulations.
Usually, healthcare administrators do not interact with patients daily, but they do assist in creating policies and making healthcare changes. Healthcare administrators supervise the daily operations of hospitals, medical facilities, and clinics, which includes managing the staff, finances, and overall compliance with every governing authority.
These professionals are responsible for consulting with the hospital staff throughout and delegating suitable duties to the staff.
Where Are Healthcare Administrators Employed?
Healthcare administration is an impressively vast field and has numerous different types of career opportunities in it. You can start at an entry-level healthcare administration role and make your way up to become a medical administrative assistant and even reach the CEO position of a hospital.
Here are some of the most prominent career opportunities for healthcare administrators in the United States in 2023:
- Hospital CEO
- Hospital CFO
- Hospital Department Manager
- Clinical Administrator
- Nursing Home Administrator
- Facility Operations Manager
- Medical Office Business Manager
- Health Information Manager
- Health Care Staffing Agency Manager
- Healthcare Policy Specialist
- Healthcare Information Administrator
- Healthcare Program Director
- Healthcare Policy Specialist
What Do Healthcare Administrators Do?
Healthcare administrators are responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of a hospital, clinic, or any other healthcare facility. They create work schedules, maintain compliance with state and federal regulations, and monitor budgets.
Healthcare administrators also coordinate with other medical and nursing staff throughout the healthcare facility. They work closely with physicians, certified nurses, other healthcare providers, and patients and their families. These professionals usually work the first shift to collaborate with other healthcare professionals for efficient operations.
How Much Is a Healthcare Administrator’s Salary?
Healthcare administrators are among the highest-paid careers for those who want to work in the healthcare industry but not the clinical route. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median salary for healthcare administrators in the US is around US$ 101,340 per year, which is about US$ 48.72 per hour for a medical or health services manager post.
Here’s a small breakdown of the average salary scale for healthcare administrators, as relating to their experience:
- Less than 1 year experience = US$ 61,544 per year
- Around 1 – 4 years’ experience = US$ 65,521 per year
- Between 5 – 9 years’ experience = US$ 80,644 per year
- Between 10 – 19 years’ experience = US$ 87,020 per year
- Over 20 years experience = US$ 93,130 per year
What Is the Career Outlook for Healthcare Administrators?
According to reports by BLS, the employment opportunities for certified health service managers are expected to grow by 28% between 2021 and 2031, which is significantly higher than other similar professions. Most of this growth is expected to be witnessed because the baby boomer population continued to age. Besides this, technology is also allowing people to live longer lives.
Career experts expect this significant demand to continue to increase proportionately to the needs of doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals. Hence, healthcare administrators will be in higher demand to ensure that hospitals and clinics run smoothly.
As a healthcare administrator, you can find a career as one of the following:
- Community health centers
- Nursing facilities
- Healthcare consulting firms
- Drug treatment/rehabilitation facilities
- International health agencies
- Government health agencies
- Mental health centers
- Professional healthcare associations
- Adult daycare centers
- Ambulatory care centers
- Academia
- Medical supply companies
- Consulting firms
- Health insurance companies
- Outpatient surgery centers
- Rehabilitation centers
- Managed care facilities
- Urgent care clinics
- Hospitals
- Home healthcare agencies
- Private physician practices
- Group medical practices
Conclusion
You can work in various healthcare services if you earn an entry-level healthcare administration degree. Besides this, you can also apply for the post of office manager, medical insurance specialist, administrative assistant, or consultant. Once you earn an advanced degree (MBA or MHA), you can become a top-level healthcare administrator.
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I am a dedicated healthcare researcher and an enthusiast specializing in medical grants, medical education and research. Through my articles, I aim to empower healthcare professionals and researchers with valuable insights and resources to navigate these critical aspects effectively.
Having sharpened her skills as a validation manager in the fast-paced world of Cybersecurity over a decade, Andrea now applies her expertise to raise the standards of the fact-checking space. As a meticulous fact-checker, she diligently validates the claims presented in our articles, leaving no room for misinformation or ambiguity.
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