Health care administrators are professionals who handle the business side of the medical industry. Serving as managers or executives, administrators perform a variety of tasks daily to keep hospitals, clinics and practices running smoothly.

Function

The primary responsibilities of health care administrators are to draft policies for how to run medical facilities, to develop budgets that govern spending and ensure compliance with federal, state and local regulations for medical facilities.

Other Duties

Health care administrators hire, evaluate, coach and discipline top-level managers or supervisors for various departments or offices within a hospital or clinic. In smaller facilities, they may directly supervise all of the employees. Administrators also represent the organizations they work for at community or fundraising events.

Skills

Successful health care administrators possess leadership and teamwork skills, effective communication abilities, knowledge of how to interpret financial data, creativity and the ability to delegate tasks appropriately. Knowledge of how to use database, project management, spreadsheet, word processing and email software is generally necessary to the work of administrators as well.

Education

The typical education requirement for health care administrators is a master's degree in health care or business administration or public health, reports the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Smaller facilities may consider administrators with bachelor's degrees provided they have experience working in the health care field.

Compensation

As of May 2008, health care administrators averaged annual salaries of $88,750, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Source:

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Medical and Health Services Manager

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2008

Occupational Information Network: Summary Report for Medical and Health Service Managers