Health Care Administrator

Nowadays, health care is one of the most developed and funded industries in the country’s economy. It accounts for 16% of the Gross Domestic Product. It is the industry of rapid changes and innovations, great career prospects and requirements of professionalism and flexibility for the staff employed in the sphere.

For graduates with qualification in the field of health care administration, the matrix of job possibilities is available. They can be in charge of separate clinical departments, work in the sphere of human resources, finance, etc. or, after all, manage the entire hospital. However, graduates can work not only in public health organizations but also insurance, management, medical device and equipment companies.

The average salary of health care administrators is above $46 per hour with the lowest income of $25 and the highest pay of $71. The annual salary varies from $52,730 to $147,890 with the average profit of $96,030. The salary rate for graduates depends on their degree. If they received a bachelor’s degree, there is a very high likelihood that they will occupy junior positions such as assistant department heads in large hospitals or department heads in small hospitals. Consequently, their salary will be lower than that of master’s graduates. Furthermore, the bachelor’s degree is not enough for job promotion. The master’s degree gives a better opportunity to occupy higher positions in the hierarchy. New master’s graduates have more chances to take more prestigious and lucrative generalist positions such as department managers or supervisory staff. The potential starting position depends on applicant’s experience and size of the organization. For the position of health care administrator, academic background in health care or business management is significant. Furthermore, formal education may not be necessary for obtaining a position in physicians’ department; it can be substituted by on-the-job experience (Healthcare administrator salary).

In addition to specific academic background, it is a general requirement for nursing care facility administrators to pass a licensing examination and complete a state-approved training program. For the rest positions, no other certifications than the university diploma are obligatory with the exception of cases when the company may require separate certification for a particular position.

Among advantages of the healthcare administrator job is the variety of work. As was mentioned before, the multiplicity of responsibilities in this job require that a person will do versatile tasks to meet the needs of a hospital, coordinate the work of separate departments and employees. One more advantage that makes this job very attractive for young specialists in the sphere of medicine is social package and benefits. This includes discounted health care for the whole family, paid time off, retirement packages etc. On the other hand, very often there are so many job responsibilities that it is not possible to fulfill all of them during your working hours. Therefore, an applicant for the position of a healthcare administrator must be ready to work long hours. Since healthcare administrator is a decision maker, his presence may be necessary in hospital at any moment. A huge drawback of the job is that healthcare administrator is responsible for keeping the hospital up to the latest updates in the sphere of medical industry. Furthermore, the job also includes dealing with medical insurance companies on claims and other issues.

Speaking about the desired job, my choice would be to occupy the position that incorporates responsibilities of a health care service worker and business manager. Job posting “Health Service Administrator” from the company Correct Care Solutions meets my requirements perfectly (Health service administrator, 2013). The academic background needed for the position is at least the Bachelor’s degree in the field of nursing, business or health care administration. Furthermore, since the primary job responsibility is the delivery of medical device and equipment, three years on-the-job experience in administration, management and supervision in the relative field on the local level is mandatory. Besides, budget management and contract analysis skills will increase the chances of an applicant to be chosen for the position. Also, regardless of academic background, CPR certification for the applicant is necessary.

The company promises to provide applicants with high salary and generous social package as well as perfect working conditions and constant promotion opportunities. However, the exact amount of salary rate was not mentioned. Taking into consideration the responsibilities that will lie on a potential worker, it can be assumed that the salary will be much above the average one since it is the top management position. Among the responsibilities of candidates, there are the following: monitoring and evaluation of financial and statistical data, optimization and improvement of the work of separate departments or the whole company in compliance with State and Local Regulations. Furthermore, the candidate will also be responsible for managing and monitoring the work of subcontractors, establishing good working relationships with employees and maintaining communication with contracted providers and outside agencies.