Hospital Administrator Job Description, Skills, and Salary
Are you searching for a hospital administrator job description? Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of a hospital administrator. Feel free to use our hospital administrator job description template to produce your own hospital administrator job description. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as a hospital administrator.
Who is a Hospital Administrator?
A hospital administrator is a member of the healthcare administration profession who is in charge of planning and managing a hospital’s or healthcare facility’s daily operations. They supervise hospital operations to ensure that patients receive safe and efficient care. Hospital administrators also perform a variety of non-medical tasks, depending on their specialized knowledge and the needs of their employers.
They ensure that medical facilities use practical and effective methods to provide the best possible care, either individually or as a team. Hospital administrators frequently collaborate with doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals to ensure that everyone is on the same page when it comes to providing quality care to patients.
They are in charge of personnel and budget management, departmental coordination, and patient care, among other things.
Hospital Administrator Job Description
What is a hospital administrator job description? A hospital administrator job description is simply a list of duties and responsibilities of a hospital administrator in an organization. Below are the hospital administrator job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write a hospital administrator job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.
The duties and responsibilities of a hospital administrator include:
- Arranging, managing, and coordinating healthcare services in accordance with the standards and guidelines of the healthcare department.
- Acting as a liaison between department managers, medical staff, and governing boards.
- Managing the medical staff and determining the necessary funding to keep medical services running.
- Collaborating with the board of directors to establish strategic goals for the organization and track progress toward achieving them.
- Confirming that the staff is doing their part to care for the patient.
- Directing the development and implementation of operational, public relations, and patient service plans and guidelines.
- Collaborating with other hospital executives to create effective regulations that promote patient safety and satisfaction.
- Maintaining open lines of communication among department managers, medical staff, and governing boards.
- Reviewing financial records and developing budgets based on projected income and expenses.
- Creating daily reports and carrying out employee evaluations.
- Ensuring that workforce must be recruited, screened, enrolled in, and developed in order to provide better healthcare services.
- Engaging in contract negotiations with insurers and other healthcare providers.
- Obeying and adhering to laws and regulations.
- Maintaining hospital structures such as lobbies, corridors, operating rooms, and exterior property.
- Preparing for future hospital expansion and development.
- Making certain that government regulations are followed and insurance claims are paid, as well as approving admissions or treatment based on established protocols.
- Making certain that orders are delivered on time and that stock levels are sufficient.
- Establishing rates and budgets for health care services.
- Providing medical results to patients while under clinical supervision.
- Sterilizing medical instruments in accordance with OSHA regulations.
- Keeping an eye on the collection, security, and use of patient and facility data
- Controlling the recruitment, education, and evaluation of human resources, as well as the timely and accurate completion of patient visit documentation.
- Participating in activities that will advance your professional and continuing education.
Qualifications
The following are some of the qualifications for hospital administrators:
- A bachelor’s degree in health administration or a closely related field.
- 2 years of hospital administration experience in a healthcare facility.
- Excellent command of medical terminology, and HIPAA regulations.
- Understanding of electronic health record (EHR) systems.
- Strong conceptual and problem-solving abilities.
- Exceptional multitasking and detail-oriented abilities.
- Excellent organizational, administrative, and planning skills.
- Ability to work under pressure and respond quickly in an emergency,
- The ability to work independently and as part of a team.
- Excellent communication, information technology, and documentation skills.
- Enthusiastic about providing superior clinical care
Essential Skills
Hospital administrators are in charge of a wide range of tasks, from financial management to patient care. The following abilities will help you succeed in a hospital administration position:
- Health policy and Ethics:
Although hospital administrators may not have formal medical training, having a basic understanding of medicine can help them assess the quality of the facility’s services and suggest ways to improve them. They may also study medical ethics, which may include the obligation of medical facilities to protect patients’ rights.
- Organization:
If you work in hospital administration, you may be required to manage multiple budgets, schedules, objectives, and strategies for a large and complex facility or department. You can manage and comprehend this data by honing your organizational skills.
- Finance:
If you want to work in hospital administration, you can use your financial knowledge to keep the facility financially stable. You can create financial goals and budgets to assist the organization in providing better services and options.
- Legal Comprehension:
Hospital administrators may need to understand the fundamental principles of health care law in order to ensure that the facility complies with legal requirements. Administrators can use this to protect employees in the event of a legal emergency.
- Problem-solving Skill:
Those who fill this job role are in charge of managing a hospital’s daily operations. As a result of this, hospital administrators must frequently find quick and efficient solutions to problems. As a hospital administrator, you may be responsible for patient care, employee relations, budgeting, equipment maintenance, and other issues. Strong problem-solving skills can help you address problems quickly and find solutions that benefit your organization.
- Strategic Planning:
Strategic planning in a hospital, which includes establishing goals and objectives for the organization, is frequently overseen by hospital administrators. Strategic planning requires the ability to analyze data, evaluate risks, and consider potential future effects of industry changes. Strategic planning is a skill used by hospital administrators when developing budgets, making business decisions, and evaluating employee performance.
- Policy Development:
Health administrators frequently develop and implement policies that govern the operations of healthcare facilities. For example, they may create or revise employee handbooks to ensure that employees understand their rights and responsibilities. They also oversee the development of procedures for dealing with difficult situations and other emergencies. This necessitates familiarity with the research, drafting, and approval processes for documents that have a large impact on large populations.
- ICT Skills:
Hospital administrators use information technology to manage the hospital’s computer systems, software, and other electronic equipment. They use this skill when sending emails to coworkers or suppliers, as well as creating presentations for meetings with investors or patients. Hospital administrators should be comfortable using computers and standard office suites such as Microsoft Word and Excel.
- Leadership:
Hospital administrators may be in charge of a large workforce. Develop leadership skills such as delegation, public speaking, communication, and negotiation to successfully manage your staff’s performance.
- Human Resources:
Human resources tasks that hospital administrators may perform include employee selection, training program development, and worker performance monitoring. Although a hospital may have its own human resource department, administrators frequently work with human resource specialists.
- People skills:
Hospital administrators frequently interact with a large number of doctors, nurses, administrators, and staff members, and hospital administrators can develop strong interpersonal skills. They can relate to patients by using skills such as empathy.
- Teamwork:
Hospital administrators frequently collaborate with a group of other administrators, physicians, nurses, support staff, and other experts to ensure the hospital runs smoothly. Hospital executives with strong teamwork skills can interact productively with their teams and aid in the achievement of shared goals.
- Decision Making:
Hospital administrators are frequently required to make quick and accurate decisions. They may be in charge of approving or rejecting medical procedures, hiring personnel, creating budgets, and making other important decisions that affect the hospital’s performance. Effective decision-making abilities are more likely to aid hospital administrators in steering their organizations to success.
- Budgeting:
Hospital administrators oversee their company’s financial operations. Setting up and managing the hospital’s budget is part of this. Hospital administrators use budgeting expertise to create financial plans for the hospital and its departments. Strong financial management skills in hospital administrators can help a facility’s financial stability and availability of funds required to maintain high standards of patient care.
How to Become a Hospital Administrator
Those who are interested in this position as a hospital administrator can take the following steps:
- Obtain a Bachelor’s Degree
Hospital administrators are typically required to have a bachelor’s degree in health administration, health care administration, hospital administration, or a related field. Some of the subjects covered in the coursework for these programs include health care management, business management, accounting, ethics, economics, statistics, leadership, management, and finance.
- Earn Your Master’s Degree
Although a bachelor’s degree is required for those who want to become hospital administrators, the majority of medical institutions will require a master’s degree from candidates applying for executive positions and other senior administrative roles.
Because of the diversity of the health care sector and the complexity of its regulations and medical operations, hospital administrators frequently require the comprehensive education provided by master’s degree programs.
Those interested in this field can pursue a master’s degree in healthcare administration (MHA) with a focus on hospital administration.
MHA students have a solid understanding of health care law and policy, organizational behavior and strategy, financial planning and analysis, human resources, marketing, communications, information systems, and other related fields.
Employers value work experience as well, and many master’s degree programs offer opportunities for fieldwork, fellowships, and internships. MHA programs emphasize general business practices such as accounting, finance, economics, strategy, management, marketing, technology, and information systems. The primary coursework emphasizes the following subjects, in addition to fostering a strong business sense: health care financial management, community, and public health, health economics and quantitative methods, quality and performance improvement, and health care law and policy.
- Get some Professional Experience
Many hospital administration courses require actual work experience in a hospital or other healthcare facility, preferably in an administrative role, as an entry requirement. Following the completion of your education, you may wish to look for full-time, part-time, or contract work in this industry. Practical work experience allows you to become acquainted with the specifics of this profession. It also improves your employability as there is a growing demand for knowledgeable and skilled hospital administrators in the healthcare industry.
- Earn Industry Certification
Although hospital administrator certification is not required, it can be beneficial. Hospital administrators are not required to be licensed by the state. Professional certification demonstrates that they have the necessary skills, knowledge, and experience to support their professional credentials. The following are two examples of board certification:
- American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) Accreditation
This organization certifies hospital and healthcare administrators with masters and doctoral degrees. Certification is only possible after five years in the position and participation in two civic, community, and healthcare-related activities. You will also need several recommendations from current ACHE fellows as well as passing scores on the required exams.
- Certified Medical Manager (CMM) Accreditation
This is the only nationally accredited professional certification in medical office and practice management. Candidates must have a minimum of 12 postsecondary credits in healthcare administration or management, as well as at least two years of professional experience in healthcare management with a patient care focus, in addition to passing the exam.
- Prepare your Cover Letter and Resume
A strong cover letter can capture the attention of hiring managers and increase your chances of being invited to a job interview. It can demonstrate your writing abilities while also giving potential employers a sense of your confidence and critical thinking abilities. The recruiter should be able to quickly scan the sections of your resume to learn more about your qualifications and achievements.
- Pursue a Job in Hospital Administration
Once you’ve completed your bachelor’s and master’s degrees, gained valuable work experience, and obtained the necessary certifications, you’re ready to start looking for a job in the healthcare administration industry. Focusing your search on a specific sector, such as the government, healthcare facilities, outpatient clinics, or nursing homes, can be beneficial. You must decide which workplace best meets your career goals and other requirements, such as salary and working hours.
- Prepare for the interview
Make a list of frequently asked questions for the hospital administration job interview. You can enlist the help of a friend and get their honest assessment of how well you did. You can also videotape yourself to see how you appear to others. Then you can decide to work hard to improve and arrive at the interview well-prepared.
Where to Work as a Hospital Administrator
Hospital administrators are primarily employed by hospitals. These could be large multistate hospital systems or small neighborhood clinics in rural areas. Hospital administrators, on the other hand, do not always work in hospitals. They may also work in clinical departments, public health organizations, private practices, and managed care facilities.
They may be required to work on weekends and evenings in order to attend meetings or events related to the hospital. Hospital administrators’ jobs can be demanding because they are in charge of the hospital’s general operations as well as the safety of its patients, employees, and visitors.
Hospital Administrator Salary Scale
Hospital administrators’ wages can vary greatly depending on experience and location.
According to Payscale.com, hospital administrators typically earn $88,036 per year, but they can earn as little as $52,000 on the low end and as much as $150,000 on the high end. Profit-sharing could be worth $15,000, and bonuses could total $26,000 per year.