Posted on May 19th, 2025 in Blog, Business

How to Become a Healthcare Administrator

Many different types of professionals contribute to a healthcare organization’s mission of helping others, providing care to those in need, and promoting healthy communities. Healthcare administrators play an integral role in managing the business operations within medical facilities and organizations. Though they don’t work directly with patients, the work they do is crucial to ensuring that patients receive quality care.

Healthcare administrators need strong organizational leadership skills, as they are responsible for managing a variety of administrative responsibilities and tasks. For individuals interested in pursuing a career at the crossroads of healthcare and business operations, earning a business administration degree in healthcare administration can help them develop the experience and skills they need to succeed.

What Is a Healthcare Administrator?

A healthcare administrator has a dynamic position within a healthcare organization. These professionals manage organizational practices and procedures and ensure the smooth operation of medical facilities. They oversee a diverse range of key functions, including billing, staffing, business development, and regulatory compliance.

Healthcare Administrator Responsibilities

Before learning how to become a healthcare administrator, it is important to understand what healthcare administrators do. Professionals in these organizational leadership roles manage a wide range of responsibilities within healthcare facilities. From supervising training to managing patients’ billing, the tasks performed by healthcare administrators are essential to organizational operations.

Overseeing Staffing

Healthcare administrators are often responsible for recruiting, onboarding, and training staff members. They set staff members’ schedules based on patient and facility needs. They also function as a resource to respond to staff questions and concerns, supervise personnel, and assess their performance to ensure workplace efficiency.

Managing Finances

Managing a healthcare organization’s finances is another element of what healthcare administrators do. A healthcare administrator’s involvement with finances can range from creating departmental budgets to delivering reports on cutting operational costs to reviewing patients’ fees and billing.

Reviewing and Developing Organizational Goals and Strategies

Another common responsibility of healthcare administrators is developing goals and strategies for their organization. They collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to set objectives focused on workplace efficiency and quality of service. As an organization’s goals evolve, so must their strategies for achieving those goals. Healthcare administrators help fine-tune operational strategies to make new goals attainable.

Ensuring Organizational Compliance

Many healthcare administrators monitor the latest healthcare laws and regulations to ensure their organization remains in compliance. Maintaining compliance is imperative to an organization’s legal standing and minimizes the risk of fees and fines.

Education Requirements for Healthcare Administrators

Individuals interested in how to become a healthcare administrator should know there is a certain educational foundation required to work in the field. While requirements vary by position, most healthcare administrator roles call for a bachelor’s degree. Employers typically prefer to hire candidates with a degree in a relevant field, such as business, nursing, or healthcare administration.

The versatility of a business administration degree makes it a popular option for individuals pursuing a career in healthcare administration. Programs with an emphasis on healthcare administration specifically focus on the intersection of the business and healthcare sectors. Courses in these programs cover topics that include:

Business and employment law
Marketing for managers
Finance for business
Principles of patient care
Quality management in healthcare
Cultural competency in healthcare

Senior-level positions in healthcare administration may have additional educational requirements, such as a master’s degree. Earning a Master of Business Administration or a Master of Organizational Leadership can help individuals hone the essential communication and management skills needed to rise to more advanced roles.

Experience Requirements for Healthcare Administrators

Employers of healthcare administrators often require candidates to have experience in either a business administrative role or a healthcare-centered job. Knowing the difference between business administration and business management can help guide individuals onto the right career path for healthcare administrator positions.

Roles that individuals pursue prior to becoming healthcare administrators include:

Registered nurse
Medical record specialist
Administrative assistant
Intake coordinator
Program reimbursement specialist

Healthcare Administrators’ Salary and Job Outlook

The median annual salary for medical and health services managers was $117,960 in May 2024, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Individual salaries can vary by type of employer, with those working in nursing and residential care facilities having a median annual salary of $99,250, and those in government having a median annual salary of $132,620.

The job outlook for the field is promising, with positions projected to increase by a massive 29% between 2023 and 2033 — far higher than the BLS’s projected overall labor market growth during that period of 4%.

Begin Your Healthcare Administrator Career at Warner Pacific University

Healthcare administrators are key players in ensuring that healthcare organizations meet their objectives and provide essential care to their patients. Healthcare administrators utilize a diverse skill set rooted in management and leadership to handle responsibilities in areas that range from finances to training.

Individuals interested in how to become a healthcare administrator should know that the place to start is with the right educational foundation. Warner Pacific University Online’s BA in Business Administration program with a Healthcare Administration emphasis prepares students for leadership positions by integrating healthcare administration theories into business management and practices topics in the curriculum. WPU Online’s program is an accelerated bachelor’s program that allows students to balance their education with their professional obligations and earn a degree in as little as 18 months.

Find out how WPU Online can support your career goals today.

Sources:
ExploreHealthCareers.org, Health Administrator
Indeed, Full-Time Entry-Level Healthcare Administration Jobs
Indeed, “Health Administrator Job Description: Top Duties and Qualifications”
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Medical and Health Services Managers