Health Care Administration Education Resources
Your guide to health care administration education, certification and careers.
Health Care Administration Careers
Health care is a business, and like all businesses, it requires skilled managers to keep things running smoothly.
Three of the top administrative areas in health care revolve around office management, health services and information management.
If you're interested in pursuing a career in one of these top health care industries—or are just beginning your research to figure out which health care field to enter—read on to learn more about health care administration careers, financial aid, job duties and salary data:
The Business of Health Care Administration
Health care administration is a booming field that combines caring for people with business leadership. Charlene Boyd, Administrator of Providence Mount Saint Vincent Hospital in Seattle, describes the best health administration workers as people "who have passion for their work, vision for the future, and who understand the principles of leadership."
For nursing home administrator David Klanderman, leadership requires a focus on service to others. "If you flip the organizational chart and put the administrator on the bottom, that's this job. Nobody cares if you have paperwork to do. If they need you, they need you now."
"It's demanding as hell, and you have to be open with people and let them be who they are. But it's a wonderful experience when people rely on you."
Find out more about health care administration careers.
Health Care Administration Salaries
| Health Care Administration Career | Median Annual Salary* |
|---|---|
| Medical Office Manager | $111,180 |
| Health Care Services Administrator | $84,270 |
| Health Information Manager | $99,162 |
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data published March 27, 2012; Medical and Health Services Manager; salary.com May 2012 survey; Business Office Director-Healthcare; Health Information Services Director .
*The salary information listed is based on a national average, unless noted. Actual salaries may vary greatly based on specialization within the field, location, years of experience and a variety of other factors.
Health Administrator Interview
Matt Johnson
Currently enrolled at Rush University's
Master's in Health Systems Management Program
What are some characteristics of successful health administrators?
Every day in health care you're faced with a new set of challenges you need to solve. You need to excel in problem solving and strategic thinking. You need the ability to take a problem and pick it apart, come up with logical solutions.
It's not just about the bottom line, being profitable or not profitable. People in the health profession need to be passionate about health care. It's caring about providing the best quality health care to the largest number of people.
Continue reading the health care management student interview.
Medical Office Management Careers
- Accreditation for Health Care Administration Programs Read about professional organizations and accrediting bodies.
- Health Care Administration Glossary Learn common terms in the health care administration field.
- Salaries Find out what you'll earn in a health administration career.
- Health Care Administration Scholarship Information Get financing for your health administration education.
- Healthcare Management Internships Get work experience in a healthcare management internship.
- Education Opportunities Learn about growing opportunities in health care management education.
Health Services Administration Careers
- Health Care Administrator Careers Find out if you have what it takes to succeed in health care administration.
- Health Management Informatics Jobs Learn how information technology is a growing part of health management.
- Health Information Management Careers Get information about careers and education in health information management.
- Health Information Technician Careers Learn about health information technician careers and education.
- Health Services Administrator Careers Find everything you need to know to start a health services administration career.
- Medical Secretary Careers Read about medical secretary and administrative assistant jobs.
- Medical Office Management Careers Research education requirements and career information for medical office managers.
- Compare Health Service Management Jobs Learn about the health service management job path.
Compare top health care careers: Health Information Technology vs. Health Informatics vs. Health Information Management