How to Become a Nursing Home Administrator

A nursing home administrator’s day-to-day responsibilities can include managing budgets, meeting with potential and current residents and their families, creating schedules, working with staff specialists, such as gerontologists, OTs, and respiratory therapists, and maintaining a healthy working and living environment for employees and patients.

Marc Halpert, chief operating officer of Monarch Healthcare Management, which operates assisted living centers, long-term care facilities, and memory care homes in Minnesota, says the best nursing home administrators show a passion for their work.

“The need for outgoing and energetic administrators is there,” Halpert says.

How to Become a Nursing Home Administrator

Follow these steps to launch your career.

What Do Nursing Home Administrators Do?

Nursing home administrators are a type of healthcare administrator. They are typically the top executive of a nursing home, also known as a long-term care or skilled nursing facility. These homes offer 24-hour care, therapeutic or rehabilitation services, and everyday activities for residents. Nursing home administrators may also work in memory care facilities, which focus on patients with dementia, or assisted living facilities, which offer more independent living options.

Nursing home administrators are not medical office managers, who oversee the administrative staff in doctors’ offices and clinics. Rather, they oversee operations and act as the “face” of the facility. While a clinical background isn’t required, an administrator is tasked with ensuring that resident care is of the highest quality.

Due to the nature of the work, a nursing home administrator’s job isn’t a Monday-through-Friday, 9-to-5 position. Weekends, evenings, and even holidays are likely required at times.

Primary responsibilities include:

Halpert says the rewards of being a nursing home administrator are many, including “(seeing) a smile on a resident’s face when discharging home after successful rehab, or a family member that visits and is so thankful for you for taking care of their loved one.”

Education to Become a Nursing Home Administrator

Education requirements can vary by state.

In the remaining states, you’ll need at least a bachelor’s degree to become a nursing home administrator, and many states also require completion of an “administrator-in-training” program or other field experience.

To remain competitive in their field and broaden their knowledge, some nursing home administrators pursue master’s degrees.

In his market, Halpert says, “a bachelor’s degree and nursing home administration experience are prerequisites” to become a nursing home administrator.

Most Common Education Requirements

A nursing degree isn’t required to be a nursing home administrator. The most common requirements include:

Bachelor’s Degrees

If you want to succeed and progress in your career, Halpert says, you’ll have the best luck with a four-year degree. Some examples of popular bachelor’s degrees for nursing home administrator careers include:

For a bachelor’s in healthcare administration, expect coursework that covers:

In addition, depending on the state, an internship or “administrator-in-training” program of up to 1,000 hours will likely be required. Typically, it takes four years or 120 credits to earn a bachelor’s degree.

Master’s Degrees

While a master’s isn’t required to become a nursing home administrator, you may need one to remain competitive as you progress in your career. Common degrees in this field include:

In a master’s program, you’ll likely take some mix of courses like these:

The time to complete this level of study is typically two years. Admission requirements for a master’s program vary by school but generally include:

Training Programs

Most states will require you to participate in an administrator-in-training program, which is essentially an internship. Depending on your education level, you’ll need to complete up to 1,000 hours as part of your state’s requirements.

In an administrator-in-training program, a student works under the guidance of a licensed administrator. Many healthcare administration programs have incorporated these into their curricula. Interns usually are required to complete rotations in some or all of the following areas:

Licensing

All nursing home administrators must be licensed, but each state has its own requirements. The National Association of Long Term Care Administrator Boards (NAB) is governed by state boards and offers three licenses for nursing home administrators, plus continuing education courses.

The exams for all three licenses have 55 questions and must be completed in an hour.

Professional Certifications

Nursing home administrators aren’t required to earn professional certifications, but they’re another way to demonstrate your expertise. They can also help you remain competitive and stand out among your colleagues. Some common certifications include:

What to Look for in a School

Halpert says that when looking at educational opportunities, look for universities “that have good placement options and connections to nursing homes.” 

These connections can help you land a spot in a training program, network, and ultimately find a job when you graduate.

Accreditation

Attending an accredited school and program is important for a number of reasons:

Accrediting agencies include:

Online Programs

Many bachelor’s and master’s programs are offered online, and this can be a huge advantage for working students who must attend classes around a work schedule and possibly family responsibilities.

If you’re interested in an online program, check to see if classes are recorded so you can watch or listen to them on your schedule. Also, find out if there are online forums for students and whether your professors keep online office hours.

Some programs might be hybrids, meaning they include online and classroom coursework. Whatever the case, you should expect the same level of coursework online and to complete your training program in person.

Where You’ll Work

While most nursing home administrators oversee long-term care facilities, there are other workplaces for these professionals:

Median Annual Salary

The median annual wage for all workers, says the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, is $104,830, but it can vary widely. The lowest 10% of workers earn $64,100 a year, while the highest 10% earn more than $209,990.

Many factors can play a role in your salary, including your education and experience. So can location. Here’s a look at how salaries for health service managers stack up by state.

The BLS also states the job growth rate for health service managers—a broad category that includes nursing home administrators—is projected to be 28.3%. This is much higher than the 5% average projected growth rate for all occupations through 2031.

Part of the reason for this dramatic growth is that baby boomers are aging and living longer. This means that many in this generation will require extended healthcare services for diseases and chronic conditions and to manage their lives.

Professional Resources

Networking is always valuable for any career. For nursing home administrators, these groups offer various combinations of webinars, podcasts, conferences, publications, job boards, certification, and continuing education.