What is a hospital administrator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted Expert
Bill McGinley

A hospital administrator oversees and manages the health services and daily operations of a hospital or a healthcare facility based on regulations and protocols. Aside from hospitals, they may work in outpatient clinics, hospices, and rehabilitation centers.

They act as liaisons connecting medical staff and departments, ensuring the quality, safety, and effectiveness of the services being offered and provided. Handling budgets and setting the rates of medical services are also included in their long list of tasks. They assume the responsibility of developing and improving programs for various purposes such as preventive medicine and medical research.

They participate in the recruitment, hiring, training, and evaluation of nurses, interns, doctors, and assistant administrators. Their work hours are typically long and irregular since hospitals operate 24/7. They should keep track of the latest trends and news in medicine, government regulations, data processing, health insurance, and funding options.

A master's degree in health services administration, public administration, or business administration is the education requirement to become a hospital administrator. A one-year internship in a health care center and prior work experience as an assistant administrator may boost one's chances for this position.

What general advice would you give to a Hospital Administrator?

B

Bill McGinleyBill McGinley LinkedIn Profile

President & CEO, American College of Health Care Administrators

LTC administrators should have at least a bachelor's degree in business or a healthcare-related field. A well-rounded internship that exposes the future administrator to all aspects of the operation is essential. Needed skills include business, marketing, finance, operations, management and leadership.
Post pandemic opportunities will be nationwide in this field with a greater need in rural areas.
Technology will continue to play a big role in the field. Computerized medical records, census management, and all clinical areas will continue to dominate. Online meetings are liable to continue as well, as employers realize that there is a savings to be gained by not having people travel to meetings and conferences.
ScoreHospital AdministratorUS Average
Salary
5.9

Avg. Salary $75,644

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level
7.1

Growth Rate 28%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity
3.6
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.72%

Asian 7.88%

Black or African American 12.42%

Hispanic or Latino 14.15%

Unknown 4.26%

White 60.58%

Gender

female 53.71%

male 46.29%

Age - 47
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 47
Stress Level
7.1

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level
8.8

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance
4.9

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

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Hospital Administrator career paths

Key steps to become a hospital administrator

  1. Explore hospital administrator education requirements

    Most common hospital administrator degrees

    Bachelor's

    56.5 %

    Master's

    18.6 %

    Associate

    12.0 %
  2. Start to develop specific hospital administrator skills

    Skills
    ascdesc
    Percentages
    ascdesc
    Patient Care14.67%
    Patients14.42%
    PET6.06%
    Hospital Operations6.04%
    Human Resources4.33%
  3. Complete relevant hospital administrator training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New hospital administrators learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a hospital administrator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real hospital administrator resumes.
  4. Research hospital administrator duties and responsibilities

    • Manage accounts receivable, inventory, control facility and administrative costs, process payroll and perform invoice audit reviews.
    • Manage billing procedures and negotiate third-party contracts including a federal Medicare and state Medicaid contracts.
    • Add new employees to payroll system setting up employee specific tax, deduction, direct deposit, etc.
    • Maintain confidential patient information in accordance to HIPPA.
  5. Prepare your hospital administrator resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your hospital administrator resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a hospital administrator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose From 10+ Customizable Hospital Administrator Resume templates

    Build a professional Hospital Administrator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Hospital Administrator resume.
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  6. Apply for hospital administrator jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a hospital administrator job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How Did You Land Your First Hospital Administrator Job

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Average hospital administrator salary

The average Hospital Administrator salary in the United States is $75,644 per year or $36 per hour. Hospital administrator salaries range between $48,000 and $118,000 per year.

Average Hospital Administrator Salary
$75,644 Yearly
$36.37 hourly

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Hospital Administrator reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2020
Pros

i want to have more experiences in log supervisor hospital

Cons

for me i done like corruption


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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