Health care
administrators increase efficiency without undermining quality.
Health care administrators, also called medical and health services managers, manage the business of health care. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) says job opportunities are good in this field because the health care industry continues to grow and diversify. The annual salary of a health care administrator is typically over $80,000 per year.
Requirements
A master's degree in a subject such as health services administration or business administration is the standard educational requirement to become a health care administrator. A bachelor's degree is sufficient for some administration jobs in smaller facilities, and doctors' offices sometimes hire administrators who do not have a degree but have relevant experience, according to the BLS.
Salary Range
The average annual salary of a health care administrator as of May 2009 was about $43.70 per hour, or $91,000 per year, according to the BLS. The middle 50 percent of those on the earnings scale had salaries of $63,700 to $106,000, and the top 10 percent made more than $140,000 per year.
Types of Employment
Most health care administrators work for general medical and surgical hospitals, where they make $96,700 per year on average. Others find employment in doctors' offices, with an average annual salary of $88,700; in home health care and outpatient care at $83,000 to $85,000; and in nursing care facilities, where they averaged $77,500 in salary. Those working in pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing earn $156,000 per year on average, but this industry employs a very small number of these professionals. Small numbers of health care administrators work for manufacturers of electromedical and medical equipment and supplies and in scientific research and development, where they earn higher-than-average annual salaries of $133,000 to $142,000.
Outlook
Employment of health care administrators is expected to grow over 10 percent from 2008 to 2018, according to the BLS. Managers are needed to improve the quality of health care while keeping costs under control, to ensure the security of patient records, to recruit staff and increase employee retention and to implement new technology.
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