If you are interested in a public health-related role that combines business, clinical knowledge, and healthcare, a healthcare administration career is a perfect option. Health service administration jobs are essential in the workforce because these employees ensure that the facility is running smoothly. There is a multitude of career opportunities/roles to choose from, each with its own unique benefits.
Potential Workplace Locations
Healthcare administration career options are quite vast, and so are the types of locations/areas you might be working at. With a healthcare administration career, you could be working at:
- Hospitals
- Clinics
- Long-Term Care Facilities
- Corporations
- Government Agencies
- Group Practices
If you are worried about having a typical 9-5 job in an office, you can rest assured that a healthcare administration job is quite the opposite. Below, you will find a list of the top 10 highest-paying healthcare administration positions please note that some of these take years of experience in addition to education to reach this level:
1. Hospital CEO
One highly rewarding master’s in health administration job is as Hospital CEO, which is the perfect match for a person interested in healthcare, business, and finance.
Specific Duties
As an executive in the healthcare management industry, some of your daily leadership responsibilities include:
- Efficiently handling risk management and profit management
- Creating money-saving financial plans
- Providing patients with high-quality care
- Cultivating a positive culture throughout the facility
- Setting high standards for operational quality
So, if financial planning, analysis, and accounting is your jam, but you also have an interest in the healthcare field, this healthcare administration career might be perfect for you. However, to get the job you will probably need to first apply for and earn a qualifying master’s degree like a Master’s in Health Services Administration.
Salary
A healthcare administration career as a CEO is very rewarding in terms of a return on your educational investment. Salaries vary based on each individual’s educational history, but the average national starting salary for this master’s in health administration job is $164,365. Of course, in the early part of an executive’s career, their salary will be lower in comparison to executives with more years of experience in the field.
Career Outlook
The master’s in health administration role is expected to grow. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts a 6% increase for this role through 2024, which will create around 146,600 new jobs! That means that there will be an increase in a career opportunities for you, right as you graduate with this degree.
2. Healthcare Chief Information Officer (CIO)
A healthcare chief information officer is responsible for everything related to the information technology department. This is a great career option for those interested in management and technology, but you will need to pursue higher education past your college undergraduate degree to qualify for this role. Having a broad-based background in Health Services Administration will provide you a step ahead of the competition for the role.
Specific Duties
On a day to day basis, this healthcare administration career requires the CIO to do the following:
- Take initiative in terms of handling a physician’s access to digital data used in care/treatment
- Communicate with other C-level executives about the IT department
- Assess current and future IT needs
- Manage IT department
- Optimize IT systems to better serve healthcare providers and patients
Salaries
A Chief Information Officer (CIO) has an average base pay of $153,420.
Career Outlook
The employment opportunities for CIOs are excellent because technology and business are becoming more and more intertwined. There is a projected 11% growth rate from 2018 to 2028.
3. Chief Nursing Officer (CNO)
A chief nursing officer is expected to oversee and manage the nursing staff outside of the typical clinic environment.
Specific Duties
The CNO acts as a voice for all of the nurses, in an attempt to work towards the mission, values, and vision of the healthcare facility. On a typical day, a CNO will:
- Advise the nursing staff on proper nursing techniques and foster staff development
- Manage budgets
- Plan new services for patients
- Create retention processes for new nurses onboarding
- Participate in policy decisions that affect nursing and patient care
Salaries
Chief Nursing Officers have an average annual base pay of $137,314.
Career Outlook
Healthcare administration careers as a CNO are expected to grow at 23%, which will create 73,300 new jobs before 2022.
4. Pharmaceutical Product Manager
For those interested in positions in the pharmaceutical field, never fear! There is a role available for you with a healthcare administration degree as a pharmaceutical product manager.
Specific Duties
As a product manager, you are in charge of developing a strategic plan for your specific company’s products. With the added element of being in the pharmaceutical field, you need additional training and knowledge regarding the research and development of drugs. On any given day, you will be expected to do the following:
- Oversee researchers and technicians in the process of developing and formulating new pharmaceutical products
- Work on filing documentation for the FDA to ensure a smooth transition for a new drug’s approval
- Study current market trends and competitors
Salary
A pharmaceutical product manager makes around $110,677 as a starting salary.
Career Outlook
There are always new drugs being tested and developed each year, and as long as this trend continues, health services administration jobs as a pharmaceutical product manager will continue to be in high demand.
5. Hospital Administrator
A hospital administrator is another great career option for those interested in a healthcare administration job that will keep you engaged and on your feet. This position requires one to manage different staff and answer their many questions, so communication is key! In a similar way to how doctors take care of their patients, a hospital administrator takes care of the medical facility.
Specific Duties
In general, an administrator needs to take on the role of a jack-of-all-trades because they are assisting all of the people in different departments within the healthcare facility, such as:
- Human resources
- Human services
- Finances
- Supply chain
- Emergency management
- Project management
- Data management
Generally, a normal day consists of maintaining communications with different departments, as well as improving relations with other facilities to cultivate a strong public image. This is when it becomes really important to have good listening and social skills because this position requires constant communication.
Salary
The BLS estimates that the average pay for a hospital administrator is around $104,280 annually.
Career Outlook
The BLS is also projecting a 32% increase in demand for this health services administration job between 2019 and 2029.
6. Database Administrator
Attention all data, technology, and computer enthusiasts! We have an ideal healthcare administration career for you: database administrator. This role requires a detail-oriented individual who is excited about analyzing data relating to financial and healthcare information.
Specific Duties
On an average day, these data specialists are in charge of:
- Maintaining current databases
- Ensuring that organizations and their patient’s data is secure (and backup as necessary)
- Using software to investigate and make sense of data
- Assuring that the database is easily accessible and organized in an understandable language for other healthcare professionals to easily use
Salaries
A new hire in this role will earn an annual base salary of $81,444.
Career Outlook
The BLS projects that database administrators have a very good job outlook, with an increase of 10% from 2019-2029, which is faster than the average.
7. Nursing Home Administrator
If participating in inpatient care at a nursing home and managing issues on the business side of a healthcare facility sounds appealing, a healthcare administration job as a nursing home administrator could be extremely enriching.
Specific Duties
A typical day in the life of a nursing home administrator requires you to do the following:
- Understand and manage day-to-day operations
- Communicate with different departments to guarantee the proper execution of operational standards
- Make a real difference in the lives of the elderly and disabled through managing and supervising the business operations within a facility
- Hire and oversee employees
- Oversee billing and budgeting
Salary
This is a health services administration job that is very hands-on, but your hard work as a director will certainly pay off, as the average annual base salary is $75,134.
Career Outlook
According to the BLS, this particular healthcare administration job title of being a nursing home administrator is increasing much faster than average, at a steady 32% from 2019 to 2029.
8. Business Operations Specialist
For those of you who are more number and data-oriented, another great healthcare administration job is as a business operations specialist. This role supplies you with the perfect mix between business and healthcare.
Specific Duties
As a business operations specialist, each day you will be participating in the following:
- Optimizing and managing daily activities to ensure that the facility is performing at its best
- Acting as a bridge between customers and employees
- Working to ensure a seamless experience for everyone
Salaries
When you first hold the title of a business operations specialist, you can expect to make around $59,436 per year.
Career Outlook
Business operations specialists are expected to increase in demand by 8.83% between 2018 and 2028.
9. Medical Lab Technician
Another healthcare administration career is as a medical lab technician.
Specific Duties
As a medical lab technician, a typical day will include:
- Being in charge of the behind-the-scenes work that helps doctors detect illnesses/diseases in patients
- Preparing samples for analysis
- Monitoring tests
- Researching the chemical makeup of different fluids
- Testing for drug levels in patients’ blood
This health services administration job will allow you to have a huge impact on patients’ wellness and health.
Salaries
The average base pay for a medical lab technician is $45,257.
Career Outlook
With a 7% increase in job outlook, there is certainly a steady demand for medical lab technicians between 2019-2029.
10. Medical Records Technician
For those of you who are excited about managing the logistics around data, a healthcare administration job as a medical records technician is a great option!
Specific Duties
If you are the type of person who would prefer a more behind-the-scenes job at a hospital, this non-client-facing role is perfect for you! Each day, you will be:
- Managing and organizing patients’ medical histories
- Sorting through treatments for health insurance billing
- Ensuring that all patient files are secure and accurate
Without a medical records technician, the whole place would be in chaos!
Salaries
The annual starting base salary for a healthcare administration career as a medical records technician is $44,713.
Career Outlook
The BLS predicts that the job outlook from 2019-2029 for this role will increase by 8%, which is faster than average.
A Rewarding Career
All of these career options are very rewarding, but you won’t be able to pursue a healthcare administration job without at least a Bachelor’s Degree level of education. In fact, for most of these careers that earn six figures, in order to be competitive when applying you will need to graduate from an accredited school/university that offers a Master’s in Health Services Administration or similar program. After earning your MSHSA, you will become more competitive when applying for a health services administration job. Then you will have officially joined a network of individuals who have a genuine interest in learning more about business, science, and healthcare. So what are you waiting for? An extremely rewarding experience in a healthcare administration job is waiting for you.