How To Become a Healthcare Administrator
What Is a Healthcare Administrator?
A healthcare administrator directs and manages the mission and daily operation of a healthcare facility or a specific healthcare department. Healthcare administrators may also be called medical and health services managers or healthcare executives.(See disclaimer 1) They are responsible for developing the vision and goals of the facility or department and for implementing the policies necessary to achieve those goals.
Healthcare administrators can specialize. Some examples include nursing home administrators, clinical managers and health information managers.(See disclaimer 1)
Approximate portion of U.S. healthcare spending attributed to healthcare administration(See disclaimer 2)
What Does a Healthcare Administrator Do?
Healthcare administrators are tasked with planning and directing the activities of a healthcare department or facility. They plan and coordinate the daily operations of the practice or clinical area with the goal of improving patient care, safety and outcomes while optimizing workflow efficiency and cost-effectiveness. A healthcare administrator’s job adapts to meet the changing needs of the regulatory environment and the potential offered by emerging healthcare technologies.
A healthcare administrator who manages an entire healthcare facility or a specialty medical practice may have broad oversight and many areas of responsibility, from hiring to budgeting to compliance. Those who manage individual departments may have a narrower scope of responsibility.
Some of their specific tasks include:
Objectives
Healthcare administrators develop the vision and goals for the facility or department.
Policies
They create and implement policies to achieve the facility’s objectives.
Regulations
These professionals ensure the facility or department is in compliance with current regulations.
Budgets
Healthcare administrators prepare budgets and track expenditures.
Staffing
They recruit, hire, train and supervise staff members.
Records
These administrators maintain records pertaining to healthcare services.
What Healthcare Administrator Education Requirements and Experience Are Needed?
The education and work experience requirements for how to become a healthcare administrator can vary significantly from one facility to the next. It’s typical for a bachelor’s degree to be the minimum academic requirement, although some employers require or prefer a graduate degree.(See disclaimer 3) Work experience in a relevant clinical or non-clinical role is also customary.(See disclaimer 3)
High School Diploma
College Degree
Entry-Level Roles
Professional Certifications
Best Degrees for Healthcare Administrators
To fulfill the healthcare administrator education requirements, future professionals are best served by choosing a major that explores business-related topics through a healthcare lens. Healthcare administrators may have an academic background that emphasizes competencies such as hospital management and organization, health information systems, accounting, health services management and medical terminology.(See disclaimer 3)
Relevant degrees will typically cover the following topics:
Accounting and billing for healthcare
Health information technology
Healthcare quality metrics
Organizational management
Strategic planning and management
Regulatory compliance in healthcare
GCU Recommends These Degree Programs for Healthcare Administrators
9 Matching Degrees
What Skills Does a Healthcare Administrator Need?
An aspiring healthcare administrator needs strong business skills within a healthcare context,(See disclaimer 3) such as the application of organizational behavior and management to a healthcare facility. It’s helpful for administrators and health services managers to have a blend of soft and hard skills as they lead teams and evaluate policies.(See disclaimer 3)
Important skills for healthcare administrators include:(See disclaimer 3, 5)
Effective communication
Leadership
Technological literacy
Attention to detail
Analytical skills
Financial management
Where Do Healthcare Administrators Work?
Healthcare administrators work in a range of different healthcare settings. These professionals are essential wherever complex systems require strong leadership, coordination and strategic decision-making.(See disclaimer 6)
Some of the work settings for healthcare administrators include:(See disclaimer 6)
Hospitals
About 29% of healthcare administrators work in hospitals.
Outpatient care centers
Outpatient care centers can include specialty practices, such as rehabilitation centers.
Physician offices
Administrators may manage a physician’s office or a larger medical practice for a group of physicians.
Nursing homes
Nursing home administrators may manage everything from admissions to building maintenance to resident care.
Median annual salary for medical and health services managers as of May 2024(See disclaimer 7)
Projected job growth rate for medical and health services managers from 2024 through 2034(See disclaimer 8)
Advancement Opportunities Within Healthcare Administration
There are potential advancement opportunities within healthcare administration, particularly for administrators who acquire additional career credentials, such as a graduate degree. Some administrators achieve advancement by expanding their job responsibilities, such as becoming responsible for managing the hospital’s information systems. Others may pursue a position as a top-level healthcare executive.(See disclaimer 3)
Explore More on Healthcare Administration
Further discover the healthcare administration field as you reflect on this career option. Explore the following blog articles to learn more about becoming a healthcare administrator.
Discover some important personal characteristics for aspiring healthcare administrators, including ethical judgment.
Explore some career possibilities within the healthcare administration field and get some tips for your job search.
Learn about the key differences between healthcare administration and healthcare management, including the roles and responsibilities.
Begin your path toward pursuing a career in the healthcare administration field.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2025, Aug. 28). What Medical and Health Services Managers Do. Occupational Outlook Handbook. Retrieved April 2026.
- Sahni, N.R., Istvan, B., & Thornhill, H.B., et al. (2025, May 22). Availability of Consistent, Reliable and Actionable Public Data on U.S. Hospital Administrative Expenses. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved April 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2025, Aug. 28). How To Become a Medical or Health Services Manager. Occupational Outlook Handbook. Retrieved April 2026.
- Illinois Career Information System. (n.d.). Health Services Administrators - Helpful High School Courses. Illinois Department of Employment Security. Retrieved April 2026.
- Indeed Editorial Team. (2025, Nov. 19). Healthcare Administration Skills (Plus How to Improve Them). Indeed. Retrieved April 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2025, Aug. 28). Medical and Health Services Managers: Work Environment. Occupational Outlook Handbook. Retrieved April 2026.
- The earnings referenced were reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Medical and Health Services Managers, as of May 2024, retrieved April 2026. Due to COVID-19, data from 2020 to 2023 may be atypical compared to prior years. BLS calculates the median using salaries of workers nationwide with varying levels of education and experience. It does not reflect the earnings of GCU graduates as medical and health services managers, nor does it reflect the earnings of workers in one city or region of the country or a typical entry-level salary. Median income is the statistical midpoint for the range of salaries in a specific occupation. It is very unlikely that a median salary will reflect an entry-level salary. It represents what you would earn if you were paid more money than half the workers in an occupation, and less than half the workers in an occupation. It may give you a basis to estimate what you might earn at some point if you enter this career. Grand Canyon University can make no guarantees on individual graduates’ salaries. Your employability will be determined by numerous factors over which GCU has no control, such as the employer the graduate chooses to apply to, the graduate’s experience level, individual characteristics, skills, etc. against a pool of candidates.
- COVID-19 has adversely affected the global economy and data from 2020 to 2023 may be atypical compared to prior years. Accordingly, data shown is effective August 2025, which can be found here: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Medical and Health Services Managers, retrieved April 2026.