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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. 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.

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 and create and implement policies to achieve those objectives.
• Regulations: They ensure the facility or department is in compliance with current regulations.
• Budgets: They prepare budgets and track expenditures.
• Staffing: They recruit, hire, train and supervise staff members.
• Records: They maintain records pertaining to healthcare services.

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. Work experience in a relevant clinical or non‑clinical role is also customary.

An aspiring healthcare administrator needs a high school diploma before earning a bachelor’s degree. At this level, some courses that are relevant to this career goal include accounting, computer applications, business and communications. Some high schools may offer introductory electives in healthcare or nursing. Additionally, consider exploring internship or job shadowing opportunities at local healthcare facilities.

Future healthcare administrators enjoy flexibility when it comes to choosing a major. Some common majors include health administration and business. Some employers require or prefer candidates to have a master’s degree in addition to a bachelor’s degree.

There are multiple possibilities for gaining work experience in the field before pursuing a position in healthcare administration. These include roles such as medical records specialist, administrative assistant or financial clerk in a healthcare facility. Some future healthcare administrators first work as registered nurses (RNs) before moving into administration.

Some types of healthcare administrators in some states may be required to hold a state‑issued license. All states require nursing home administrators to be licensed, although licensure requirements vary by state. Research the requirements in the state in which you plan to work.

An aspiring healthcare administrator needs strong business skills within a healthcare context, 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.

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.

About 29% of healthcare administrators work in hospitals. Outpatient care centers can include specialty practices, such as rehabilitation centers. Physician offices and nursing homes are other common settings; nursing home administrators may manage everything from admissions to building maintenance to resident care.

$117,960 Median annual salary for medical and health services managers as of May 2024.

23% Projected job growth rate for medical and health services managers from 2024 through 2034.

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.

• 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.