Health Care Facility Administrator

  • Health Care Facility Administrator

Work Activities/Work Locations

  • Health Care Facility Administrators manage the operations of a health care facility. They work in hospitals, clinics, nursing home facilities, assisted living facilities, group homes, outpatient clinics, hospices, doctors’ offices, and insurance companies.
  • Health Care Facility Administrators create and implement policy and procedures, hire and supervise staff, and direct budget planning, ordering of supplies, development of new programs and facility upgrades and improvements.
  • Persons majoring in Health Care Administration may become Hospital Administrators, Medical Clinic Managers, Nursing Home Administrators (NHA), Human Resource Directors, Marketing Managers, Pharmaceutical Salesperson, HMO Underwriter, Health Care Consultant, Project Administrators, Project Managers, Team Coordinators, Publicity Managers, or Technical Analysts.

Advantages and Disadvantages

  • Health Care industry is changing quickly. With an aging population, increasing costs, changing technology, and changing demographics, Health Care Administrators must be able to manage this dynamic field.
  • May work long hours and be called in at all hours to deal with problems.
  • Want to make a positive difference in the lives of others.

 Education: 4-6 years

 Patient Interaction: Low

 Physical Activity: Low

 Salary: $84,513

 Job Growth: High

Related Careers

Public Relations and Marketing Specialist


Health Care Facility Administrator


Getting Started

  • Students should take a college preparatory curriculum.
  • Helpful high school courses would include mathematics, Communication, algebra, economics, government, accounting, political science, Medical Terminology, English, geometry, psychology, sociology, and computer skills.
  • There are various paths towards being eligible for licensure.
  • UW-Eau Claire offers through their College of Business a Bachelor’s Degree in Health Care Administration. Graduates of the program are eligible to take the Wisconsin and Minnesota licensure examinations for Nursing Home Administrators (NHA).
  • The major at UW-Eau Claire includes courses in speech, Biology of Humans, nutrition, microeconomics, macroeconomics, accounting, Business Writing, Information Systems in Business, Legal & Regulatory Environment, and Organizational Behavior. A 12-month practicum at a health care facility is also required. Admission to the Practicum IS competitive and the University does not guarantee placement.
  • UW-Milwaukee offers a four-year program leading to the Bachelor’s of Science degree in Health Care Administration. Courses are taken in biological sciences, Health Care Administration, Health Information Administration, and liberal arts. A GPA of 2.5 is also required.
  • UW–Milwaukee also offers a Bachelor’s of Science with a minor in Business Administration including a 16-week internship with local, national, and international placement. The minor in Health Care Administration consists of 17 credits. 45 credits must be finished before this. UW-Milwaukee program is fully certified by the Association of University Programs in Health Care Administration (AUPHA).
  • Lakeland offers a HealthCare Management Bachelor’s degree program. An Associate degree in a healthcare-related field is required first.
  • Marian University suggests students combine coursework in Health Care Administration with Education in an entry level specialization: accounting, general business administration, finance, Human Resources, Information Technology, Management, Marketing, and Sport and Recreation Management.
  • Moraine Park Technical College offers a Certificate that allows students to take Associate of Applied Science Degree courses. The classes are accelerated and are designed for people employed in the field of Management or interested in moving into management roles.

Educational Institutions

Bryant-Stratton College – Bayshore
Bryant-Stratton College – Milwaukee
Bryant-Stratton College – Wauwatosa
Capella University
Cardinal Stritch University
Carroll University
Concordia University
Gateway Technical College
Lakeland College
Marian University
Milwaukee Area Technical College
Moraine Park Technical College – Beaver Dam
Moraine Park Technical College – Fond du Lac
Moraine Park Technical College – West Bend
Northeast Wisconsin Technical College
Rasmussen College – Appleton Campus
Rasmussen College – Green Bay Campus
Rasmussen College – Wausau Campus
Silver Lake College
University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire
University of Wisconsin – Madison
University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee
University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh
University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point
University of Wisconsin – Superior
Upper Iowa University – Blackhawk Center
Upper Iowa University – Prairie du Chien
Upper Iowa University – Wausau
Viterbo University

Hospitals with Associated Educational Programs

Mayo Clinic Health System, Eau Claire

American Academy of Medical Administrators
330 N. Wabash Ave., Suite 2000
Chicago, IL, 60611
312/321-6815
aameda.org

American College of Health Care Administrators
1321 Duke St., Suite 400
Alexandria, VA, 22314
202/536-5120
www.achca.org

American College of Health Care Executives-UWM (ACHE-UWM)
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
PO Box 413
Milwaukee, WI, 53201-0413
414/229-2645 or 414/229-2758
http://www.ache.org/

American College of Healthcare Executives
One North Franklin, Suite 1700
Chicago, IL, 60606-3529
312/424-2800
www.ache.org

American Health Care Association
1201 L Street NW
Washington, DC, 20005
202/842-4444
www.ahca.org

American Health Information Management Association
233 N. Michigan Ave., 21st Floor
Chicago, IL, 60601-5809
312/233-1100 or 800/335-5535
www.ahima.org

Association of University Programs in Health Administration
2000 14th Street North, Suite 780
Arlington, VA, 22201
703/894-0940
www.aupha.org

Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education
6110 Executive Boulevard, Suite 614
Rockville, MD, 20852
301/298-1820
cahme.org/

Medical Group Management Association
104 Inverness Terrace East
Englewood, CO, 80112-5306
303/799-1111 or 877/275-6462 (ASK MGMA)
www.mgma.com/

National Association of Long Term Care Administrator Boards
1444 I Street NW
Washington, DC, 20005
212/367-4202 or 202/712-9040
www.nabweb.org/NABWEB/default.aspx?id=32

Professional Assocation of Health Care Office Management
1576 Bella Cruz Dr., Suite 360
Lady Lake, FL, 32159
800/451-9311
www.pahcom.com/

Wisconsin Health Care Association/Wisconsin Center for Assisted Living
131 East Wilson Street, Suite 1001
Madison, WI, 53703
608/257-0125
www.whcawical.org/

Career Outlook

Number Employed in 2014 (Wisconsin): 6,350
Number Employed in 2014 (U.S.): 333,000
Expected Employment in 2024 (U.S.): 389,300
Percent Employment Growth (2014-2024): 17%
Expected Annual Openings: 14,050
Median Salary in 2014 (Wisconsin): $84,513

Salary information is located at Career One Stop

Wisconsin AHEC Health Careers Information Center provides the most current salary information available from CareerOneStop. CareerOneStop will have a lapse between when the information is gathered and when it is released.

Advancing into more responsible and higher paying positions such as Assistant or Associate Administrator, Department Head, or Chief Executive Officer (CEO), or by moving to a bigger facility is an option.