Overview
Health administrators are leaders. They head up hospitals, physician group practices, nursing homes, and home health agencies. They also work in the public sector, for example in health departments, or in the private sector, such as with pharmaceutical companies, health insurance providers, consulting firms, or companies that make medical supplies and equipment.
Many graduates help to shape healthcare policy by pursuing careers with local, state, or federal agencies (such as the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) or health-related national associations, such as the Red Cross or the American Hospital Association.
Today, an estimated 100,000 people serve in health administration, from middle management to CEO positions -- at organizations of only 1-2 staff members to major international companies employing hundreds of thousands of employees.
Health administrators are either specialists or generalists. Specialists head up specific clinical departments or services, while generalists manage (or help to manage) an entire facility or system.
The Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA) offers:
7 Reasons to Pursue a Career in Healthcare Management
For more information, see AUPHA website.
To learn more, watch the video profile of "Medical and Health Services Managers."
You can download, save and print a PDF of this career profile:
Health Administrator 14 May 2008 [pdf, 163 KB]
For more information, see Association of University Programs in Health Administration website. You might also consider buying a copy of the Healthcare Management Education Directory.