People who oversee the operation of medical facilities such as hospitals with outpatient clinics are known as health system administrators. These individuals must be self-directed and have excellent verbal and communication skills. A person who wants to work as a health system administrator should earn a two-year master’s degree in healthcare administration and gain practical experience in the field. A health system administrator is in charge of developing policies for his or her company, as well as budgeting and managing the structure of his or her organization. This type of professional also supervises staff and establishes community relationships.
The primary responsibility of a health system administrator is to develop organizational policies. He or she collaborates with other high-ranking company leaders to develop standards for the establishment’s processes that are compliant with government regulations. His or her goal is to create short- and long-term plans that will help the company meet its operational and productivity objectives.
To succeed in this position, a person must have strong mathematical and organizational skills. Administrators of health systems are in charge of deciding how their organizations will allocate funding for staffing and equipment, so they must be comfortable developing and interpreting budgets as well as tracking spending. Furthermore, this person makes necessary changes to his or her company’s structure and healthcare system in order to improve the quality of services provided to patients.
Another important aspect of an employment role in this field is developing strong relationships with members of the external community. Handling public relations activities, such as working with members of the news media to promote his or her company’s services, is an important part of the job. A health system administrator also collaborates with people at local medical schools to attract aspiring physicians to his or her facility, and donates equipment to community health organizations, for example. Maintaining his or her company’s reputation also requires developing relationships with professional associations and even other hospitals.
Leadership abilities are also required to succeed in this industry. Anyone interested in becoming a health system administrator should be ready to recruit, hire, and train employees. In addition to disciplinary duties, he or she evaluates employee performance and distributes awards and promotions. To keep the healthcare provider’s system running smoothly, the administrator organizes the work responsibilities and schedules of his or her employees. This type of person should make every effort to ensure that his or her employees have a pleasant working environment.