Transitioning from Nursing to Healthcare Administration

Healthcare administration refers to the management of all non-medical aspects of running a healthcare institution. This includes overseeing daily operations, handling finances, budgeting, managing staff, and developing long-term strategies. The goal of healthcare administration is to maintain the long-term continuity of the healthcare provider, organization, or system. Healthcare administration keeps an eye on and regulates every aspect of the commercial side of providing healthcare services.

Behind the scenes, healthcare administrators make crucial choices for hospitals and other healthcare organizations. They often work closely with finances and policymakers to improve patient experiences and guarantee the security of visitors and employees.

What do healthcare administrators do? 

The responsibilities of a healthcare administrator can be divided into many branches on account of the diversity of their role in a healthcare facility. However, it is important to highlight the fact that none of their work involves taking care of patients or meeting their medical needs. Instead, they have to focus on factors that will keep the facility running smoothly and seamlessly.

To achieve that, they are responsible for managing employees, organizing or designing workplace systems and processes, and ensuring that the rules and standard operating procedures of the healthcare organization are properly followed. They are also responsible for controlling the financial performance of the organization and designing different workshops and educational programs to help staff further improve their skills.

Some of the typical roles of a healthcare administrator include:

• Creating work schedules for medical personnel and staff.
• Financing the facility.
• Managing and controlling patient billing and costs.
• Enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of the facility.
• Making sure all the tasks are completed under defined rules and legislation.
• Educating and training workers and employees.
• Engaging with medical professionals and nurses.
• Checking and managing overall expenditures and budgets.

Healthcare administrators have a variety of tasks to fulfill, so they must be skilled and adaptable to take on the different challenges as they come. The healthcare facility’s size and location may influence work duties. It is also extremely important for healthcare administrators to be well-informed about state and federal legislation, regardless of where they work, and guarantee that HIPAA regulations are followed in their specific field of responsibility.

Additionally, the role of a healthcare administrator may include the implementation and supervision of:

Particular establishments, including hospitals, medical centers, and home health organizations

• An elaborate system of healthcare
• Certain clinical specialties, including cardiology, physical therapy, and nursing
• Particular sectors, including facilities management, personnel, financing, and admissions.
• Risk management
• Health finance insurance
• Ethics
• Quality assurance
• Additional techniques needed for tackling challenges in a healthcare setting
• Specific divisions or sections include CCUs, ICUs, and ERs

Because they guarantee ongoing organizational success through these duties, healthcare administrators are essential members of any company where they work.

The importance of healthcare administrators in a healthcare organization

Medical institutions, like other companies, require competent administrators to monitor their workers and employees. Administrators collaborate with the medical team to maintain proper shift coverage and provide each patient with the appropriate level of care.

Healthcare administrators benefit the medical industry in a variety of ways. For example, various parties exchange sensitive information when processing insurance payments. If the wrong parties obtain this information, it could compromise patient privacy.

Administrators strive to ensure that institutions abide by HIPAA regulations that protect patient data. Healthcare administrators serve as a central hub that helps the healthcare organization move forward. They ensure that the data required to guarantee proper care is available to doctors, insurance companies, clients, and other providers. Without them, the quality of care provided to patients would be highly unsatisfactory, treatments would be prolonged, and payments and funds would get lost.

Can nurses transition to healthcare administration?

A Registered Nurse (RN) can easily pursue a career in healthcare administration. In fact, it is one of the best options for nurses who have an interest in business and administration subjects. This has become a possibility because many of the skills needed to become competent nurses are also the skills required to become a promising healthcare administrator. Working as a nursing administrator will give them a great work schedule and other significant career advantages. A job as a nurse administrator enables one to advise others by suggesting medical and policy changes and working in a supervisory capacity over other nurses.

Although they provide minimal direct bedside care to patients, a nursing administrator’s job can still be highly fulfilling since they continue to advocate on behalf of the patient. As employment options in this field grow, it makes sense to advance after earning the necessary experience as a registered nurse. Countless hospitals, labs, and other healthcare institutions employ nursing administrators. Nursing directors, clinical coordinators, or assistant chief nursing officers are other administrative alternatives.

How can nurses make the transition into healthcare administration?

A Registered Nurse should have a BSN degree, and a healthcare administrator role demands at least a bachelor’s degree. An online master’s degree in healthcare administration is the most valuable degree for attracting good job opportunities and high compensation in this field. Nurses will likely be eligible for most administrative roles with a master’s degree. Spring Arbor University offers a unique opportunity for nurse graduates to earn an online MBA degree in healthcare administration that will prepare them for their role as healthcare administrators.

The best part about this course is that all the modules will be taught online, so practicing nurses can earn their MBA degrees while continuing their jobs. However, a specific set of skills will help nurses even more when transitioning from nursing to healthcare administration. These include:

• Communication: Communication abilities are necessary for practically every career, which shouldn’t come as a surprise. Personnel must be educated on policies, procedures, and legislation, even if health executives frequently speak with one another. Healthcare managers must be exact and explicit about what is expected of them, whether this communication takes place over the phone, via email or in person. Administrators must therefore be self-aware and cognizant of their language and delivery.

• Competency to work as a team: Administrators of health services must collaborate with patients, doctors, families, physicians, nurses, emergency service staff, governmental authorities, and insurance companies. Teamwork is crucial since the position requires guiding competent specialists and discussing and implementing complex procedures and hospital rules. Healthcare facilities rely on administrators to watch out for patients, employees, and the hospital’s interests while leaving their issues in the background.

• Problem-solving: Administrators in the healthcare industry must have powerful problem-solving abilities. Whether it is a clinical problem, a medical emergency, or an organizational problem, emergencies will inevitably occur. These situations call for creative solutions, optimistic outlooks, and rapid reactions. When a crisis arises, administrators should be able to recognize when something is going to go wrong, enabling them to brainstorm solutions and reduce damage earlier and faster.

• Leadership skills: Being an effective leader involves more than just giving orders; it also involves persuading others to change for the better. Strategic planning, decision-making, and team building are all components of effective leadership. Healthcare-specific leadership is crucial because it concentrates on delivering patient-centered care and managing highly sought-after professionals in a demanding setting. Leadership in healthcare must be centered on transformation (starting a change process), execution (turning vision into performance), and people (workers and patients).

• Patient care: A firm knowledge of medical and patient care is essential for these professions, even though administrative and commercial abilities may be the focus. Administrators must take a comprehensive approach to enhance patient care, considering every phase of the customer experience from scheduling an appointment with the front desk to parking at the hospital or clinic. The most effective healthcare managers are familiar with the fundamentals of illnesses, problems, and injuries as well as their symptoms, cures, and preventative measures. Furthermore, the greatest healthcare administrators are also familiar with the motivations of clinicians and medical professionals. By following them, showing interest in them, and posing questions, they try to comprehend them.

• Technology knowledge: Health service administrators must possess various technological skills, including software and typing skills. For their everyday job tasks, they need to be familiar with billing and coding applications, electronic records systems, and standard desktop applications. Additionally, they should be knowledgeable about the safe and effective use of medical technology.

• People skills: In a hospital, managing employees, families, patients, and guests requires interacting with a diverse range of individuals from various socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. Administrators must be aware of the subtleties of interacting with multiple personality types and cultural norms while being friendly, professional, and positive during complicated medical issues. The position calls for good people-handling abilities.

Overall, there are many rewarding options for those looking to move into a career in healthcare administration. The best place to start when exploring a change of career is doing your own research, speaking to individuals who are already working in the area you are interested in, and looking into ways to further your own education.