Healthcare Administration Requirements

Healthcare administration is the oversight of a healthcare organization such as a hospital, nursing home or medical/healthcare clinic. According to Education Portal, a healthcare administrator creates and oversees budgets, recruits and supervises staff, and ensures compliance with federal and state regulations. A successful career in healthcare administration requires schooling and specific skills to ensure success.

Education

• Public, private and online universities offer the healthcare administration program. A healthcare administration position requires at least a bachelor's degree, if not a master's degree in healthcare administration. The graduate program for healthcare administration is about two to three years. The program has either a broad curriculum covering various healthcare administration topics or a specialized curriculum for administering a specific institution, such as a mental health facility. The general education program covers budgeting, staffing, marketing, health economics and health information systems, according to Healthcare Careers. The cost of a degree in healthcare administration varies depending on the college or university.

Skills

• Healthcare management requires strong skills in leadership, decision making, delegation, finance, goal setting and research. Interpersonal skills play a significant role in healthcare administration. Relationship-building with co-workers, subordinates, doctors, patients, families, city officials and state regulators is routine. Basic skills such as typing, reading detailed information and math are part of everyday duties.

State Requirements

• Each state requires specific training for some healthcare administration positions. Review state regulations before pursuing a degree for a healthcare administration position. Some states require enrollment in a specific course or state instructor-taught program.