About this article
Medical review pending- Written by
- Dr Paul Watson
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- Dr Han Simpson
- Published
- September 30, 2026
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- General Readers & Patients
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- Worldwide
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Healthcare needs people behind the scenes just as much as it needs people at the bedside. The rising complexity of patient care has encouraged nurses and business professionals to step into the administrative side of the industry.
Owing to the growth of aging populations and cost pressures, the demand from hospitals and clinics has climbed over the years.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 24% growth in employment for medical and health services managers between 2025 and 2035. It also points to about 62,300 openings each year, which keeps the door open for newcomers.
The road to a management position is rife with obstacles due to intense competition. Tighter governance around privacy and compliance has also made employers more selective. By following the steps below, you can improve your chances of earning a spot on the team.
Correctly Assess Your Skills
Healthcare administration covers several areas, so your first job is figuring out where your existing strengths can carry the most weight. Your background usually gives you clues, although the best fit may not be the most obvious one.
If you come from nursing, you may already understand staffing pressures, patient flow, clinical documentation, and how care teams work together. These skills can translate well into clinical operations, nursing administration, or quality management.
Nurses moving away from bedside care to managerial roles is a growing trend. A 2025 nursing workforce survey found that 29% of nurses who changed roles had left direct patient care. Another 37% moved into less clinical settings.
If you understand data systems, cybersecurity, or software implementation, health information management may feel like a more natural fit. The field now overlaps heavily with health informatics, especially as hospitals rely more on EHRs, dashboards, data exchange, and digital reporting.
The American Health Information Management Association notes that many health information professionals already handle informatics work through data quality, coding systems, interoperability, and documentation tools.
Take some time to compare these paths against the work you already do well. Then review job postings for roles that interest you and note the skills that appear repeatedly. This exercise gives you something more useful than a broad career goal. You’ll leave with a clearer direction and a practical list of skills worth developing next.
Fill the Gaps With the Right Training
Once you have completed an honest review of your skill set, the next logical step is filling the most important gaps. Healthcare is heavily regulated, so the right credentials can carry real weight when employers assess your readiness for management roles.
You don’t need to jump straight into another degree, though. If your strengths lean toward finance, resource management, or operations, existing business credentials may already give you a solid base. Short courses in healthcare finance, compliance, quality improvement, or health information systems can then add the industry knowledge you are missing.
However, if you are aiming for a leadership role, consider a Master of Health Administration (MHA). The program equips you with the skills to design facilities and systems that deliver high-quality, cost-effective care and better patient outcomes, notes Tulane University.
If you are already working in a medical or non-medical field and looking to make a career switch, you can also study online. Accredited online MHA degree programs carry the same academic value as campus-based programs while giving you greater flexibility. This can make it easier to build new skills without putting your current career on hold.
Coursework should not be your only source of learning. Volunteer roles, committee work, internships, and cross-functional projects can expose you to real administrative decisions. Those experiences also help turn classroom knowledge into evidence employers can see.
Stay on Top of Healthcare Technology
Just like every other industry, healthcare has become increasingly dependent on technology to keep complex systems running effectively. Right from electronic health records to remote monitoring, technology now touches almost every part of care delivery and administration.
One of the biggest developments is artificial intelligence. AI is already being used for medical imaging, disease detection, treatment planning, virtual patient support, and electronic health record automation. A 2025 research review also points to its growing use in predictive analytics and clinical decision support.
David Burd, president and CEO of Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital, captured this well in an American Hospital Association report. “Technology is something you always want to look at to stay on top of trends and changes.”
As a future administrator, this means choosing, funding, and overseeing these tools will land on your desk. You don’t need to code, but you should understand what each system does and where its risks lie. Data privacy, algorithmic bias and staff training all need a careful eye.
Courses, industry webinars, vendor training, and professional associations can help you stay current without turning technology into another full-time job.
FAQs
How much do health administrators earn?
The median annual wage for medical and health services managers was $123,860 in May 2025. Pay varies by experience, responsibility, employer and location, so your own figure could sit above or below that mark.
What education do you need to get started?
Most employers ask for a bachelor’s degree, often in health administration, nursing, informatics or business. Work experience in an administrative or clinical role at a healthcare facility is also common, and it can sometimes stand in for formal education.
What does a healthcare administrator do day to day?
Administrators manage staff, create work schedules, oversee budgets and make sure the facility follows healthcare laws. They also work closely with physicians, nurses and records specialists, so strong communication is part of the daily routine.
Key Data Points at a Glance
| Data Point | Figure |
| Projected job growth for medical and health services managers (2025 to 2035) | 24% |
| Openings expected each year | About 62,300 |
| Nurses who changed roles and left direct patient care (2025 survey) | 29% |
| Nurses who moved into less clinical settings (2025 survey) | 37% |
A Career Built On Informed Decisions
Looking back, most careers seem tidy, even though they felt anything but at the time. Yours will probably have a few detours too, and those can add useful perspective. A stalled application or an unexpected role change does not close the door on this field.
Plenty of administrators got where they are through side routes and second attempts. Healthcare has always made space for people willing to keep learning on the job. Give yourself time, stay curious, and let each choice build on the one before it. The career you want is closer than it looks today.