Doctors and nurses are the workers we most readily associate with hospitals and other medical facilities. But have you ever wondered who makes sure that there are enough nurses working on Saturday nights, or that each medical department has enough funding to treat its patients?
Health care administrators work behind the scenes to make sure everything operates smoothly. Administrators don’t just work in hospitals, however. You’ll also find them running outpatient clinics, drug abuse treatment centres, home health care agencies, and long-term care facilities, as well as doctors’ offices and clinics. It is their job to ensure that health service centres operate efficiently and provide proper care to patients.
Responsibilities for administrators change from day to day, as they deal with a wide range of issues. Common administrative duties include developing policies and procedures, ensuring that policies and laws are being followed, planning and coordinating departmental activities, and planning and evaluating health programs.
Other tasks include fundraising, budgeting, accounting and financial management, and the hiring, firing, and training staff members. Some administrators may also be involved with evaluating patient services, developing and expanding medical programs, and community health planning.
Duties also vary slightly depending on the size of their position and the organization. For example, the top administrators of large centres—often known as chief executive officers, or CEOs—spend a lot of their time making sure that governing boards, medical staff, and department heads are all working together for the good of the organization. They assign work to assistant administrators who operate departments such as personnel, training, or surgery. In small facilities, however, the administrator is usually in charge of all departments.
NOC Code: 0311