Meilee Brown

BUS 1010
July 14,2016
E-Portfolio Assignment - Hospital Administration

At a young age, were all asked the tasking question What do you want to be
when you grow up? For most of us, it has changed a million times as we began to
experience the world. We are exposed to multiple career choices as we learn in school
or observe throughout our lives. As we learn to understand the different options that
may interest us, our idea of a career starts to shape itself. I never knew what I wanted to
be when I grew up at a young age. It wasnt until money started to become important
that my interests began to heavily depend on the base salary of what I wanted to do.
There were the obvious suggestions of a lawyer or a doctor. I definitely couldnt be a
lawyer because of my lack of ability to make good arguments with people and win. As
much as I love helping and taking care of people, the idea of surgery makes me faint.
As I began working at 16, I discovered the different fields of work and the levels there
were to it. I worked in food, retail, but my favorite was working as a secretary for a hair
school. I am a very organized and efficient person. I loved being the backbone of the
hair school and enjoyed being there to help everyone else lighten their load. I was put in
charge of events and improving the system of the company at times. I was given this
great opportunity to experience a low key manager position. I loved it. As I went
through my first year here at SLCC, I did a project with regards to researching a career.
Through lots of thought and guidance from other successful figures in my life, I am

fortunate enough to be related to a former hospital administrator who highly

recommended me for this career path.
As a hospital administrator, you carry a very heavy load day to day. To
accomplish tasks efficiently, you must have a very disciplined character. Your time
management and priority determination must be very effective. You will also have to be
a people person who works well under pressure in a fast paced environment. A list of
examples of tasks are as follows:

Liaison to governing boards, medical staff, and heads of the departments

Organize, manage, and coordinate services with respects to policy
Recruit, hire, and evaluate nurses, doctors, and assistant administrators
Plan budgets and set rates for health services
Develop programs for research
Assist in the education of new doctors
Develop procedures
Participate in fundraising and community health planning

Hospital administrators are often described as the faces of healthcare. Theyre the ones
who are on the front line of everything. They run the floor and often do it out of the office
as well. The interpersonal skills needed for this job are so important to the success of
the company. Not only do they need to have a strict personality but they also need to
have a kindhearted motive at times. There is a lot to keep up with in this career, but the
consistency of determination and focus on the end result will help push the process to
achieving.
The education required to become a successful hospital administrator is quite
simple. You must acquire a minimum of 4 years in school with a bachelor's degree in
Health Care Administration, Health Management, Health Services, Public Health, or

Business Administration. Many get their foot in the door by becoming just a staff
member or even a department head. However, people who graduate with their masters
are given more opportunities for work. They usually begin as an administrative
assistants or assistant to the department heads. No special certificates are needed,
however the more experience or recognition you have under your belt, the quicker your
success will start to fall into place.
The salary you are given is all based on the level of experience you have. The
less experience you have the smaller facility may be that you work at. For example,
nursing and residential care facilities averaged pay for their administrators at about 72K.
On the other hand, hospitals averaged pay for their administrators at about 100K. These
employees have been around the health care system for many years gaining
experience in all sorts of fields. There are approximately 330,000 jobs available to those
who graduate with an administration degree for health care. Many who are currently
hospital administrators gained experience by being assistants or managing a small
practice. It took them many years to become successful and efficient at their jobs by
exposing themselves to different aspects of the work field. The outlook for hospital
administration is very optimistic. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,
management positions in healthcare are looking to grow by 17% over the next ten
years. Therefore, the demand for jobs will be high and the opportunities will be growing.
An example of someone whos been in the work field for years, is a woman
named Marguerite J. Morgan. For 27 years she bounced around with work as an
assistant Hospital Administrator for Administrative Services, Assistant Hospital
Administrator for Civil Services, Unit 14/15 Director, Unit 27 Director, Rehabilitation

Therapy Supervisor, Rehabilitation Therapist, and Behavioral Program Specialist. The

experience she was exposed to gave her more than enough credibility to work towards
being a hospital administrator. She has also received multiple awards for her success
both by the health care department and local colleges shes done lectures for.
The advantages of this career are of the obvious reasons of bringing home a lot
of money. Other benefits of the job offer protection with health insurance and healthcare
reasons. Because the demand for jobs is increasing, it will be a little bit easier to find a
job on any level needed for administration. There are multiple practices that offer a
number of listings that could benefit the road to becoming a hospital administrator. They
also dont require a lot of school just that your experience is of quality. The
disadvantages to becoming a hospital administrator, is that its not a career you can
jump into right out of college. It takes a lot of time and experience to gain the knowledge
you need to be successful. The pay may not start out good but if the work is put in, it will
be well worth your time. The amount of time you will work is another thing that can be
inconvenient to some. The hours are flexible but ultimately can be very random. Some
will work on the weekends and overnight all depending on the workload and an
emergencies that might arise. However, all in all it is a well paying and beneficial career
to look into.
My interest in becoming a hospital administrator only grew from my research. I
loved reading stories about experiences that many have had while working in the field.
The miracles they have witnessed gave me chills. As hard as the journey is to get to
becoming a hospital administrator, the benefits acquired are like nothing any other job
could have. I am a very hardworking and diligent person who doesnt give up. I know

school will be hard to get through and bouncing around from job to job may be hard for
me, but the end result is all I am looking forward to. I have always loved helping people
and being a leader. This job is perfect for that because all the hard work I will put in, will
be appreciated and given in ways I will never be able to pay back.

References
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