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Career Information for Long Term Care Administrators
Long term care administrators oversee the daily operations at nursing homes, hospices, assisted living facilities, rehabilitation centers, adult day care centers and other long term care facilities. They develop and implement strategies that improve the quality of care for residents and patients, which often requires working closely with medical staff, volunteers, community leaders and company representatives.1
What Does a Long Term Care Administrator Do?
A long term care administrator's duties may include:2
- Hiring, training and supervising staff
- Supervising resident and patient care
- Working to improve quality and efficiency of services
- Business planning and budget development
- Marketing and community outreach
- Overseeing inventory and purchasing
- Ensuring compliance with professional, state and federal regulatory requirements
For health care professionals looking to enter a fast-growing field that provides the opportunity to impact countless patients and residents, long term care administration is a rewarding health care career.
Education Requirements
Because long term care administrators need a thorough understanding of federal, state and local standards for long term care, most facilities require at least a bachelor's degree in a related field3 such as National Louis University's B.S. in Health Care Leadership, which now offers a concentration in long term care.
NLU's Long Term Care Concentration is designed for health care professionals who want to advance to a management or administrative role in a long term care facility. Consisting of four courses offered online or in a convenient, blended format, the Long Term Care Concentration prepares students for licensing by the National Association of Long Term Care Administrator Boards (NAB).
Career Outlook
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts employment of medical and health services managers to grow 17 percent through 2024, which is much faster than average for all occupations. This is largely due to the aging baby-boom population, which is creating greater demand for health care workers and the administrators who manage them. As the baby boomers age, there should also be increased demand for nursing care facility administrators.4
In May 2015, the median annual wage for medical and health services managers was $94,500, with the highest 10 percent earning more than $165,380. The median annual wages for medical and health services managers by industry in May 2015 were:5
- Hospitals (state, local, private): $102,060
- Government: $101,190
- Physicians' offices: $85,600
- Home health care services: $82,430
- Nursing & residential care facilities: $78,540
The majority of medical and health services managers work full-time, with about one in three working more than 40 hours per week.6
- "Long Term Care Administrator Salary." PayScale.com. http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Long_Term_Care_Administrator/Salary
- Smith, Dee Dee. "Job Description of a Long-Term Care Administrator." Chron.com. http://work.chron.com/job-description-longterm-care-administrator-16264.html
- Smith, Dee Dee. "Job Description of a Long-Term Care Administrator." Chron.com. http://work.chron.com/job-description-longterm-care-administrator-16264.html
- "Medical and Health Services Managers: Job Outlook." BLS.gov. 17 December 2015. http://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/medical-and-health-services-managers.htm#tab-6
- "Medical and Health Services Managers: Pay." BLS.gov. 17 December 2015. http://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/medical-and-health-services-managers.htm#tab-5
- "Medical and Health Services Managers: Pay." BLS.gov. 17 December 2015. http://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/medical-and-health-services-managers.htm#tab-5