Long-Term Care Administrator

Long-term care administrators provide the assistance and attention that most elderly patrons need in their advanced age. Many long-term care administrators operate nursing home facilities that properly house and care for senior citizens, providing them with comforts, luxury amenities, as well as proper healthcare. The demand for long-term care administration is expected to continue to rise well into the next decade as baby boomers reach their senior years. In fact, approximately 13 percent of the total population is comprised of the elderly, and this number is projected to increase to 18 percent by 2030, thereby heightening the need for nursing homes and administration, according to the School of Public Health Sciences and Professions at Ohio University. Long-term care administrators have a variety of responsibilities, including scheduling the medical staff to ensure that the facility is always at the ready to meet the demands of the patrons, creating and implementing policies, processing admissions to the facility, and handling the financial side of running a nursing home or assisted living establishment. Most long-term care administrators also must make sure that the medical staff is adequately trained and that the elderly residents are satisfied and happy. The work of the long-term care administrators keeps the facility operating smoothly.

Employment positions for administrative and management jobs, including long-term care administrators, are expected to see a 12 percent growth in opportunities by 2016, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The health care sector is growing to accommodate the increasing, as well as aging, world population.

Prospective long-term care administrators must earn a minimum of a Master of Health Administration from an accredited program of study. Those looking to advance their careers in the healthcare sector should consider enrolling in a MHA program, which will open up more opportunities in highly rewarding and specialized management fields. The MHA programs focus on general and financial management, public health, organization, and medical law and ethics. This provides program graduates with knowledge and skill in both healthcare and business, which is essential for an individual who hopes to run an assisted living facility in the best way possible.