What is a Nursing Home Administrator?

Nursing home administrators are management professionals who are well-versed in overseeing the operation of nursing homes and similar long-term care facilities. This often includes structuring the general operation of the facility, interacting with the owners or governing board, and seeing to the day-to-day management of the nursing home staff. An individual certified as a nursing home administrator may also provide the same functions in settings such as an assisted living facility.

The responsibilities of the nursing home administrator extend to every facet of the geriatric care facility. Along with managing the staff, an administrator is also involved in maintaining the financial stability of the home and ensuring that the staff has quality equipment and supplies to work with. Administrators also make sure that the residents of the facility are provided with an atmosphere that is pleasant as well as responsive to their needs. In order to handle this broad range of duties, the typical administrator will work closely with various members of the staff who are placed in charge of each facet of the operation and report directly to the nursing home administrator.

In addition to working in nursing homes, a nursing home administrator can also find employment with corporations that operate multiple homes in different localities. In this capacity, the administrator may serve as the corporate liaison between administrators at each home. In this capacity, the administrator is usually charged with implementing corporate policies in each facility owned by the company. The nursing home administrator will also be involved in the training of personnel and doing research into new equipment, methods of operation, and other factors that could increase the profitability of the corporation while still allowing each nursing home owned by the business to provide core services to the residents.

While the exact requirements for working as a nursing home administrator vary from one jurisdiction to another, it is not unusual for nursing home facilities to require at least a minimum amount of formal education as well as the completion of a certification and licensing process. Most national or federal regulations are likely to apply in all cases; however, local governments may also require some type of certification or compliance.

In the United States, most jurisdictions insist that an administrator have at least a bachelor’s degree in nursing home administration from an accredited college or university. It is not unusual for the state regulations and requirements to include proof of successful participation and completion of an internship. Many jurisdictions also require that a nursing home administrator pass an exam prepared by the jurisdiction before certification is granted.

The demand for quality administrators continues to increase. Among health care careers today, the nursing home administrator is one of the more stable options. Because it is possible to secure several different types of positions with formal training as a nursing home administrator, even people who do not want to work in a single nursing home may find this career path worth considering.