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Health Services Administrator

If you've always wanted to work in the health care field, but are sickened by the sight of blood, this may be the job for you. Health care administrators are responsible for the business end of health care services. As the "baby boomers" move into old age, the health care business is growing by the day. And with the cost of medical care heading into the stratosphere, there's going to be a huge demand for people who can help keep it under control.

What They Do:

A good health care administrator can have as much effect on your experience in a hospital as a doctor does. They oversee everything from the number of nurses on a floor, to the amount of time you have to spend waiting in the emergency room, to the design of your hospital gown. Most health care administrators oversee hospitals, but they're also employed by nursing homes, HMOs, and group practices. The most powerful of them work as general administrators or CEOs, but there are also lots of lesser administrators who oversee individual departments.

Why It's Cooler Than It Sounds:

You can help to ensure that people receive good quality health care without actually having to look at blood yourself. Plus, with all the furor in government over health care costs, you just might get to go testify before the Senate.

What they earn:

Earnings vary widely. In 1992, for example, nursing home administrators averaged $44,100. Those in small group practices averaged $46,600, and those in very large group practices averaged $166,700.

How to begin:

A master's degree in health services administration is usually required of entrants to the field, but most master's programs will readily accept students whose bachelor's is in a liberal arts field. It is sometimes possible to work in the field with a degree in business administration, especially in the more generalist positions. To work as a clinical department head, it is generally necessary to have experience in that field (i.e. nursing), but experience in business and administration may not be necessary.