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Many nurses choose their profession because they value working directly with patients, while others are more interested in management roles. With a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), nurses can lay the educational foundation to advance to leadership roles such as hospital administrator.

Earning a graduate degree while managing a nursing workload can be challenging, but MSN programs that offer a leadership and management track allow individuals to advance their education without disrupting their careers.

What Does a Hospital Administrator Do?

The primary focus of hospital administrators is to ensure that healthcare facilities run smoothly and efficiently. They handle everything from managing finances to maintaining high standards of patient care. Before diving deeper into hospital administrators’ many responsibilities, it’s essential to distinguish the role from similar titles.

• Nurse Administrator: Nurse administrators are executives who oversee nursing operations in a hospital or a group of hospitals.

• Nurse Manager: Nurse managers are registered nurses (RNs) who take on managerial roles, overseeing staff in one or more nursing units within a hospital or healthcare organization.

Both roles work with or report to hospital administrators, making them critical to meeting healthcare organizations’ needs and improving patient outcomes.

What exactly does a hospital administrator do? Hospitals can take many different forms and serve varying populations, including general medical centers, large regional hospitals, children’s hospitals, and clinics. In all of these environments, hospital administrators are responsible for:

• Overseeing daily hospital operations to help the hospital meet its goals and improve patient outcomes

• Leading and hiring staff (from a few hundred to thousands) as well as overseeing training, solving problems, resolving disputes, and conducting performance reviews

• Overseeing resources, such as managing budgets and making sure clinicians have the supplies they need

• Driving strategic planning, including efforts to improve quality and manage changes that help the hospital grow

• Making sure the hospital follows regulations and guidelines correctly

Effective hospital administrators must have strong leadership skills and be able to adapt to new challenges. They also need to be good at critical thinking, managing finances, communicating with others, negotiating, and understanding ethics.

Steps to Become a Hospital Administrator

How does an individual become a hospital administrator? An important part of the career path is education. Relevant experience and continual professional development are additional steps to becoming a hospital administrator.

Step 1: Earn a Bachelor’s Degree

Earning a bachelor’s degree sets the foundation for becoming a hospital administrator. RNs with a Bachelor of Science Nursing (BSN) are good candidates for graduate nursing programs and hospital leadership, but the path is open to others in healthcare as well, including those with bachelor’s degrees in healthcare administration, business administration, and public health.

Step 2: Gain Relevant Experience

RNs have a solid foundation in clinical healthcare, a valuable asset for hospital administration. Their daily interactions with patients, doctors, and nursing leaders provide them with a unique perspective on hospital operations. Transitioning into supervisory roles such as clinical supervisor, unit manager, and department leader can help nurses develop their administrative skills. Opportunities to enhance management experience, whether volunteering or taking on administrative projects, can help pave the way for a future as a hospital administrator.

Step 3: Complete an Advanced Degree

Ongoing learning is key to long-term growth in healthcare administration. A master’s degree isn’t always required for hospital administration roles, but it can provide a competitive advantage. Some hospital administrators hold a graduate degree such as a Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) or a Master of Public Health (MPH). Nurses interested in hospital administration often earn an MSN with a concentration in leadership and management. Graduate programs in nursing, hospital administration, business, finance, or management can all strengthen leadership and operational capabilities.

Step 4: Expanding Skills and Network Through Professional Development

Top skills for hospital administrator candidates include sound leadership, effective communication, and informed decision-making, which can be improved through ongoing professional development. Participating in professional organizations and pursuing professional certifications such as the Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE) and the Certified Healthcare Administrative Professional (cHAP) credentials can help build expertise and expand professional networks.

Hospital Administrator Salary and Job Growth

Nurses in management roles tend to have strong job security and income potential. Nurses with an MSN earned a median annual salary of about $111,000 in September 2025, according to Payscale. An MSN opens doors not only to administrative roles such as nursing manager and nursing director but also to advanced clinical roles such as nurse practitioner (NP).

The median annual salary for medical and health services managers in state, local, and private hospitals was $130,960 as of May 2024, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The BLS projects positions for medical and health services managers to grow 23% from 2024 to 2034, far outpacing the annual growth rate for all occupations.

Start Your Journey to Becoming a Nursing Leader

An advanced nursing degree can help you qualify for leadership roles in healthcare, including hospital administration. Working RNs can pursue Wilson College Online’s MSN with a Leadership and Management focus without disrupting their careers or home lives.

Advanced study expands clinical knowledge and strengthens skills in administration, ethics, and policy, supporting patient care and effective leadership of nursing teams.

Find out how Wilson’s MSN Leadership and Management track can help you achieve your goal of becoming a hospital administrator.

Recommended Readings

9 Essential Soft Skills for Nursing

Can Nurses Increase Their Salary With an MSN?

Chief Nursing Officer: Salary, Job Description, and Requirements

Sources:

American Nurses Association, How to Become a Nurse Administrator

CareRev, Becoming a Hospital Administrator: Paving Your Path to Healthcare Leadership

Houston Chronicle, “Difference Between a Nurse Administrator vs. Nurse Manager”

Indeed, “How to Become a Healthcare Administrator in 5 Steps”

Indeed, 6 Reasons to Become a Healthcare Administrator

Payscale, Average Hospital Administrator Salary

Payscale, Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) Degree

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Medical and Health Services Managers