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A Career in Nursing Home Management – Essential Skills Toolbox

A career in nursing home management can not only be challenging but a highly reward experience: you’ll have a chance to provide topnotch care and services to patients as well as a positive and productive working environment to your workforce. You’ll be managing employees, implementing policing and ensuring that laws and facility regulations are being adhered to, while overseeing public relations as well. Nursing Home Administrators also provide direct patient care if they so choose.

To fulfill responsibilities of such a role, nursing home administrators require a unique and diverse skills set. 

Managing Relationships and Effective Communication

As a nursing home administrator, you communication and interpersonal skills will come into play on a daily basis. You’ll need to effectively communicate with medical professionals – matters pertaining to the health and status of patients, while dealing with any staff-related issues as well as conversing with patients now and then.

You’ll also need to be good at communicating with outside agencies such as medical providers, insurance agencies and Medicare offices. Overseeing patient admission and communicating with families of current and prospective patients is all part of the job. On occasions, you’ll be required to represent your nursing home while speaking to the media or public in community events.

Related: Solving Problems and Concerns with the Nursing Home

Effective Financial and Human Resource Management 

A highly critical administration skill to have is the ability to understand proper financial management and creating as well as managing the nursing home budget. As far as specific financial management skills go, these include forecasting revenue/expenses, reading and analyzing financial statements, and conducting cost-benefit analysis pertaining to new programs and regulations/policies.

You must also have a good hold on healthcare policies like insurance reimbursement and Medicare rules, in addition to implementing compliance policies for your staff.

Another major responsibility nursing home administrators have is overseeing human resources – ensuring that only the most qualified staff is hired for the desired positions. Being skilled in recruitment and interviewing techniques is vital, as is being knowledgeable about the qualifications required for each respective position as well as hiring policies. You also need to be well-versed in employment law to make sure there is no discrimination whatsoever against applicants as well as staff members.

Related: What Classes Are Required to Become a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator?

Personal Accountability

As leaders of nursing home operations, administrators must be personally accountable for their performance. This includes taking responsibility for decisions and policies, and behaving ethically at all times. In addition, administrators must be licensed. Specific requirements vary but usually include a bachelor's degree and passing an examination. Nursing home managers must also complete ongoing education to maintain a current license.

Since you are in a leadership role, leading nursing home operations, you must be personally accountable for not only your performance, but that of your staff as well; responsibility is undertaken for decisions made and policies enforced, including having an attitude that stands high ethically as well as morally.

Specific licensing requirements may vary, although you’re going to need a minimum Bachelor’s degree and passing the required examinations. To maintain your license and make progress, you’ll need a Master’s degree in Public Health Administration.

Analytical Thinking and Decision Making Prowess

Effective management deems understanding how ever-changing laws and regulations can affect day to day nursing home operations as well as policies. You must also have an uncanny ability to interpret policies and make well-informed decisions in order to determine best-scenario solutions to issues being faced by the staff or administration.

The skills you acquire will also revolve around developing performance improvement programs or making timely financial and hiring decisions.