Getting a job managing a nursing home might not be as easy as you once thought. Those working in nursing homes need to have a unique understanding of how those homes operate, the medical field in general and strong management techniques. When a patient becomes ill and requires a doctor, managers must know who to call to get help quickly. They also need to have experience managing or running a business and working with people from various backgrounds.
Get Your Degree
The first step in your career as a nursing or retirement home manager is college. Plenty of colleges across the country offer healthcare management degrees and business management degrees. A Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in healthcare management can help you start your career off on the right foot. College usually takes four years, but you can reduce the time you spend in school with the addition of summer classes or by taking an additional class each semester. You’ll also have the option of adding an internship to your experience, which lets you work in a local retirement or nursing home.
Apply for a License
If you want to get a job managing a nursing home, you need to obtain a home administrator’s license in your state. Though each state has its own policies and requirements for those licenses, you can expect to submit your fingerprints to the police station for a criminal background check. Your state may also run your credit history before granting you a license. Many states also have a skills test requirement, which you need to receive a passing score on before receiving your license. There are a few states in the country that require applicants to go through a training process of one year or longer as well.
Get Some Experience
When you take the time to look at nursing home jobs, you’ll often find that those positions require a minimum of one year experience in the field. Those who did an internship can often use that experience as part of the mandatory experience required for the job. If you have no experience as a manager, you can gain experience through volunteer opportunities at local nursing homes. Cooking and reading to or spending time with residents can help you how those homes run and operate.
Apply for Positions
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, health management jobs will increase at a faster than average rate. With an expected growth of 23 percent, this indicates that more than 73,000 new management positions will become available in the healthcare field by 2022. Finding a job managing a nursing home is as easy as visiting the facility’s website, looking for jobs online and reading the newspaper. As the number of people reaching an older age increases, the country will need managers to operate nursing homes and other facilities and to work with those of an older age. Make sure that you have the minimum level of experience and education required for the position before applying.
Related Resource: Healthcare Administration
The number of nursing homes in the country will likely increase as more people need help and guidance in their twilight years. Finishing a degree in healthcare or business management, obtaining a healthcare administrator’s license and getting some experience in the field can help you land a job managing a nursing home.
