How To Become a Certified Nursing Home Administrator

Certified nursing home administrators are responsible for managing the day-to-day tasks in assisted living facilities. Nursing home administrators oversee managing the logistics, operations, and human resources of a facility.

In order to be licensed, candidates are required to undergo a rigorous education and training process that ensures their competency in both the clinical and administrative components.

Learn.org explores the role that certified nursing home administrators plays in the healthcare system and informs readers about the necessary steps to become licensed in their state.

What Are Certified Nursing Home Administrators?

Certified nursing home administrators (CNHAs) manage the day-to-day operations of nursing homes, long-term care facilities, and retirement homes. Unlike hospital settings, nursing home administrators are in charge of all clinical and administrative aspects of a care facility.

In order for these facilities to continue receiving funding from the government and insurance companies, nursing home administrators are responsible for ensuring that the facilities adhere to state and federal regulations. For this same reason, many CNHAs are either nurses or medical doctors.

What Are the Responsibilities?

Much of their daily operations are centered around ensuring that facilities follow state and federal regulatory guidelines.

However, administrators of nursing home have a set of primary responsibilities as well as day-to-day tasks that support their main duties. Their tasks and responsibilities may include:

• scheduling activities for residents
• overseeing billing, expenses, and accounting
• attending meetings to discuss budget, compliance, and operational policies
• coordinating work schedules for staff
• purchasing medical equipment and supplies
• managing patient records systems, processes, and tools
• creating standards for patient care that comply with state and federal standards of care and law
• hiring, training, and evaluating health care professionals and staff

What Skills Are Needed?

In order to succeed as a certified nursing home administrator, there are set of skills that can greatly benefit an individual in the role. Some of these skills include:

• leadership and management
• interpersonal skills
• communication
• time management
• ability to manage a budget
• organizational skills
• knowledge of clinical and administrative aspects of health care

In What Settings Can a Certified Nursing Home Administrator Work?

Nursing home administrators typically work in long-term care facilities. However, they can also be seen in other types of facilities, such as:

• adult daycares
• memory care facilities
• senior homes
• retirement communities
• skilled nursing facilities

Regardless of the setting, nursing home administrators can be seen tackling the same day-to-day tasks.

What Are the Educational Requirements?

Many nursing home administrators begin their careers as nurses. They either have an associate degree in nursing or a bachelor's degree in nursing and proceed to take the NCLEX-RN exam to become registered nurses.

However, a nursing degree is not required to be a nursing home administrator. The most common degree to pursue is a bachelor's or master's degree in healthcare administration.

A Master of Health Administration (MHA) degree is often required for this position because throughout the programs, students will learn various administrative tasks, such as budget planning, federal regulations, management, and interviewing.

In addition, students will also take courses in:

• healthcare finance
• accounting
• population health
• statistics
• leadership
• organizational behavior
• healthcare policy

The programs typically take two years to complete.

What Are the Steps To Become One?

1. Earn a Bachelor's or Master's Degree

The first step in becoming a nursing home administrator is to earn either a health care administration bachelor's degree or a master's degree. Although it is recommended to earn a health administration degree, majoring in business administration or any other health-related field is also a popular choice.

2. Complete an Administrative-in-Training (AIT) Program or Gain Field Experience

After earning a bachelor's degree in the field, prospective nursing home administrators are required to complete an AIT program. Most Administrative-in-Training (AIT) programs take six to 12 months to complete or require 900 to 1,800 hours of training. In an AIT program, students are required to work under the guidance of a licensed administrator.

3. Take the Licensure Exam

After completing the educational and training requirements, candidates are then required to take the Nursing Home Administrator Licensing Examination. The exam will test a student's knowledge of:

• care, services, and supports
• operations
• environment and quality
• leadership and strategy

The exam consists of two components:

• core of knowledge exam for long term care administrators
• nursing home administrators line of service exam

4. License Renewal

After achieving a passing score on the licensure exam, candidates are required to complete continuing education courses every two years.

Become a Certified Nursing Home Administrator Today

Pursuing a career as a certified nursing home administrator can be a rewarding experience that promises great security and stability.

If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a nursing home administrator, please enroll in a degree program today.