What does a public health administrator do?
Public Affairs Managers are responsible for managing the communications strategy and goals of an organization. They represent an organization's work through regular meetings with key stakeholders such as the local government, regulators, and public bodies. Public Affairs Managers also prepare progress reports, monitor governmental proceedings, develop internal forecasts on the effect of public policy, produce press releases, proofread media statements, and write up briefings for senior staff members. Besides that, they also stay updated on media stories daily.
Public health administrator responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real public health administrator resumes:
- Manage busy immunization clinics overseeing the administration of thousands of immunizations per day.
- Prepare and maintain complete and accurate medical documentation as required by the tuberculosis control program for evaluation and statistical purposes.
- Design marketing Powerpoint presentations within company target market guidelines.
Public health administrator skills and personality traits
We calculated that 14% of Public Health Administrators are proficient in Public Health Programs, Health Promotion, and Technical Assistance. They’re also known for soft skills such as Leadership skills, Technical skills, and Communication skills.
We break down the percentage of Public Health Administrators that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Public Health Programs, 14%
Liaised to the media regarding public health programs and campaigns.
- Health Promotion, 14%
Conducted annual staff development seminars related to health promotion, professional communications and positive customer service skills.
- Technical Assistance, 11%
Provide technical assistance and education to VFC providers including training on basic reporting functions in the Washington Immunization Information System.
- Infectious Disease, 9%
Participate in the delivery and evaluation of public health intervention activities related to infectious diseases or emerging infectious diseases.
- Provide Technical Assistance, 7%
Participate in over 20 site visits to provide technical assistance on advancing health equity.
- Departmental Policies, 5%
Directed the development of departmental policies, prepared productivity reports, employee evaluations, minutes and agendas.
"public health programs," "health promotion," and "technical assistance" are among the most common skills that public health administrators use at work. You can find even more public health administrator responsibilities below, including:
Leadership skills. One of the key soft skills for a public health administrator to have is leadership skills. You can see how this relates to what public health administrators do because "medical and health services managers hire, train, and direct staff." Additionally, a public health administrator resume shows how public health administrators use leadership skills: "provide leadership and management of a state of wisconsin city public health department. "
Technical skills. Many public health administrator duties rely on technical skills. "medical and health services managers must stay up to date with advances in healthcare technology, such as the coding and electronic health record (ehr) systems their facility adopts.," so a public health administrator will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways public health administrator responsibilities rely on technical skills: "provide technical assistance and administrative guidance for fluoride mouth rinse for local schools at high risk for dental caries. "
Communication skills. This is an important skill for public health administrators to perform their duties. For an example of how public health administrator responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "medical and health services managers must convey information to their staff, other healthcare workers, and, sometimes, patients and insurance agents." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a public health administrator: "conduct safety trainings on programs such as hazard communication and msds, ergonomics, blood borne pathogen. ".
Detail oriented. public health administrator responsibilities often require "detail oriented." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "medical and health services managers must pay attention to detail." This resume example shows what public health administrators do with detail oriented on a typical day: "major accomplishments detailed to acting deputy branch chief within 5 months into my tenure at cdc. "
Analytical skills. Another common skill required for public health administrator responsibilities is "analytical skills." This skill comes up in the duties of public health administrators all the time, as "medical and health services managers review and evaluate healthcare metrics for ways to improve efficiency and meet goals." An excerpt from a real public health administrator resume shows how this skill is central to what a public health administrator does: "assisted in preparing proposed legislation and analyze the impact of proposed legislation on public health programs. "
The three companies that hire the most public health administrators are:
- Indiana State Police5 public health administrators jobs
- Kelly Services1 public health administrators jobs
- Oakland, New Jersey1 public health administrators jobs
Compare different public health administrators
Public health administrator vs. Patient care manager
Patient care managers are executives who are in charge of supervising a clinical team. The managers take responsibility for directing patient care within an organization. Also called health care managers, they protect every patient's safety and health in a clinical setting. They interact with the healthcare team members to maintain open communication. It is also part of their duties to supervise the daily operations in the clinical care units. Managing clinical budgets and maintaining quality health services are also their responsibilities.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between public health administrators and patient care manager. For instance, public health administrator responsibilities require skills such as "program development," "public health programs," "health promotion," and "technical assistance." Whereas a patient care manager is skilled in "home health," "patients," "quality care," and "social work." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Patient care managers tend to make the most money working in the health care industry, where they earn an average salary of $54,278. In contrast, public health administrators make the biggest average salary, $71,314, in the government industry.patient care managers tend to reach lower levels of education than public health administrators. In fact, patient care managers are 8.7% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 2.0% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Public health administrator vs. Nurse manager
The primary role of nurse managers is to supervise the nursing staff in a clinical or hospital setting. They are the ones who are in charge of patient care, setting work schedules, and making budgetary and management decisions. They are also responsible for making personnel decisions, coordinating meetings, and creating safe environments that promote patient engagement and aid the healthcare team's work. Their role is vital in promoting a culture in which team members contribute to professional growth and patient outcomes.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that public health administrator responsibilities requires skills like "program development," "public health programs," "health promotion," and "technical assistance." But a nurse manager might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "patients," "home health," "cpr," and "customer service."
On average, nurse managers earn a higher salary than public health administrators. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, nurse managers earn the most pay in the health care industry with an average salary of $90,775. Whereas public health administrators have higher pay in the government industry, with an average salary of $71,314.In general, nurse managers achieve lower levels of education than public health administrators. They're 10.4% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 2.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Public health administrator vs. Department director
A Department Director spearheads and oversees the operations of a department, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. Although their responsibilities vary upon the functions of a department, they typically have the power to decide on projects and programs. Their responsibilities include setting goals, establishing budgets and guidelines, representing the department at meetings and media coverages, liaising with external business partners, managing staff, and monitoring the progress of operations. Moreover, a Department Director leads and encourages staff to reach goals while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from public health administrator resumes include skills like "public health programs," "health promotion," "technical assistance," and "infectious disease," whereas a department director is more likely to list skills in "patient care," "patients," "healthcare," and "oversight. "
Department directors earn the best pay in the finance industry, where they command an average salary of $106,846. Public health administrators earn the highest pay from the government industry, with an average salary of $71,314.department directors typically earn similar educational levels compared to public health administrators. Specifically, they're 3.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 3.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Public health administrator vs. Clinical manager
A clinical manager is responsible for monitoring medical procedures and administrative duties to ensure the smooth flow of operations in a healthcare facility. Clinical managers manage the facility's staffing needs, evaluate budget reports, assist healthcare professionals on administering medical duties, and develop strategic procedures to optimize treatments and maximize productivity. A clinical manager enforces strict sanitary and safety regulations for everyone's strict compliance. They also need to have excellent knowledge of the medical industry to promote medical processes and provide the highest quality care.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between public health administrators and clinical managers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a public health administrator might have more use for skills like "program development," "public health programs," "health promotion," and "technical assistance." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of clinical managers require skills like "patients," "customer service," "home health," and "direct patient care. "
Clinical managers enjoy the best pay in the health care industry, with an average salary of $72,510. For comparison, public health administrators earn the highest salary in the government industry.The average resume of clinical managers showed that they earn lower levels of education compared to public health administrators. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 6.2% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.1%.Types of public health administrator
Updated January 8, 2025
