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Pursuing a nursing home administrator certification online is a worthwhile journey as the field is projected to grow 3 times faster than the national average in the next ten years. According to the CDC, there are about 1.4M nursing home administrators nationally, each earning between $113,545 and $142,090. The US Census Bureau projects the number to double in the next four decades as the aging population widens. Our nursing exam experts explain how to register for and get nursing home administrator certification online in this guide. You can also contact us for accurate and timely help with all nursing home exams offered at student-friendly prices.

Nursing Home Administrator Certification Online: Course Overview 

An online certification in nursing home administration is designed to fulfill academic requirements for licensure, which vary depending on the state. The certification provides a seamless transition to Master of Health Administration programs offered in many colleges across the US. More so, prospective nurses with the administrator certificate can seek opportunities in long-term care facilities, assisted living facilities, rehab centers, hospices, consulting firms, and nursing homes.

What are the Admission Requirements for Nursing Home Administration Certification Online? 

Learners registering for the Nursing Home Administrator Certification online must have a background certification in any of these three academic paths: A bachelor degree in Nursing or Master’s degree in Health Care Administration. Other entry requirements include:

• Personal statement through writing and submitting an essay 
• At least a 2.5 overall GPA

Course Curriculum for Nursing Home Administrator Certification Online

The nursing home administrator course must contain at least three credit hours in the following core areas: 

Nursing Home Administration

This core discusses the role of the nursing home administrator. It delves further into leadership management, organizational structure, strategic planning, operations management, and quality improvement. Nursing home administration may also contain the communication between personnel, crisis management, and resident-centered care.   

Health Care Financial Management

The Health Care Financial Management teaches students how to work with financial and accounting principles in nursing home administration. It delves into maintaining financial integrity and resources in nursing care facilities by leveraging efficient tools and frameworks. The course content includes cost accounting, budget control, cost concepts, rate setting, reimbursements, and cost quality measures.

Legal Issues in Health Care

This core of nursing home administration familiarizes students with the legal frameworks, principles, and practices within nursing care facilities. It also discusses the ethical issues in nursing administration, focusing on patients’ and healthcare providers’ laws, regulations, and rights. Content areas in Legal Issues in Health Care include healthcare law, nursing corporate compliance, informed consent, professional malpractices, and contracts. Other issues include end-of-life guidelines, rights, and labor legislation at the federal and state levels.

Gerontology

Gerontology discusses the foundation of biological, social, and psychological issues among the aging population. The content areas include contemporary and historical perspectives of aging, biological theories of aging, psychological impacts of aging, socio-economics, aging factors, and death. The last content area in gerontology includes the political and economic implications of aging.

Personnel Management

This core discusses the central concepts in personnel management and the administration principles. Personnel management focuses on home administration and nursing care issues, focusing on efficient facility management. Personnel management includes content areas such as recruitment, training and staff development, compensations and employee benefits, unionization, and collective bargaining.

Nursing Home Administration Exam

All states in the US require applicants to take the state nursing home administrator exam. The exam’s content areas differ among states. However, all questions come from the five nursing home administrator course cores covered above. The national examination comprises 150 questions, as broken down below:

• Finance: Questions on finance make up 13% of the exam’s content
• Leadership and Management: Questions on Leadership and Management cover 21% of the exam
• Human Resource: Covers 13% of the exam content
• Resident-Centered Care and Quality of Life: Cover 38% of the exam
• Environment: Covers 15% of the exam content.

Learners can retake the exam three times. The last attempt qualifies an applicant for additional training.

Qualification for Nursing Home Administrator Certification

To qualify for the nursing home administrator certification and licensing, the applicant must:

• Be 21+ years of age
• Show good moral character and personality standing, especially by presenting a letter of recommendation from a state-approved college.
• Supplement the bachelor’s or master’s degrees with at least 40 credit hours covering the five core topics in the nursing home administrator course.
• Two years of work experience as a licensed nursing home administrator from either a qualified field or Administrator-In-Training (AIT) program
• Have passed the State Licensing Exam

Nursing Home Administrator Certification Online: The Parting Shot

Passing the exam is the most challenging part of getting a nursing home administration certification online. All states require students to take the national licensure exam for licensing and maintain the certificate while employed until its expiration. Delegate your nursing home licensure exam to our top experts for the best grades.