Network Systems Administrator Job Description
Today’s healthcare system relies on complex information technology (IT) networks that store sensitive patient data, allow for lifesaving telehealth services, and enable frontline and administrative professionals to coordinate like never before.
However, if a provider’s network grinds to a halt, so do operations. Even worse, if a provider’s network is compromised, so is patient trust and well-being. Network systems administrators ensure that those scenarios don’t happen.
Becoming a network systems administrator in any industry requires a strong background in computer science. However, those who work in healthcare must also learn how to navigate patient privacy regulations and the industry’s unique needs. Earning a Master of Arts in Healthcare Administration (MHA) can help current IT professionals meet those demands and take on vital leadership positions.
What Does a Network Systems Administrator Do in Healthcare?
In general, network systems administrators design and maintain an organization’s computer networks. This can include local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), and networks that combine those traditional systems with newer cloud-based solutions. Their duties also extend to maintaining the communication and data storage tools that depend on those networks (servers, telecommunication platforms, etc.).
However, network administrators who serve healthcare providers often have numerous industry-specific duties, such as the following:
- Implementing security protocols that are compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and running security audits
- Ensuring that clinical data is safely backed up to other servers as needed
- Integrating multiple patient reporting systems
- Helping healthcare administrators budget for upgrades and other IT costs
- Researching new healthcare network solutions
- Preparing IT training materials for frontline and administrative staff
- Troubleshooting network and user issues
- Installing and configuring new hardware and software
More senior administrators often focus on high-level issues, such as budgeting and implementing new network solutions. Entry-level professionals typically focus on day-to-day issues, such as adding new users to the network, installing hardware and software, and addressing minor issues.
Where Do Network Systems Administrators Work in Healthcare?
While network systems administrators can work for any kind of healthcare facility, they often work for larger ones, such as regional hospitals, healthcare networks with multiple offices, and government health departments. The reason is that these organizations typically have large networks that include local, off-site, and cloud-based servers and employ numerous types of software.
However, healthcare network administrators don’t always work directly for a single healthcare company. Many work for third-party companies called network operations centers (NOCs) that manage clients’ computer networks for them. Some NOCs specialize in serving the healthcare industry, while others provide network administration services to multiple industries.
Salary and Job Outlook for Network Systems Administrators
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), network and computer systems administrators earn a median annual salary of $95,360 as of May 2023. The BLS predicts an average of 16,400 job openings for network systems administrators each year through 2033. However, this statistic includes network administrators who don’t work in healthcare.
In the same period, the BLS expects about 61,400 job openings each year for healthcare service administrators. While neither statistic paints a full picture of the job outlook for network administrators in healthcare, together they indicate that administrators of all kinds, including IT administrators, could be needed to help the industry take advantage of new technological developments.
How to Become a Network Systems Administrator in Healthcare
Becoming a network systems administrator in healthcare requires a unique skill set. On top of learning about network security and operations, professionals in this specialty must typically be familiar with the many technologies that healthcare organizations employ, the challenges they face, and the regulations that govern them.
While there are many ways to gain this knowledge, professionals hoping to take on advanced network administration roles in healthcare often earn a bachelor’s degree, gain work experience, and refine their skills through a master’s program.
Step 1: Earn a Bachelor’s Degree
Future network administrators typically start their journeys by earning bachelor’s degrees in computer science, IT, or a related field. This foundation offers graduates the important technical skills they can use in healthcare and other industries.
At the bachelor’s degree level, students often take classes in:
- Configuring network settings, hardware, and software
- Using SQL and other programming languages
- Cybersecurity
- Information system management
- Troubleshooting common user issues
Some students earn bachelor’s degrees in healthcare informatics and health information management, but industry-specific degrees aren’t typically required for entry-level healthcare IT roles.
Step 2: Gain Experience in Entry-Level Roles and Earn Professional Certifications
Some network administrator positions, including those in healthcare, only require a bachelor’s degree. However, because daily operations and data security rely on a well-maintained network, administrator positions also typically require at least one year of IT experience.
To gain experience, new professionals often work as network administration technicians, user support specialists, or IT help desk specialists. Filling these roles at a healthcare organization can also be a great way to learn about industry-specific software and issues.
After gaining some experience, IT specialists can prepare for administrator positions by earning professional certifications from many of the world’s major technology companies. Future network administrators often get certifications in security, server administration, and internet protocols.
Step 3: Pursue a Master’s Degree and High-Level Positions
A combination of experience, a bachelor’s degree education, and professional certification can lead to network systems administrator jobs, but senior roles may require a master’s degree. Working healthcare IT professionals often enroll in MHA programs.
In general, MHA programs help mid- or early-career healthcare professionals combine their technical expertise with organizational leadership principles through classes in:
- Patient care quality management
- Healthcare research
- Healthcare policy and ethics
- Organizational behavior and change management
- Health informatics
- Using clinical data to inform managerial decisions
With extensive knowledge of these topics, network administrators can take on numerous advanced or specialty network administration roles. For example, senior network administrators are often involved in setting up new networks, making complex technical decisions, and leading new IT projects.
However, experienced network administrators can also become high-level IT administrators, such as IT directors, cybersecurity managers, or chief information officers (CIOs). While these positions aren’t limited to network administration duties, they all require a deep understanding of how healthcare organizations use technology.
Leverage Your Healthcare IT Experience for a Career in Leadership
Whether you’re a help desk specialist or another kind of healthcare IT support professional, you’ve probably already learned a lot about how your organization uses technology and the problems they face. By enrolling in Claremont Lincoln University’s online MHA program, you can combine those skills with an education in healthcare leadership.
Featuring classes on organizational behavior, accounting in healthcare, and health informatics, the MHA program can give early- and mid-career IT professionals the tools they need to plan, implement, and maintain the network solutions their organizations need. Also, with a focus on long-term professional development, the program can help students prepare for not only the next step but also the steps after that.
Designed with working professionals in mind, the MHA program offers classes in a flexible asynchronous format that students can complete at their own pace in as little as 13 months. Read more about the admissions process and our financial aid opportunities, and reach out to us today.
Sources
CareerOneStop, Network and Computer Systems Administrators
Indeed, How to Become a Network Administrator in 5 Steps
Indeed, Network Administrator Skills: Definition and Examples
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Medical and Health Services Managers
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Network and Computer Systems Administrators
Claremont Lincoln University is a non-profit university offering affordable online degrees, graduate certificates, and professional development programs. Through a socially conscious education framework, CLU’s mission is to create a new leadership ecosystem through its proprietary Claremont Core®, a distinctive model that encompasses the knowledge needed to become an effective leader of positive change in the workplace or community. CLU is regionally accredited by the highly regarded WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), which ensures institutions meet strict standards and fulfill their missions to serve their students and the public good. Degree programs at CLU focus on healthcare administration, human resources, organizational leadership, management, professional studies, public administration, social impact, and sustainability leadership.
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