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Earning a degree in human resources means you’re going to be working extensively with people. In essence, you’ll be in partnership with the company you work for and with the company’s employees. Your knowledge and skills will be very valuable to them if the responsibilities these professionals hold is anything to go by.

No matter where you work — non-profit or a hospital — you’re likely to be involved in managing the workforce, labor relations, and the safety of every employee on the job. In healthcare-focused roles, you may concern yourself with general risks that could harm employees including common pathogens that may infect employees, dealing with hazardous materials correctly, and maintaining an overall safe environment. You can also provide information on retirement savings plans, employee insurance, and track paid leave so that employees can take time off as needed.

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What is a Hospital Human Resources Manager?

A human resources manager is responsible for planning and coordinating administrative functions within a company or organization that specifically affect employees. They recruit, interview, and hire new staffers. They may also plan trainings to keep staff up to date on new techniques, software, or best practices. They also act as liaisons between every employee and the administration.

When you decide you want a human resources career, you need to be sure that you’re up to the significant responsibility of safe-keeping the most confidential information of the company and every employee. Being prepared for the enormity of this responsibility is vital.

You’ll need to have or acquire certain skills pertinent to human resources if you want to succeed in this position. The easiest way to do so is through a thorough education. These include facilitating employee relations, understanding worker’s compensation, onboarding new employees, project and performance management, customer service, teamwork and collaboration, and scheduling. Being conversant with human resources information software can lighten your workload considerably and may be a requirement depending on where you find work.

You may find you have access to roles as a personnel manager, human resources representative or specialist, or as a human resources administrator.

Some of your daily tasks may include:

  • Supervise, recruit, interview, select, hire, and train new employees
  • Plan and oversee company’s employee benefits plans
  • Mediate any disputes between employees
  • Direct any disciplinary procedures arising from employee misconduct or mediation
  • Meet with department heads to discuss staffing and training requirements
  • Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements such as FMLA, ADA, EEO, and FLSA
  • Supervise HR specialists and other employees

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Hospital Human Resources Management Educational Requirements

At a minimum, you should have a bachelor of healthcare administration, preferably with a concentration in human resources management, or vice versa, before you try to apply for this type of position. These degrees can equip you with the knowledge needed to work as a specialist or administrator in HR. An important area of learning concerns ethics in human resources and developing problem solving in business.

A human resources administration certificate could give you additional, valuable education for an entry-level position in a hospital, non-profit, or for-profit setting. This certificate covers how employment law interacts with business, handling a growing global business environment, and the use of proper business communications.

Bachelor’s Degrees

Bachelor’s degrees are usually four-year programs, with around 120 credits required to graduate. Though many students are able to attend full-time and graduate within this time frame; it's becoming more common across the country to take longer than the expected four years to earn a bachelor’s degree. If you take your courses part-time, it could take you two to four extra years to complete all the required courses.

This degree can give you a foundation in everything you need to know to work at a high level in a human resources department. However, you probably won’t be able to move directly into a management position unless you have very little competition for the job. Most companies want to hire human resources administrators who know how to engage with future and current employees. It’s a major part of your role to find the best employees, hire them, and train them so that they are as productive and capable as possible.

Master’s Degrees

A master’s degree is a graduate-level degree that usually takes around two years to complete and consists of 60 credit hours. These degrees are meant for those who are already working, so you should be able to work or care for your family and still complete this degree within two years. However, if you can only attend part-time, it may take another one to two years to finish every course you require.

Once you have your healthcare admin master’s degree, you can expect to gain higher levels of employment, including management positions, and better salary offers than you would with only a bachelor’s. This is no surprise. As positions become more and more technical and expanded, those leading need to have a higher level of expertise if they expect to be able to handle management positions.

Your degree program should increas your understanding of staffing. You’ll also likely learn about the necessary qualities that make an employee effective. Healthcare human resources degree programs offers many specializations that allow you to create a program that best fits your personality and goals in HR.

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Similar Roles in Hospital Human Resources

As you begin your HR studies, you should know that some of the job titles may sound similar. Even the responsibilities will look alike across titles and facilities. Some, such as HR manager or HR administrator, sound like they may be the same thing—but their roles are often slightly different.

  • HR Generalist:

    A generalist works with almost any function within a human resources department. They may help to prescreen job applicants, file and keep track of paperwork, maintain personnel records for the organization’s employees, be responsible for new hire orientation, make changes to employee benefits, and explain existing and new company policies and rules to both applicants and staff.

  • HR Manager:

    An manager oversees the HR departmental staff. They are responsible for carrying out the higher-level human resources activities that senior-level staff are usually given - creating policies and carrying out negotiations with vendors, for instance. If they are working for a small hospital, they may also assume the responsibilities that a human resources director would be responsible for, like ensuring that HR policies are being carried out.

  • Chief HR Officer:

    This role is more common in mid-sized and larger offices. In the HR field, it’s a top-level HR position. The CHRO works closely with others in the C-suite, developing and planning policies for the HR office that will eventually impact the whole organization. While the CHRO’s focus is human resources, they are responsible for discussing and creating policies and procedures that impact the entire company. They will also be responsible for ensuring compliance with state and federal employment law throughout the facility.

  • Chief People Officer:
    The chief people officer is a relatively new role - the CPO has to be able to see the organization from the viewpoint of the first- and second-line staff. In addition, they have to be able to communicate these views and understandings with senior leadership and those in the C-suites. This unique ability enables the organization can develop the culture they want. The role of the CPO has come about as organizations are rethinking the HR department and focusing more on the people within the company.
  • Chief Talent Officer:

    As the name of this executive’s role suggests, the CTO seeks out new talent by advertising opportunities for new staff or even executives who will work in the C-suites. The focus on new talent revolves around mostly executives, team leaders, and managers - though, in a hospital setting, it may also be needed in situations in which you need a specialist in a growing department or one with knowledge of brand new medical techniques.

    The biggest part of a CTO’s day is spent planning new strategies aimed at talent acquisition and understanding the needs within departments. They may also develop talent pipelines that streamline the hiring processes. Their main responsibilities are ensuring the workplace is productive and healthy, attracting new leadership and recruiting, and evaluating performance and developing training sessions when needed.

  • Vice President of Human Resources:

    The VP of Human Resources takes responsibility for the smooth functioning of an organization’s entire human resources department. They supervise managers and employees, offering consultation to management regarding well thought out staffing. This includes training, development, labor relations, budgeting, benefits, and compensation.

    This executive is responsible for reviewing and developing strategies for HR so that operations are efficient. The VP also develops and discusses new ideas that may improve the functioning of the HR department. They may write and discuss briefings with executives and oversee recruitment, interviews, selections, and the hiring of new employees.

Certification and Continuing Education Requirements

HR Management Certificate Program

This certification is aimed at professionals who have been in the field for several years. The SHRM program offers both peer discussion and expert guidance so that you and your HR peers are able to retain more and learn more quickly. You will learn the different human resources competencies: ethical practice, leadership, relationship management, business acumen, global and cultural effectiveness, and communication skills.

Because human resources is a people-oriented profession, you’ll be focused on learning about employee engagement, talent acquisition and retention, employee relations, and workforce management. You’ll also learn about diversity, inclusion, risk management, employment law and regulations, and corporate social responsibility.

The SHRM Certified Professional exam is challenging; it has 160 questions and the Senior Certified Professional exam has 180. Both exams contain stand-alone knowledge and situational judgment, while the SCP exam also has field test questions. You must be able to prove that you have worked in a human resources role for more than 1,000 hours in one calendar year, the equivalent of one year of experience.

This certification is valid for three years and you must rectify every three years via demonstrated professional development or retaking the exam.

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Human Resources Management

SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP)

Intended for senior HR professionals, this certification is focused on guiding you in developing strategies and polishing your leadership skills in human resources. The study course includes development of organizational goals, as well as performance metrics and analysis.

The exam itself is composed of 150 scored questions. They are knowledge-based and also require you to demonstrate situational judgment.

To be eligible to study for this certification and take the exam, you must have the following:

  • If you hold a graduate degree:
    • 3 years in an HR role if your degree is in human resources
    • 4 years in an HR role if your degree is not in human resources
  • If you hold a bachelor’s degree:
    • 4 years in an HR role if you have an HR degree
    • 5 years in an HR role if you do not have an HR degree
  • If you hold less than a bachelor’s degree:
    • 6 years in an HR role if you do not have an HR degree
    • 4 years in an HR role if your degree is related to HR

You aren’t required to hold an HR title to take the HR exam; the critical factor is your HR-related work. You must show that you have at least 1,000 hours invested in HR-related activities in one calendar year to equal one year of HR related experience.

Human Resources Admin/Manager Salary and Career Outlook

Human resources administrators or managers have a solid employment outlook, though growth in this sector has slowed. Between 2023 and 2033, their employment is expected to grow 6%. This is faster than the projected average for all occupations. Around 13,500 job openings are projected in this time.

The performance and growth of existing companies leads to the development of new companies, which will need human resources managers to develop, administer, and monitor their HR programs. The median annual salary of a human resources manager, according to the BLS, is $136,350.

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