Jon Andrewes, 63, from Totnes, misled a Somerset hospice where he was chief executive from 2004 and Torbay Care Trust when he became chairman in 2007.
He also misled Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust where he became chairman in 2015.
Exeter Crown Court Judge Geoffrey Mercer told Andrewes that for 10 years "your outwardly prestigious life was based on a staggering series of lies".
More on the NHS fraudster, plus more Devon and Cornwall news
Andrewes admitted obtaining money by deception when he secured a job at the St Margaret's Hospice in Somerset, and two counts of fraud.
These related to making misleading statements before he was appointed as chairman of the Torbay Care Trust and of the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust (RCHT).
His total earnings from the health bodies between 2005-16 was £1,072,076.
Among the fake claims he called himself "Dr", despite him not having a PHD.
Andrewes also falsely claimed degrees from Edinburgh, Plymouth and Bristol universities, although he did have a Higher Education Certificate in Social Work.
He had actually spent most of his career as a probation officer, customs officer or youth worker.
Chairman of St Margaret's Hospice, Michael Clark, who appointed Andrewes, said the hospice made "significant progress" under his leadership and he had "no doubts about his ability to do the job".
But he would not have employed Andrewes if he had known about the fake qualifications.
Cameron Brown, prosecuting, told the court that Andrewes' employment was a mixed bag with a range of performance, and he was "not actively doing damage".
But he said the grounds for prosecution were "not his performance but the fact he was there".
A bogus NHS boss who lied about his qualifications and raked in more than £1m has been jailed for two years.