Jobs in nursing administration are perfect for seasoned RNs and new graduates alike who want to climb the career ladder. They provide nursing professionals with leadership skills and experience to lead teams of qualified healthcare professionals in the pursuit of quality care in a positive, growth-oriented workplace.
The number and type of nursing administration jobs continues to grow as the demand for qualified nurses rises. Job growth for registered nurses is expected to increase as much as 16 percent by 2024, and medical and health services managers can expect to see an expansion of as much as 17 percent. As the population continues to age and live longer, healthier lives, specialized care clinics such as long-term care facilities will be increasingly important; as such, nurse administrators will continue to fill needed roles.
Nurse Administrators’ Responsibilities
A nurse administrator can expect any number of duties on the job, such as staff management, which includes scheduling, reviewing employee performance, developing workplace policies and best practices and establishing ethical and legal standards for job performance. Other duties include creating budgets and approving spending, ensuring services meet regulatory requirements and maintaining facility records. Specific positions for administrators include nurse manager, chief nursing officer, nursing director and others.
Nurse administrators may also collaborate frequently with peers, managers and other clinic staff through personnel meetings and executive-level strategy sessions. While nurse administrators spend more time working in office environments than in clinical settings, they do fill important roles at hospitals, nursing homes, private practices and urgent care facilities.
Requirements for Nurse Administrators
Nurse administrators need to have, at minimum, a bachelor’s degree in nursing or health administration. However, practicing administrators are more likely to have a master’s degree or a post-graduate certificate. Course curricula for nurse administration degree programs focus on a variety of business- and healthcare-related practices, including finance, management, health policy, nursing research and health planning.
Professional nurse administrators must also hold current licenses as registered nurses; employers may encourage them to obtain certification through the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Many nursing home facilities require administrators to obtain licensure and pursue continuing education.
What Do Nurse Administrators Earn?
The range for a nursing administration salary is broad, and it often depends on the job’s particular requirements and the nurse administrator’s experience. Clinical nurse managers can expect to earn between $53,000 and $100,000 annually, while nursing directors can see salaries ranging from $56,000 to nearly $120,000. The median annual nursing administration salary reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for 2014-2015 is $88,580.
Learn more about the Lamar University online MSN in Nursing Administration program.
Sources:
http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Nurse_Administrator/Salary
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/registered-nurses.htm
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/medical-and-health-services-managers.htm
http://www.allnursingschools.com/nursing-careers/nurse-leadership-administration/job-description/
