About a Career Path in Nursing Management
Increasingly, nurses are pursuing management and administrator positions as an option to further their careers and gain greater income and possibilities for advancement. Specific skills and education are required in order to be promoted to a manager or administrator in nursing.
Considerations
Not all nurses want to go into management or administration. Some people receive more personal satisfaction from actually being involved with the hands-on care in areas such as intensive care or emergency services. Other individuals, however, find that supervision of personnel and handling day-to-day administration responsibilities, such as programming, provides ongoing challenges and satisfaction. Such administration skills and roles differ considerably from being a bedside nurse, but they can be just as important to excellent patient care.
Education
In some cases, registered nurses with BA degrees in nursing gain experience in staffing and then are promoted to more senior-level positions in management. They often head up the ladder step by step into more responsible roles. Increasingly, however, nurses are finding that it is important to get a graduate degree in nursing or services administration in order to jump more quickly into positions such as director, vice president or head nurse.
Leadership
Individuals who pursue nursing management must have strong leadership and team-building skills. Leadership is an essential personal skill that is required in all business relationships. A capable leader does not use rank or authority as a means of gaining followers, but rather interpersonal communication, respect, motivation and personal support. When a manager or administrator does not have good leadership skills, the department cannot run to maximum effectiveness.
Responsibilities
Nursing administrators or managers can have a variety of responsibilities. They may supervise nurses, develop and implement nursing programs, or oversee entire departments or health care facilities. Department supervisors, for example, may be in charge of staffing, nurse assignments, oversight of quality levels of patient care and employee communication. Managers and administrators may also be responsible for issues such as hiring and employee retention, developing and standardizing procedures, creating and maintaining budgets, and completing employee reviews.
Communication
Administrators and supervisors must be able to work with other managers, their own personnel, other employees in the facility, patients and families in many different situations. A good manager or administrator will have an open-door policy so that people feel comfortable coming by with any questions or concerns. Such communication furthers positive morale and quality care throughout the organization.
Tags: manager administrator, Career Path, Career Path Nursing, Path Nursing, Path Nursing Management, patient care