Nursing Manager: Career, Training, & Certification

Nursing Manager

With nursing as with any other field, there is a need for management to help ensure that everything is running smoothly and according to plan within the health care organization. Nursing managers are specially trained to be able to implement procedures and policies, overseeing the actions of other nurses. They may also work together with the overall medical office manager to help with human relations, financial paperwork, and scheduling. This can be a position that requires a high level of organization and long hours, as well as a good deal of regular nursing experience to anticipate the needs of other nurses on staff. A good deal of interpersonal communication ability is also recommended, as they will need to be able to interact with staff, patients, and families, often all at the same time. This requires a flexible and detail-oriented personality.
 
Salary Outlook
 
Salaries will vary slightly depending on education and experience, but tend to fall into a fairly limited standard range.
 
Average Annual Salary
$61,835
 
Salary Range
$57,636-$69,653
 
Work Environment
 
Nursing managers may be required to work anywhere that one may expect to find other RN’s, including hospitals and general health care clinics. In addition, they may find themselves in other places of business that can include physician’s private offices, while others could work in the field of nursing homes or other home health care programs. Generally speaking, like many others in the health care industry, nursing managers can expect to work long hours and might have to be on call on a regular basis, depending on the clinic’s needs.
 
 
Requirements
 
While the minimum requirements for an aspiring nursing manager would include being licensed as a Registered Nurse (RN), most will go on to pursue higher education that includes a Master’s in Science in Nursing. There are specialty administrative courses that can be taken, and helpful certificates that may be available as part of a regular nursing program.
 
Career Outlook
 
The health care industry in general is expected to skyrocket within the next ten years, as the population ages and the demand for nurses correspondingly increases. Older people have a higher need for ongoing health care, which trickles over into all aspects of the industry, including the need for nursing managers. The opportunities for these types of positions have been estimated to go up anywhere between 6-8% in the next ten years, and will remain steady after that, making this a highly worthwhile field of study.
 
Professional Organizations
 
American Association of Healthcare Administrative Management
11240 Waples Mill Road, Suite 200
Fairfax, VA 22030
Phone: (703) 281-4043
www.aaham.org
 
American Nurses Association
8515 Georgia Avenue
Suite 400
Silver Spring, MD 20910-3492
Phone: (301) 628-5000
www.nursingworld.org