August 17, 2011 - A head nurse essentially holds a management position, conducting supervisory

duties. A head nurse is placed above staff nurses, responsible for the resources, patient care and
personnel aspect of a nursing unit. Needless to say, the job comes with a higher paycheck and
equally large responsibilities. Head nurses are also responsible for nursing practice standards
implementation and care guidelines. In this article, we’ll take a look at the qualifications, experience
and specific qualities that a person should possess in order to become a head nurse.

Qualification

To become a head nurse, you need at least BSN in nursing, though a master’s degree from an
accredited school is preferred in most hospitals. The master’s degree endows a nurse with skills in
the areas of leadership, communication and critical thinking during emergencies.

Experience

You should put in three to five years of experience in a care facility before you can apply for the
position of a head nurse, or be considered for this position. Nurses with experience in a long term
care facility are preferred.

Qualities And Desired Characteristics

The following qualities and characteristics are desired in head nurses in most long term health care
facilities. Many of these qualities must be inherent, while some are expected from nursing
experience.

Compassionate Approach

Head nurses are required to possess a compassionate approach that does not wane in the face of
pressure under critical situations.

Coordination

A nursing manager or head nurse must be able to facilitate and deliver quality nursing care, while
managing the environment. This includes coordinating with other nurses involved in patient care.
The ability to perform management duties should be part of a nurse’s work experience in order to
qualify for
Negotiation And Conflict Resolution

Nursing candidates for a head nurse post must possess effective negotiation and conflict resolution
skills. A head nurse or nurse manager is required to smoothly manage the care environment of the
nursing unit under him or her. This means that the head nurse has to effectively manage any
conflicts that may arise with regard to patient care schedules, or even personal conflicts that can
occur among the staff. All issues of bickering, non-cooperation, unethical behavior and non-
compliances are first dealt with by the head nurse. The head nurse performs the initial evaluation,
primary negotiations, necessary monitoring and disciplining of non-compliant staff. Matters are
escalated to HR and hospital management only if they don’t get sorted at the head nurse’s level.

Humanistic Management Philosophy

The head nurse is encouraged to practice a humanistic management philosophy that involves
considering staff as people first and nurses later. Though this attitude can be taught, some nurses
possess this quality inherently. Approaching any situation from a humanistic perspective allows for
greater staff morale and better performance.

Ability to multi-task

Head nurses, apart from their management duties also have to be in charge of the overall care a
patient receives. This means the head nurse has to supervise patient treatments, progress, reporting
to doctors, monitoring nurses, changing routines, managing staff schedules and so on. All these
tasks require the head nurse to have excellent multitasking abilities.

Excellent Interpersonal Skills

A nurse manager is essentially a manager and in general, managers are not liked in any facility. This
makes any head nurse’s job challenging. Excellent interpersonal skills need to be partly inherent,
partly cultivated and carefully grown during nursing experience. It’s an effort to ensure that members
of the nursing staff remain calm, focused and work as a cooperative group. Great interpersonal skills
along with an even tempered, calm attitude can help head nurses manage their staff better.

Excellent Organizational Skills

A head nurse cannot manage each individual patient. That’s why it’s important for the head nurse to
structure the nursing unit’s activities and responsibilities, manage the staff rotation calendar, ensure
critical medications are obtained in time, and determine effective resource distribution. All of these
tasks require considerable organizational skills, similar to those of a corporate manager.

Impartial Advocacy

Head nurses should be seen as highly credible, even tempered and innovative people when it
comes to advocacy. It’s the head nurse’s job to meet the needs of nurses: clinical, professional, or
personal. Helping nurses to resolve their issues and manage advocacy for them with management is
a task that requires an unbiased attitude and sincerity.

Responsibility And Leadership

Some people have inherent leadership skills while others have to cultivate them. It’s important for a
head nurse to have a strong self esteem, sense of responsibility and belief in himself or herself as
the group leader. Without this, the head nurse has no hope of getting anyone to listen to him or her.
Understanding that the post comes with grave responsibilities is the first step to developing a certain
level of believable authority, which lends assurance and confidence. If the head nurse does not trust
himself or herself, then the staff nurses won’t trust the person either! The nurse manager should
demonstrate the ability to foster sound relationships with staff, management and other specialty
departments, in order to create a patient-centered environment. Last but not the least, a friendly,
open attitude is always a winner.

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