9 Types of Jobs for Nurse Administrators

Nursing Manager

 Average Salary (July 2022): $89,730

 Job Outlook: 32%
 Required Education: Bachelor's degree in nursing
 Licenses/Certifications: Registered nurse license

Nursing managers oversee a team of nurses in a hospital or clinical setting. As managers, they
make sure nurses follow the organization's procedures and policies. Nursing managers also ensure
compliance with regulations.

Within a unit, nursing managers play a role in hiring and training staff. They create schedules,
ensure coverage for shifts, and evaluate job performance. Nursing managers generally need a
bachelor's degree and experience as a registered nurse

Clinical Nurse Leader

 Average Salary (July 2022): $84,650

 Job Outlook: 32%
 Required Education: Master's degree in nursing
 Licenses/Certifications: Registered nurse license

Clinical nurse leaders oversee clinical tasks in a healthcare organization. They ensure their unit
meets clinical goals by supervising the nursing team. Clinical nurse leaders manage schedules,
assign and review clinical tasks, and organize medication and supplies.

Careers as a clinical nurse leader typically require a master's degree and prior nursing experience.
These nurses also need strong communication and teamwork skills, along with an attention to
detail.

Charge Nurse

 Average Salary (July 2022): $76,750

 Job Outlook: 9%
 Required Education: Bachelor's degree in nursing
 Licenses/Certifications: Registered nurse license

Charge nurses serve as the head of a department or unit. They oversee operations during their
shift. Charge nurses monitor nursing staff, track admissions and discharges, and provide some
direct patient care. In addition, they oversee the schedule and monitor supplies.

Most charge nurses hold a bachelor's degree and bring experience as a registered nurse. They
typically work in hospital settings, which often means working 12-hour shifts.

Clinical Nurse Manager

  Average Salary (July 2022): $84,930
 Job Outlook: 32%
 Required Education: Bachelor's degree in nursing
 Licenses/Certifications: Registered nurse license

Clinical nurse managers oversee nurses in clinical settings. They create shift schedules, resolve
complaints from nurses, and coordinate with other clinical managers. Clinical nurse managers
ensure that nursing units run smoothly.

These roles typically require several years of clinical experience as a nurse. Clinical nurse
managers also typically bring prior supervisory or management experience. Some employers
prefer to hire advanced practice nurses for these roles.

Patient Care Director

 Average Salary (June 2022): $103,410

 Job Outlook: 32%
 Required Education: Bachelor's degree in nursing
 Licenses/Certifications: Registered nurse license

Patient care directors oversee the patient experience in a healthcare organization. They evaluate
departments to identify areas for improvement. Patient care directors also create programs to train
healthcare personnel on improving patient care.

As part of their responsibilities, patient care directors typically visit departments to evaluate their
performance. Some roles require a master's degree in nursing or healthcare administration.
Patient care directors also generally need several years of clinical experience as a nurse.

Nurse Educator

 Average Salary (July 2022): $78,940

 Job Outlook: 9%
 Required Education: Master's degree in nursing
 Licenses/Certifications: Registered nurse license

Nurse educators train nurses in new procedures and the best practices in patient care. They often
work in hospital settings, where they work closely with hospital administrators to create continuing
education programs. Nurse educators may also analyze data and organizational needs to
determine areas for further training.

As part of their responsibilities, nurse educators may also train new hires. Nurse educators typically
need a master's degree and a current RN license.

Nursing Informatics Specialist

 Average Salary (June 2022): $84,780

 Job Outlook: 32%
  Required Education: Bachelor's degree in nursing
 Licenses/Certifications: Registered nurse license

Nursing informatics specialists analyze data to improve patient outcomes and clinical procedures.
These specialists evaluate medical data and connect clinical personnel with information technology
staff. They develop medical systems to record data and train nurses on using data collection
systems.

Roles as a nursing informatics specialist typically require an RN license and training in nursing
informatics. Advanced roles may require a master's in nursing.

Director of Nursing

 Average Salary (July 2022): $93,910

 Job Outlook: 32%
 Required Education: Bachelor's degree in nursing
 Licenses/Certifications: Registered nurse license

The director of nursing oversees a unit and takes on administrative responsibilities. These nurse
administrators set long-term goals, supervise nursing staff, and ensure compliance with healthcare
laws and regulations.

A director of nursing must also set procedures and ensure necessary training and staffing. They
assign tasks to staff and evaluate their performance. These roles often require a graduate degree
or several years of experience in nursing management.

Chief Nursing Officer

 Average Salary (August 2022): $134,900

 Job Outlook: 32%
 Required Education: Master's degree in nursing or healthcare administration
 Licenses/Certifications: Registered nurse license

The chief nursing officer holds the highest administrative role in nursing. They oversee nursing
activities at their organization. Chief nursing officers also set patient care policies, manage staffing
needs, and oversee training programs.

Chief nursing officers regularly work with other top executives. The role requires a clinical
background in nursing and managerial experience. These professionals also need a master's
degree, typically in nursing leadership, healthcare administration, or nursing administration.

Some of the nursing administration jobs available for program graduates include:

 Chief Nursing Officer / CNO

1. Registered nurse (RN) manager

National average salary: $76,577 per year

Primary duties: RN managers supervise a medical staff within a nursing
department. They ensure nurses provide the highest quality of care to their
patients. RN managers also recruit and train the nursing staff, help administer
medicine, create patient care plans and respond to patient questions and
concerns.

2. Clinical nurse manager

National average salary: $78,719 per year

Primary duties: Clinical nurse managers oversee the nursing staff in a clinical
setting. Within a clinic, they assess patient care, manage the budget and create
schedules for their staff. Clinical nurse managers also make decisions regarding
clinic employees.

3. Charge nurse

National average salary: $79,196 per year 

Primary duties: A charge nurse is an RN who oversees a particular unit or
department in a medical facility. They delegate nursing duties, coordinate
schedules, review admissions and discharges and ensure the sufficient supply of
medications and various medical supplies.
Related: Learn About Being a Charge Nurse

4. Nursing supervisor

National average salary: $80,689 per year

Primary duties: Nursing supervisors establish policies and guidelines for a
nursing staff, manage the department's budget and ensure both the maintenance
of patient records and the nursing staff's adherence to various hospital and
government requirements. They also coordinate a nursing schedule, assign
patients to nurses and create reports for senior management.

5. Director of care

National average salary: $80,703 per year

Primary duties: A director of care, or a patient care director, manages health
services or facilities. They supervise and direct employee activities and use their
leadership skills to oversee various programs dedicated to patient welfare.

6. Nurse manager

National average salary: $84,759 per year

Primary duties: Nurse managers supervise a hospital or clinic's nursing staff. They
train staff members, oversee and improve patient care, handle patient complaints
and scheduling, make management decisions and respond to crisis situations.
They also work alongside other staff members for various patient cases.
Related: Learn About Being a Nurse Manager

7. Chief nursing officer

National average salary: $137,981 per year

Primary duties: Chief nursing officers supervise nursing activities within a
healthcare organization. They often advise the senior management team on best
nursing practices, complete performance reviews, create new patient services and
represent the nursing staff at company meetings.

- A clinical nurse leader is an RN who has completed an advanced degree, typically

a master’s degree with a CNL specialization, and who oversees the care of patients under
their charge.

- The goal is to improve communication between medical professionals, ensure that patients
are receiving quality care, reduce the potential for medical mistakes and errors, and generally
improve patient outcomes. CNLs also ensure that healthcare systems, structures, internal
policies, patient care, and research are managed properly.

- The vice president of nursing maintains executive responsibility for all nursing procedures
in a healthcare setting. This position is often abbreviated to "VP of nursing" and involves
oversight for nursing staff assignments, healthcare IT, patient management, and policy
compliance.

 Clinical nurse researcher

 - advocating for the safety and well-being of their patients throughout the research
process
 - Their primary function is to ensure that, throughout the research process, patients
are treated both ethically and safely.
 Nurse informaticist
 - With data driving decisions at every level of a health system, healthcare
organizations must have data experts who can understand and communicate the
technological processes and the reasons behind them to clinical staff. Nurse
informaticists bridge the gap between data and nursing practice by combining clinical
experience and data expertise. They fulfill three pivotal responsibilities:
 1. Understand and communicate the “why” behind new processes.
2. Implement new processes.
3. Validate data quality.
 Nurse informatics manager
 - Nurse informaticists facilitate communication between clinical and IT staff. They
speak two languages—technology and health care—and focus specifically on
developing strategies for health IT procurement, implementation, maintenance, and
optimization in collaboration with other clinical and operational leaders.  
 - Any licensed RN can become an informaticist by earning a bachelor’s degree in a
relevant field such as health information technology or healthcare informatics.
However, 66% of respondents for the 2020 HIMSS Nursing Informatics Workforce
Survey reported that they had a master’s-level degree, which is especially important if
you intend to advance to informatics leadership roles.
 Nurse shift supervisor
 - A nurse shift supervisor's duties might include organizing patient files,
administering medication, filling positions for absent staff, handling patient
complaints and monitoring employee job performance. Supervisor duties are balanced
between patient care and managing the department during the shift.
 - A nurse shift supervisor manages the nursing staff and patient care for the duration
of an assigned work period, such as a night shift. He or she is responsible for planning
and directing department operations. Duties include clinical and administrative tasks
that are focused on providing high quality patient care while also adhering to the
mission and goals of the medical facility.
 Nurse shift leader
 - is in charge of providing direct supervision to employees at shift-based companies to
ensure the business operates correctly. Their duties include covering for employee
absences, managing cash drops from the register and resolving problems that occur
during their shift.
 Nurse case manager
 - A nurse case manager develops, implements, and reviews healthcare plans for
patients that are geriatric, recovering from serious injuries, or dealing with chronic
illnesses. Case managers work both within and outside of a hospital or medical
facility. And these registered nurses (RNs) collaborate with doctors and other medical
professionals to give their patients the comprehensive care that they need. This
includes advocating for their patients, coordinating their care, and providing other
healthcare services and education.