Health is something we are all concerned with or are conscious of. As such, the healthcare industry is a major employer. Working in healthcare is a career choice many make. The ongoing need for trained professionals in this industry offers superb job security, and aging populations are leading to a rise in the demand for qualified healthcare professionals. One role you might think about is that of the nurse leader. But how do you get into this, and what does this type of job involve?
How do you become a nurse leader?
Gaining the right qualifications means you have the right credentials to apply for nurse leader openings and the knowledge to perform well in the role.
The key is to find good quality courses that qualify you for this kind of role after you graduate. The nursing leadership training programs offered at Baylor University are an excellent example of this kind of program. As well as being one of the top universities in the country, their nurse leadership courses offer flexible online study, and there are no GRE/MAT requirements for entry.
What responsibilities do nurse leaders have?
Before you enroll in such a course, it makes perfect sense to find out more about what nurse leaders do first.
As the name implies, these are executive-level nursing staff and often the top nursing professionals in a healthcare facility. The primary responsibility this kind of role involves is offering robust and effective leadership to any nursing staff within their place of work.
They also serve as a role model for nursing staff and demonstrate the high standards to which they should be working. Nurse leaders also focus on the importance of teamwork within nursing and use this knowledge to build strong teams in their facility.
As this is an executive position, it involves strategic decision-making at a senior level in relation to nursing within a healthcare setting. This could be anything from planning how many nursing staff may be needed in the future to input on new patient care policies. Nurse leaders also need to align the objectives for their area of responsibility to the bigger goals of their hospital or clinic.
What other responsibilities do nursing leaders have?
People in this position are also responsible for managing the team of nurses in their facility and keeping them motivated to provide the best care to patients. Nurse leaders are also there to give pastoral support to the nurses they manage. They need to communicate any new guidelines/policies to nursing staff around patient care and ensure they are adhered to.
This kind of role can also involve a lot of admin work and desk-based tasks. Data analysis is the most significant example of this, and nurse leaders are usually required to analyze datasets to draw actionable insights into nursing in their facility.
Some nurse leader roles can also involve admin tasks like drawing up staff rotas, handling disciplinary matters with nursing staff, and deciding how to spend the allocated nursing budget in their clinic or hospital.
Although this gives a general overview of the most common responsibilities of nurse leaders, specific jobs within this niche vary according to what they include. There is a wide range of choices when it comes to nursing leader careers – but which are most common?
Vice president of nursing
If you want to aim for the top as a nurse leader, then the VP of nursing is a great position to target. This is a senior executive role and comes with a significant salary. It is a job for those that excel at working under pressure to meet their targets and deliver the best patient outcomes. But what does it involve?
In simple terms, you are responsible for all nursing procedures within a clinic or hospital. This can include looking after patient management, compliance with guidelines, and managing assignments for nursing staff and IT. You would be one of the senior staff in any facility and typically report to the CEO or chief operating officer.
Chief nursing officer
This is a well-known position in nurse leadership. In a nutshell, CNOs are the highest-level admin nurse in a healthcare setting. Their primary role is to manage nursing staff within a facility and ensure that the entire nursing department functions as it should.
Common tasks for a CNO include ensuring nursing units have the equipment needed for outstanding patient care and that patients achieve the best outcomes. Although they spend a lot of time in their office, CNOs also get out on the ward and regularly connect with the fellow nursing staff.
While this job can involve weekend or evening work, it is primarily a 9-to-5 position. With an average salary of around $136,250, this is an appealing leadership role in nursing.
Dean of Nursing
If you like the sound of nursing leadership but would prefer a position away from traditional healthcare settings, this could be a good career choice. As a dean of nursing, you work in educational institutions and become responsible for leading the nursing faculty in said institution.
This can involve ensuring course curriculums are kept up to date and offer the best quality learning. It may also include liaising with course leaders, dealing with higher-level student complaints, and making strategic decisions on how to take the nursing faculty you manage forward. With an average salary of around $116,596 and the chance to experience nursing leadership differently, this is a popular choice.
Roles and responsibilities of a nurse leader
Leadership is key in any sector, and nursing is no different. Nursing staff within any facility need people to guide them and senior nurses to inspire them. If you plan to move into nurse leadership, there are multiple opportunities to choose from.