Nursing Administration Information

By Anjus Chiedozie

Nursing administration refers to the management and direction of nurses or a nursing department. The supervisor in charge of these duties is a type of registered nurse (RN) called a nursing administrator. In some instances, alternate terms such as head nurse, nursing manager and health services manager are used.

The nursing administrator is responsible for running all aspects of nursing in a facility, which includes the clinical and administrative duties. Nursing administrators recruit, hire and train nurses and other health care staff such as nursing assistants. They make sure that employees are competent, licensed and certified in nursing care; and they oversee the planning and implementation of nursing policies, procedures and treatment plans. In some cases, they join in with the personnel they supervise in providing patient care.

Most nursing administrators work in hospitals, placed in charge of nursing departments, or run entire nursing care facilities. However, they can be found wherever nursing is practiced. This includes the medical centers of educational institutions, residential care facilities and government agencies. Due to the around-the-clock operations of such workplaces, some nursing administrators may work for more than 40 hours a week.

Usually, RNs have an associate and/or bachelor's degree in nursing, plus a license to practice nursing by passing the NCLEX-RN (National Council Licensure Examination-Registered Nurse). Nursing administrators, however, need an additional master's degree in nursing, with a concentration in nursing administration. This can be obtained in two years from a four-year college or university.

According to Salary.com, the median annual salary for nursing administrators is $88,000 as of July 2010. The bottom 10 percent of nursing administrators make $69,000, while the top 10 percent make $109,000. This makes nursing administrators higher earners than regular RNs, who have a median annual salary of $65,000.

Job prospects for nursing administrators are excellent. Numbering more than 2.5 million in 2009 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, RNs constitute the largest health care occupation, thus providing a great candidate pool for employers looking for potential administrators. Placing them in its medical and health services managers category, the BLS estimates a 16 percent growth of nurse administrator employment between 2008 and 2018, which is a faster rate than that of the entire U.S. workforce.

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