OVERVIEW
What is a Head Nurse?
A head nurse is an individual who oversees nursing operations at your healthcare employer’s place of business. Whether you’re located in a hospital, outpatient clinic, or another medical setting, you will lead teams of nurses in providing effective, high-quality care for all patients.
As a specialized position, the role of a head nurse is best filled by an individual with both an undergraduate and master’s degree in nursing. In addition, head nurses are often characterized by years of experience in specific nursing fields.
RESPONSIBILITIES
What Does a Head Nurse Do?
Head nurses fulfill a variety of administrative duties in the medical setting. You might train new nurses, authorize operations, and provide direct patient care.
The exact responsibilities of a head nurse can include:
- Ensuring that all nurses operate properly in a medical setting.
- Providing hands-on patient care.
- Observing nurses providing patient care and ensuring that they interact with patients in ways that improve outcomes.
- Communicating with nursing teams, doctors, and other healthcare professionals to ensure high levels of patient care.
- Training all nurses whenever a new procedure is implemented, or whenever an existing procedure is updated.
- Handing out assignments to nursing teams.
- Reviewing daily and weekly nursing procedures and signing off on all operations.
- Forming nursing teams that work together cohesively.
- Educating new nurses in all facility operating procedures.
These and other responsibilities help head nurses thrive in a variety of medical settings. Especially in urgent or emergency medical environments, it’s important that head nurses understand the roles of all their staff as well as how to correctly fulfill all responsibilities.
EDUCATION & BEST DEGREES
How Do I Become a Head Nurse?
Before you can begin a career, you’ll need to satisfy a few educational requirements. First, aspiring head nurses will need to obtain a bachelor of science degree in nursing. This will familiarize you with many of the skills that are necessary for a head nurse position, including checking vitals, understanding anatomy, and facilitating basic nursing operations. There are options for current nurses to earn a bachelor’s degree, or for those who want to become nurses to earn a BSN and RN at the same time.
Individuals who have already obtained their bachelor’s degree can continue their journey toward a head nurse position through a Master of Science Nursing Leadership and Management program. This degree is tailored for individuals looking to deepen their nursing skills and will teach you to influence the future of healthcare through new nursing leadership, patient management, and healthcare business skills.
If you are already a registered nurse and want to obtain a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), then an RN to BSN program for current registered nurses is ideal for you. Similarly, current registered nurses seeking an MSN degree—Master of Science in Nursing—can expedite their education and certification processes through an RN-to-MSN Master of Science program. For those who have already earned a master's degree, a post-master's certificate in nursing leadership & management can be beneficial.
Best Degrees for a Head Nurse
Health & Nursing
Nursing (Prelicensure) – B.S.
A one-of-a-kind nursing program that prepares you to be an RN and a...
A one-of-a-kind nursing program that prepares you to be an RN and a baccalaureate-prepared nurse:
- Locations: Due to in-person clinical requirements, students must be full time residents of Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, or Wisconsin to enroll in this program. The coursework in this program is offered online, but there are in-person requirements.
- Tuition: $8,755 per 6-month term for the first 4 terms of pre-nursing coursework and $8,755 per 6-month term for the remaining 4 terms of clinical nursing coursework.
- Time: This program has a set pace and an expected completion time of 4 years. Certain coursework may be accelerated to finish faster.
- WGU offers the prelicensure program in areas where we have partnerships with healthcare employers to provide practice sites and clinical coaches to help teach you and inspire you on your path to becoming a nurse.
- If you don't live in one of our prelicensure states or don't qualify to apply, consider getting our Bachelor's in Health and Human Services instead. This degree allows you to work inside the healthcare industry, while also working directly with patients who need help.
Skills for your résumé that you will learn in this program:
- Community Health
- Women's and Children's Nursing
- Pathology
- Physiology
- Research
Health & Nursing
Nursing (RN-to-BSN Online) – B.S.
An online BSN degree program for registered nurses (RNs) seeking the added...
An online BSN degree program for registered nurses (RNs) seeking the added theoretical depth, employability, and respect that a bachelor's degree brings:
- Time: The program is designed to be completed in 1 year.
- Tuition: $5,325 per 6-month term.
- Courses: 23 total courses in this program.
- Transfers: Students can transfer up to 90 credits.
Skills for your résumé that you will learn in this program:
- Healthcare Policy and Economics
- Information Technology in Nursing Practice
- Anatomy and Physiology
- Applied Healthcare Statistics
If you don't currently have an RN and don't qualify for your nursing prelicensure program, consider getting our Bachelor's in Health and Human Services instead. This degree allows you to work inside the healthcare industry in a unique way.
Health & Nursing
Nursing – Leadership & Management (RN-to-MSN) – M.S.
This program for RNs includes a BSN component and is a substantial leap...
This program for RNs includes a BSN component and is a substantial leap toward becoming a nurse leader.
- Time: 62% of RN-to-MSN grads finish within 37 months.
- Tuition: $5,325 per 6-month term during undergraduate portion and $5,035 per 6-month term during graduate portion.
- Courses: 32 total courses in this program.
Skills for your résumé you will learn in this program:
- Quality Outcomes in a Culture of Value-Based Nursing Care
- Nursing Leadership and Management
- Advanced Pathopharmacological Foundations
- Informatics for Transforming Nursing Care
If you're driven to lead, this online nursing degree will provide you everything needed to make that career a reality. This program is ideal for current RNs who are interested in earning both their BSn and MSN in an accelerated program.
Compare degrees
This program is not the only degree WGU offers designed to create leaders in the field of healthcare. Compare our health leadership degrees.
Health & Nursing
Nursing – Leadership & Management (BSN-to-MSN) – M.S.
For registered nurses with a bachelor's degree who are ready for...
For registered nurses with a bachelor's degree who are ready for additional career opportunities.
- Time: 61% of grads finish within 23 months
- Tuition: $5,035 per 6-month term
- Courses: 15 total courses in this program
This program is ideal for current RNs who have a BSN and are ready for the next step in their education.
Skills for your résumé you will learn in this program:
- Quality Outcomes in a Culture of Value-Based Nursing Care
- Nursing Leadership and Management
- Advanced Pathopharmacological Foundations
- Informatics for Transforming Nursing Care
Compare degrees
This program is not the only degree WGU offers designed to create leaders in the field of healthcare. Compare our health leadership degrees.
Health & Nursing
Nursing Leadership and Management – Post-Master's Certificate
A certificate for registered nurses with a master's degree in nursing who...
A certificate for registered nurses with a master's degree in nursing who are ready for greater responsibility in a leadership and management role.
- Time: Students typically finish this program in 12 months.
- Tuition: $5,035 per 6-month term. The cost to sit for the NAHQ Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ) exam is included in tuition.
- Courses: 8 total courses in this program.
Skills for your résumé that you will learn in this program:
- Strategic Planning
- Resource Management
- Business Case Analysis
- Evaluating Healthcare Improvements
How Much Does a Head Nurse Make?
$76,663
As a head nurse, your exact income will depend on several factors. These can include your employer, employer’s location, employer’s public or private funding, your years of experience, your education, and any accreditations you currently hold. The salary of a head nurse can average $76,663, with a range of roughly $49,000 to $134,000 earned per year.
What Is the Projected Job Growth?
6%
From 2022 to 2032, employment for registered nurses is expected to grow 6%. This projected growth rate is well above the average across all occupations. Aging populations are largely behind the forecasted increase in required healthcare services. Head nurses in particular will be needed to educate nurses on any issues that patients might be facing.
SKILLS
What Skills Does a Head Nurse Need?
Proficient in both team management and patient care, head nurses depend on a variety of skills each day. These skills allow head nurses to connect patients with high-quality care, improve their outcomes and positively contribute to their quality of life.
Head nurses regularly depend on many of the following skills:
- Nurse management. The ability to effectively oversee all nurse operations to ensure that they maintain efficient operations while advocating for patient health and recovery.
- Interpersonal communication. The ability to correspond effectively with all nurses, doctors, patients, and healthcare staff regularly.
- Patient care. The ability to provide expert-level care to all patients in need of specific treatments, therapies, and modalities.
- Problem-solving. The ability to identify, address, and solve issues as they arise in a healthcare environment.
- Instructional skills. The ability to teach new nurses about your facility’s standard operating procedures while updating existing nurses on any new procedures.
- Public speaking. The ability to confidently address a group of gathered nurses, answer questions, and inform their understanding of your clinic’s processes.
- Technological proficiency. The ability to correctly use all pieces of technology in a healthcare setting, including any computers, tablets, phones, electronic health records, and online resources.
These and other skills help head nurses protect the integrity of the healthcare environment, oversee operations, and connect patients with appropriate treatments.
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