OVERVIEW
What is a Nurse Manager?
A nurse manager is an individual in a medical setting with the decision-making power to influence daily operations. They can advocate for improved patient care by optimizing certain processes that a hospital or healthcare organization fulfills every day.
As a specialized career option, nurse managers are required to complete several stages of schooling, registration, and experience. Nursing managers first operate as nurses in a medical setting before assuming roles that add administrative responsibilities.
RESPONSIBILITIES
What Does a Nurse Manager Do?
Nurse managers fulfill a wide range of responsibilities. At the same time that nurse managers provide patient care, they also maintain responsibilities that involve the oversight of healthcare processes. Fulfilling both administrative and personal care roles, nurse managers can influence how and why hospitals and healthcare organizations use certain processes.
The exact responsibilities of a nurse manager can include:
- Creating department schedules that identify when nurses and other staff members will work.
- Supervising nursing staff members as they serve patients, address patient conflicts, communicate with family members, and perform all other necessary aspects of their positions.
- Providing patient care through all of the processes required by comprehensive bedside nursing.
- Collaborating with staff in other departments to ensure that patients receive the best possible care, from intake through release.
- Recruiting and training new nurses.
- Improving the efficiency of all healthcare organization processes.
- Organizing facility records for quick recall and future reference.
- Solving for any issues in current clinic operations.
These and other responsibilities define most of the daily tasks that a nurse manager needs to satisfy.
As one of the top available nursing leadership roles, nurse managers work to improve the lives of all patients in their facilities. The above responsibilities allow them to appropriately advocate for the highest possible level of patient care.
EDUCATION & BEST DEGREES
How Do I Become a Nurse Manager?
As an aspiring nurse manager, you will first need to complete several educational steps. First, you’ll need to obtain a nursing license and a bachelor’s degree in nursing. You can pursue your bachelor’s degree and RN license at the same time through a BSN program. If you're already a registered nurse with a nursing diploma or an ADN, there are RN to BSN programs that can help you gain the credentials you need.
The next step to pursuing a career as a nurse manager is to obtain a Master of Science Nursing Leadership and Management degree. This program builds on your understanding of the nursing field by teaching you additional management and leadership skills. You will learn how to help your organization succeed in creating successful employees. You will also learn how to positively influence the future of healthcare by familiarizing yourself with evolving healthcare standards. If you’re a current RN without a BSN, then you may be able to earn both your BSN and MSN in a concurrent program, helping you be ready for this career move more quickly. You can even expand your education beyond a master's degree with a post-master's certificate in nursing leadership & management.
Best Degrees for a Nurse Manager
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
Health & Nursing
Nursing Leadership Certificate – Leavitt School of Health
Enhance your résumé and take a step in your educational journey with the...
Enhance your résumé and take a step in your educational journey with the help of a nursing leadership certificate from the Leavitt School of Health.
- Time: 3 months from start to finish.
- Cost: $2,000 for the certificate.
- Courses: 3 courses total in this program.
This program is for emerging nursing leaders, however this program does not require a bachelor’s degree, and provides transferable credit towards a WGU degree program. The three courses are:
- Interprofessional Communication and Leadership in Healthcare
- Intrapersonal Leadership and Professional Growth
- Nursing Leadership Capstone
How Much Does a Nurse Manager Make?
$94,323
The exact income of a nurse manager can depend on a variety of factors, including their employer, employer location, healthcare facility funding, years of experience, and accreditations. On average, the salary of a nurse manager is $94,323.
What Is the Projected Job Growth?
28%
Nurse managers are expected to enjoy a favorable job outlook in the next decade. From 2022 to 2032, the employment of all medical and health services managers—including nurse managers—is expected to rise 28%.
SKILLS
What Skills Does a Nurse Manager Need?
Nurse managers depend on specific skills to help them best serve patients. These skills allow nurse managers to communicate with team members and patients, develop nursing schedules, and implement processes that improve facility operations.
The specific skills a nurse manager needs can include:
- Teamwork. The ability to work together with other nurses, healthcare staff members, and department heads.
- Problem-solving. The ability to creatively solve problems that nurses and healthcare departments face in terms of operations and patient care.
- Interpersonal communication. The ability to communicate effectively with patients and the nurses servicing them.
- Scheduling. The ability to balance all nurse schedules to create facility workflows that balance responsibilities.
- Business management. The ability to implement strategies that improve operations at a healthcare facility.
- Financial management. The ability to adeptly manage a healthcare organization’s finances, prioritizing investments that improve patient care.
- Employee management. The ability to successfully manage all healthcare nursing staff members, listening to their concerns and facilitating any new employee onboarding.
These and other responsibilities define the major roles that a nurse manager fulfills on a day-to-day basis.
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