What is Nursing Administration?

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Updated on July 19, 2022
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Are you interested in learning what a nursing administration professional does on a daily basis? If you are comparing all of your options as you earn a degree in nursing or healthcare, it is important to consider all of your options. While many strive to become a bedside nurse, other professionals are interested in managing teams and working more of a behind-the-scenes type of role. If you would like to learn about nursing administration and what this title entails, read on and learn what you need to know to determine if you are a good fit for the position.
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What Are the Main Responsibilities of a Nursing Administrator?

Nursing administrators will know and implement all of the nursing procedures in a healthcare environment. While administrators can communicate with patients, they will more than likely manage a team of nurses who will work on the front lines interacting with the patients who are seen in the facility. As a managerial team member in the nursing department, an administrator will wear many different hats to ensure that the department is complying with laws and that the department is fully staffed. As a manager, you will take on full responsibility for nursing patient care and promoting staff development. You will also establish new procedures and provide each team member with the documentation that they need to learn the procedures. In order to keep the healthcare center running efficiently, an administrator will schedule nursing staff and supervise the staff while they are on-duty. It is also common for an administrator to act as a line of communication before the practice and nursing staff and to analyze the treatment decisions that have been made in the past. When conflict arises, you will be in charge of conflict resolution and employee counseling when necessary.

Where Do Nursing Administrators Work?

There is a need for highly trained administrators in all healthcare environments. One of the great things about working in the healthcare field is that you are not restricted to a single type of setting. If you are interested in becoming a nursing administrator at some point in time, you can work in nursing units within hospitals, nursing homes, healthcare centers, public health agencies, long-term care facilities and more. Wherever there is a demand for nurses there will be a demand for professionals to oversee them. If this is a path that interests you, you will be happy to hear that there is a growing demand for administrative professionals who can supervise nurses or services and programs. With a high demand and the average salary for administration leaders coming in at $96,735, there are many reasons to study to work in this field, according to Nurse Zone. Related Resource: Biomechanics Nursing is a field that has done very well, even during the economic decline that occurred years back. If you want to enter a sector that is constantly growing and a field where the demand is high, nursing administration could be the best choice. Make sure that you take time to learn about how long it will take to earn your Master's in Nursing Administration degree, find out how much experience you will need to get as a nurse, and then you can weigh the pros and the cons so that you are better able to make a better decision.

BestColleges.com is an advertising-supported site. Featured or trusted partner programs and all school search, finder, or match results are for schools that compensate us. This compensation does not influence our school rankings, resource guides, or other editorially-independent information published on this site.

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