Nursing Administration & Management is a specialty that encompasses nurses who work in leadership positions in a variety of practice settings. Administrators that work in the hospital environment play a key role in overseeing the safe and cost-effective delivery of patient care. Chief Nurse Executives (CNE) or Chief Nursing Officers (CNO) focus on the clinical operations, financial profitability, quality improvement, and overall patient management within an entire organization or healthcare system. Nursing directors may oversee several nursing units or specialty areas within a hospital or a medical facility such as a nursing home or rehabilitation center. Nurse managers have 24-hour accountability for the staff and patient care within a nursing unit or division. Charge nurses, or nurse shift leaders/supervisors, are generally responsible for the nursing care that is delivered during their assigned shift. Clinical nurse leaders hold an advanced degree and may care for patients and support other clinical team members and implement best practices. General managerial duties for nurses in leadership positions include: hiring, training, scheduling, evaluating and supervising the nursing staff; managing budgets and financials; implementing quality programs to improve patient care and mitigate risk; acting as a liaison between staff, department leaders and governing boards; responding to patient and family complaints; writing policies and procedures, and ensuring compliance with regulatory standards. Nursing administrators and managers must be strategic thinkers, problem solvers, strong decision makers, effective leaders, mentors, team builders and skillful communicators.

In this Administration & Management Nursing Resource Center, we’ve put together resources to help you navigate this specialty. Our Nursing Pocket Cards are quick references and our Guideline Summaries provide need-to-know information from the latest recommendations. Our infographics, tips and mnemonics, and blogs are additional resources to help you during your nursing administration career.