One route that you can take as a nurse is the leadership route, such as working in nurse management. Being a nurse manager isn’t for everyone, but those well-suited for it can thrive in this role. Getting into leadership can offer the benefits of having more authority and a higher pay rate, to name a few. In this article, I’ll break down some of the pros and cons of being a nurse manager and share the career route to get there.
What Does a Nurse Manager Do?
Nurse managers are in charge of running individual hospital units. They have the responsibility of keeping both patients and nurses happy. Nurse managers have a wide variety of tasks, some of which include:
- Creating and coordinating the schedules of staff
- Checking time cards to ensure that employees are paid correctly
- Hiring new nurses
- Paying attention to staffing levels and patient ratios
- Attending team meetings with other hospital administrators
- Educating the floor nurses on the unit’s best practices and any new protocols as they are released
Typically, nurse managers spend the majority of their time in an administrative setting, such as in an office or attending meetings. They will periodically spend some time on the actual hospital floor, checking in with the charge nurse and other nurses to make sure things are running smoothly.
How to Become a Nurse Manager
If you are genuinely interested in becoming a nurse manager, then you’re probably wondering what steps you need to take to get there. Many nurse managers I’ve met started on their unit as a staff nurse and gradually worked their way up to a management role. This is not the route that everyone takes, it is just what I have observed.
The steps you’ll need to take to become a nurse manager include:
- Obtain a nursing license
- Gain bedside nursing experience
- Advance your nursing degree
Obtain a nursing license
If you want to be a nurse manager, you have to first attend nursing school and obtain your nursing license. Attend an accredited nursing program, graduate, then sit for your board exams. Once you pass the NCLEX, you’ll officially be licensed and you’ll be ready to start practicing as a bedside nurse—woohoo!
Gain bedside nursing experience
In order to manage a hospital unit well, it is important that you gain plenty of experience working on one so that you can get an idea of how things are run. If you’ve considered being a nurse manager, you can first try to observe the manager of the unit you work on to assess whether it is something you may want to do. You could even ask your unit manager or nurse supervisor if they would let you shadow them one day so that you can gain more insight on what they’re day-to-day work-life looks like.
Advance your nursing degree
Many nurse manager roles will require that you hold a Master’s degree. Some jobs may allow you to work as a nurse manager with a Bachelor’s degree with the requirement that you gain your Master’s degree within a certain time frame of starting the job. Either way, you’ll likely need to obtain an advanced nursing degree in order to be a nurse manager. Typically, nurses who are hoping to move into management roles will obtain a Master’s degree in Nursing Leadership.
If you already have a Bachelor’s degree in nursing, completing your Master’s degree will probably take anywhere from 2 to 3 years, although accelerated programs may be available. Master’s degrees in nurse leadership can be taken online or in-person. Once you finish your degree, you may have to sit for a certification exam such as the Certified Nurse Leadership (CNL) exam.
Benefits and Drawbacks of Being a Nurse Manager
The best way to decide if you want to do something is to weigh out the pros and cons. Being a nurse manager is no easy feat and going back to school for a Master’s degree specifically in leadership is quite a commitment. It is important that you are sure this is a job you want before going back to school for an advanced degree.
Benefits of being a nurse manager
Being a nurse manager offers more authority and autonomy, an increased pay rate, and opportunities to advance in your career.
More authority and autonomy
When you’re working as a floor nurse, your autonomy may feel limited since you always have to talk to doctors or superiors (charge nurse or manager) to get orders for your patients or deal with issues.
Once you move into the role of being a nurse manager, you’ll realize that you have much more autonomy and authority in your job role. Your responsibilities will be different than what they were as a floor nurse, but you will have more say in unit processes and protocols as they change and evolve.
Nurse manager salary
Pay rates vary between hospitals, but it is safe to say that you will make more money as a nurse manager than you did as a floor nurse. If you are hoping to increase your income without remaining in clinical roles like floor nurse or nurse practitioner, nurse management may be a great choice for you.
Career advancement
Some people find contentment working as a floor nurse and never have the desire to leave, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with doing this (we do need floor nurses afterall). If you are not one of those people though and you want to see your career grow and evolve, then leadership is one of the many ways to do so.
As a nurse manager, you will gain new insight about the field of nursing and healthcare as a whole. You will get an inside perspective on the small details that go into making a hospital run smoothly and you’ll have a front row seat to seeing how hospital policies and procedures work. You may even have the authority to potentially change policies and see the results of those changes.
Drawbacks of being a nurse manager
No job is perfect, so it is obviously important to also consider the downsides of being a nurse manager. These can include high stress levels, a possible lack of excitement compared to bedside nursing, and reduced patient interaction.
High stress
We all know that nursing is a stressful field of work and nurse management won’t necessarily be a walk in the park. This is why it is important that you are passionate about leadership before choosing to work as a manager. If you truly care about what you are doing, the stress will feel worth it.
Management can be stressful since you still have to answer to authority figures who are above you while also working to keep the employees who work beneath you happy. Your responsibilities include managing many different schedules to keep the hospital floor staffed properly and handling any issues with employees and patients, including firing an employee or dealing with a difficult patient.
Not as exciting as bedside nursing
One reason why many nurses stay at the bedside is that it is genuinely exciting. You never know what types of patients you’ll see in a given shift and it is almost never boring. This aspect of nursing is very different once you move into a management role. You won’t have the same excitement of being on the floor everyday. Some people may find the administrative nature of management to be a bit monotonous or even boring.
Less patient interaction
When you transition from being a floor nurse to nurse manager, you won’t be interacting with patients as much (if at all). Some nurses may see this as a drawback while others may see it as a benefit. I personally see it as a drawback since patient interaction is one of my favorite aspects of being a nurse. However, opinions will vary here.
What Makes a Good Nurse Manager?
If you’re someone who likes to take the lead and is passionate about helping a hospital run smoothly, then a nurse manager role may be a great option for you. Good nurse managers are diplomatic, passionate, and proactive. Someone who’s a good fit for a management role in nursing should definitely be open to the idea of attending graduate school and be comfortable in an administrative setting where they’ll be spending the majority of their working hours in an office or attending meetings.
Final Thoughts
Overall, nursing management is a great way to advance your career. Of course, this branch of nursing is not without flaws. It could be a wonderful fit for someone who wants to advance their nursing career while moving away from direct patient care. If you’re considering a future as a nurse leader, start observing the way things are run in the hospital where you work. Consider if the nurse managers you see seem happy in their roles and ponder what you may do differently to see positive changes happen on your floor.
