Anywhere a staff of nurses is employed, you’ll find a Nursing Director or Director of Nursing. The job description and earning potential for a Nursing Director will vary depending on the size and type of the facility.
What Does a Nursing Director Do?
A Nursing Director is in charge of the entire nursing staff at a healthcare facility. He or she is responsible for making sure that each nursing unit is operating as it should and that all nurses on the staff are doing their jobs properly. A Nursing Director is also responsible for both the safety of the workplace and for the proper care of all patients.
How to Become A Nursing Director
In order to become a Nursing Director or Director of Nursing – the terms are interchangeable – you must first complete a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing. This is a four-year degree that covers nursing science and principles, patient care, nursing management, and clinical procedures.
After graduating, you’ll be required to sit for the NCLEX-RN exam, which is the National Council Licensure Examination. For more information about the NCLEX, visit the National Council of State Boards of Nursing website. You’ll also be required to get your state certificate in registered nursing.
Once you are a licensed registered nurse, you’ll have to get the requisite experience as a practicing nurse. The number of years experience to become a Nursing Director varies greatly from facility to facility. Most facilities, however, require excellent leadership skills and experience in some type of leadership role.
In addition to experience as a registered nurse, you may also be required to obtain your Master’s degree in Healthcare Administration or a related field, such as a Master’s in Health and Human Services. Many healthcare facilities prefer to hire Nursing Directors with a graduate degree.
Education and certifications aside, a career in nursing requires qualities you can’t learn in school, including:
– Critical thinking skills
– Compassion
– A tendency to be detail oriented
– Organizational skills
– Strong communication skills
– Emotional stability
Nursing Directors, and registered nursing in general, often face high levels of stress on the job. In order to be a successful registered nurse, you have to be able to work under pressure and think clearly in life-or-death situations. Since all Nursing Directors start out as Registered Nurses, you will undoubtedly face many challenges in your path to become a Nursing Director if you don’t possess all of the above qualities.
How Much Do Nursing Directors Make?
Nursing Directors earn a median salary of approximately $77,782 annually in the United States, with the top 10% earning more than $116,445 and the bottom 10% earning less than $54,000. A typical registered nurse, by contrast, earns a median annual salary of $60,392, with the bottom 10% earning less than $32,000 and the top 10% earning more than $89,000.
These estimates do not include benefits such as health insurance, paid vacation, and annual bonuses. For more information, visit the Bureau of Labor Statistics official website.
With the rapidly aging baby boomer generation and an increasing focus on preventative care, jobs in healthcare-related careers, including Nursing Directors, are expected to grow by 26%, which is faster than average.
