How to Become a
Nurse Administrator

1. Know the role: what do nurse administrators do?

Nurse administrators provide leadership for nursing departments in hospitals, long-term care facilities, private practices, and more. In addition, nurse administrators draw on their knowledge and experience from clinical practice, as well as management skills to carry out their duties and provide effective direction for their departments. Nurse administrators work in office settings within hospitals, private practices, home health care agencies, and other organizations. Their duties usually span both strategic leadership and operational management.

Strategic leadership duties, roles and responsibilities can include:

• Setting budgets
• Defining policy and procedure
• Working with boards and committees to set performance goals for nursing staff

Operational management duties may include:

• Recruiting, hiring, and arranging professional development for nursing staff
• Setting work schedules
• Conducting performance reviews of nurses and taking disciplinary action where needed
• Managing departmental budgets

Nurse administrators also coordinate with medical staff and represent their nursing department in meetings with hospital or other healthcare executives.

Salary: how much does a nurse administrator make?

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) does not track average salaries for nurse administrators specifically. They are grouped in the “medical and health services managers” category, regarded as clinical managers.

According to data from the BLS, the average annual salary for medical and health services managers is $134,440 per year or $64.64 per hour.* Earning potential can vary widely by factors such as location, employer, seniority of the position, experience of the applicant, and the scope of responsibility. Discover how much nurse administrators can make by state and see an estimate of what medical and health managers earn on average near you.

Job outlook for nurse administrators

Job growth prospects for nurse administrators are strong. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job openings for medical and health services managers, which includes nurse administrators, are projected to grow by 28% over the 2022-2032 period, much faster than the overall job growth rate.*

3. Gain experience as an RN

Once you have earned a degree and gone through the steps to become a registered nurse, you will need to gain experience in clinical practice as a registered nurse to be considered for a role as a nurse director or administrator.

Every employer will have their own unique requirements and prerequisites for experience in nursing when hiring for an administrative role. Rather than target a predetermined number of years of experience, work towards being the best at what you do, never stop learning, and remain open to new opportunities.

5. Certification for nurse administrators

While it’s not required, obtaining nurse administrator certification may make you more competitive for advanced roles or with certain employers. Certification is usually offered to nurses who hold a master’s degree. Options include:

• Nurse Executive board certification (NE-BC) from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)
• Certified in Executive Nursing Practice (CENP) or Certified Nurse Manager and Leader (CNML) certification from the American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL)

Career options: possibilities to advance your career

Exploring options to take your nursing career to the next level? We offer multiple master’s degree concentrations for RNs looking to take the next step.

If you are currently a registered nurse and want to become a nurse administrator, we recommend pursuing your BSN degree (if you haven’t earned it already) and pursue an MSN focused on nursing administration.