Get A Nursing Degree And Then Move On To Nurse Administrator!
You've been a Registered Nurse for a while and now it's time to move up the career ladder. You don't want to go into any form of advanced nursing, such as emergency or anesthetics. You're more a people person, looking to help your fellow nurses when they have a need. That sounds like you're a perfect candidate for a Nurse Administrator.
Degrees from nursing schools for many a nurse is just the start of their long career.
A nurse administrator is generally considered the RN's main entrance into management. To become one, the candidate already has his/her Bachelor's degree and state certification. As this position is more a managerial position, there is no clear cut curriculum for an administrator, although some schools do offer a Masters in Health Service Administration. Actually, the key thing that sets an administrator's education from a nurse's is it concentrates more on the business and social side of the field compared to the medical.
One of the most common ways of getting the education needed is matriculating with an online college and then start taking personnel, managerial and related courses in a work-study situation. Also key would be courses in the social sciences, business administration and behavioral sciences. Some jobs may require more technical or specialized backgrounds in engineering, science, finance, or law, particularly labor law. Whatever the mix, the objective is to walk out with a Master's degree.
Before starting, an RN should talk to two people in particular. The first is their place of employment's human resource office, and not just for career advice. Larger institutions might assist with financial aid or a work-study program. The second person is an online college career counselor. Between the two, one should be able to come up with a solid idea what to do.
Usually a new Nurse Administrator starts with a departmental manager's position in a clinic, hospital or similar institution. They can then move up the corporate ladder into more senior executive positions. A number also set up their own consulting and/or nursing temp firms.
As for what might be expected financially, a young administrator should look for about $48,000. Properly experienced personnel earn an annual wage ranging from $71,000 if they work in a smaller practice to $84,000 with a larger hospital or similar institution. Benefits are considered above average (particularly when it comes to health insurance).
The Bureau of Labor Statistics states future growth for Nurse Administrators is well above average. With the health industry already in the throws of a nursing shortage, there is also a need for their supervisors and managers. With constant changing of the health care/medical industry, the need for more is becoming pointed.
What does matter is there is plenty of opportunity for a nurse who wants to hand in his/her scrubs for a business suit. Nursing schools offer the initial challenge, but the wide range of opportunities seems endless. Personal patient care may need to be exchanged as an administrator is there to help other RN with their own needs. Taking your career that one step closer with the aid of school grants will show you just how rewarding that can be.
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