The Job of the Nurse Administrator
When people think of nursing, they frequently reinforce the misconception that nurses can only be guided and supervised by doctors or physicians, whereas the nurses’ leadership skills are overlooked. However, in a hospital management chain, many nurses have a leading role that requires them to take responsibility for others and guide staff through their healthcare service journey. A prime example of such a role is a nurse administrator. This job title defines a professional whose primary responsibility is to supervise nursing staff in order to secure efficiency, job satisfaction, and beneficial patient outcomes. Thus, the duties of a nurse manager include, but are not limited to:
- Supervising nursing staff in terms of scheduling and consistent workload for everyone on the team;
- Evaluating the performance of nurses in order to master their professional skills and motivate them to enhance their knowledge;
- Managing the budget allocation for the nurses within the unit;
- Communicating closely with the nursing staff in order to advocate for them when interacting with the management and the public;
- Developing policies and guidelines to improve both the performance and patients’ experience on the hospital premises (“What is a nurse administrator?” 2020)
Hence, the position of a nurse administrator is associated strongly with the notion of leadership, as the latter stands for one’s abilities to manage and inspire a team of individuals while taking responsibility for their well-being and development. To become a nurse administrator, one needs to acquire a master’s or a doctorate degree in nursing. In a recent study conducted by Lamasan and Oducado (2019), Generation Y nurse leaders consider accountability, empathy, focus, and risk-taking to be some of the major leadership qualities required in order to secure such leadership traits as directing, modeling, guiding, and empowering. Communication skills are of critical importance as nurse administrators primarily advocate for an improved working environment for nurses, as they need to work in an atmosphere that encourages them to thrive and care for each patient. For this reason, servant leadership can be rightfully considered the most acceptable leadership style for nurse administrators, as they are expected to give everyone the opportunity to lead and contribute to the team’s vision of holistic health care.
References
Lamasan, J. I., & Oducado, R. M. F. (2019). A qualitative description of millennial nurse administrators’ perspectives on leadership and their practice environment. Indonesian Nursing Journal of Education and Clinic (INJEC), 3(2), 153-164. Web.
What is a nurse administrator? (2020). Elmhurst University. Web.