Nursing Administration Programs and Degrees

Nursing administration focuses on administrative and supervisory tasks. It is a culmination of strong nursing skills coupled with good organizational abilities. The discipline involves executive functions such as strategic planning, budgeting, human resources, training, objectives and goal setting for nursing departments. This function suits registered nurses best since they already possess requisite nursing skills plus experience and it makes for an ideal career progression to nursing administrators.

Nursing administration programs are usually Master’s or post-graduate degree programs spanning 2 years focusing on management aspects. The skills of experienced nurses are mostly directed towards delivery of health care and they may not possess necessary management skills. Master’s degrees in nursing administration equip them with business management skills along side their nursing expertise and experience. These programs are flexible and offered through campus and online modes. Those who complete nursing administration programs can move into roles of chief nurse executives, nursing case managers, nursing project directors, nursing school administrators, chief nursing officers, chief clinical officers, nursing directors and nursing supervisors, to name a few.

Career prospects for nursing administration are robust with 23% growth projected for registered nurses through 2016 as per Bureau of Labor Statistics. Add to that a nursing administration degree and opportunities brighten even further. Salaries are already lucrative for registered nurses and transition into executive positions in nursing administration can improve compensation packages considerably. Health service managers in fact drew median annual incomes of $76,990 in 2007 as compared to $60,010 for registered nurses.

University of Phoenix and Lincoln Technical Institute lead the premier group with flexible and quality programs followed by Kaplan University and Everest Institute that focus on teaching absorption and application of real world knowledge in professional life. South University’s programs are driven upon by student experience to help achieve educational goals.