If you’re a registered nurse, moving into healthcare administration can be an attractive career move. It provides excellent benefits and a good work schedule. You could supervise other nurses and advise the facility’s management on policy changes. You could work to make the ward the place nurses wish it was. This could also open up the door to positions in higher in management as well. Let’s take a look at what it takes to make the transition from floor nurse to healthcare administration.
Earn the Requisite Qualifications
Some people say that you’re only a nurse if you’re at the patient’s bedside. However, less than two thirds of nurses work as staff nurses or charge nurses. About one in six works in management or administration. Less than two percent are nurse educators. The remainder works in every other role imaginable from school nurses to consulting.
Moving into roles other than staff nursing requires training and education to prepare you for it. The best qualification for registered nurses is earning a master’s in health administration. You can pursue your MHA online so that you can continue to work while learning what you must know to move into administration. Getting your MHA program this way will be much less demanding, and takes far less time than trying to earn a dual master’s in business administration and nursing. Boston College has an online MHA program tailor made for healthcare professionals who would like to make the transition. You can learn more about it at the following link: http://onlinemha.bc.edu/masters-in-health-care-administration/.
Determine Which Role You Want to Fill
Becoming a medical administrator requires at least a bachelor’s degree, but a master’s in healthcare administration is considered the most desirable. The next question is where you want to go. Nursing administrators are not just the head of nursing departments. They are often found in laboratories, healthcare facilities like nursing homes, and doctor’s offices. You could work as a clinical coordinator or move into administration in forensic science. Once you’re qualified, the next step is deciding which jobs you’ll want to apply for.
Keep Up Your Certifications
Earning the master’s degrees considered necessary to work in administration doesn’t mean that you’re done. You’ll often be required to keep your certifications as a nurse up to date. This includes but isn’t limited to your RN license, CPR certifications, and basic life support certifications. If you earn optional nursing administration credentials, you’ll have to complete continuing education credits to maintain those as well. Fortunately, if you earned a master’s degree in healthcare administration, you’re exempt from the continuing education requirement for three years.
Keep Up with Everything Else You Need to Know
Nursing administrators face constantly evolving medical technology, government regulations, organizational rules and business practices. You’ll have to be able to complete documentation on whatever system the health records are maintained on while handling routine issues like staff evaluations, hiring new people, and ensuring that they’re trained. You may still need to assist with patient care from time to time; this is why maintaining your nursing certifications is essential though you’re moving into management.
Floor nursing may be the stereotypical job for nurses, but you can move into management with the right credentials. You may then be able to move up in the organization or make a lateral career move into whatever role you think is best.
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