subject: Nursing Schools Prepare The Student For Important Careers! [print this page] Sooner or later, a registered nurse feels the need to advance up the career ladder. Nursing schools have been attended, degrees obtained, and they are on their career path. However, that particular RN many not want to go forward in the form of advanced nursing. They want to stay in the health profession but hand in the scrubs. Those are perfect candidates for a Nurse Administrator.
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. If you need more information about grant for online college, look on the internet.
Probably the most tried and true method of getting the education needed is to enroll in an online college and then start taking personnel, managerial and other business courses until one graduates with a Master's degree. The most recommended course load includes a mix of human resources administration or human resources management, training and development, organizational development, and compensation and benefits. Also key would be a combination of courses in the social sciences, business administration and behavioral sciences are useful. Some jobs may require more technical or specialized backgrounds in engineering, science, finance, or law, particularly labor law.
A good way for an RN to figure out just what he or she should do is talk to not only their organization's human resource office, but an online school career counselor. Between the two, one should be able to come up with a solid curriculum.
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. There is an abundance of information about distance nursing degree on the web.
As for salaries, it all depends on where the administrator lands. A young one fresh out of school should look for a salary of about $48,000. Properly experienced personnel should expect an annual wage ranging from $71,000 if they work in a smaller practice to an average of $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 predicts growth is well above average. With the health industry already in the throws of a nursing shortage, the need for supervisors and managers is getting equally critical, making the need more pointed.
