A nursing administration degree is one of the more versatile degree programs available. Widely considered one of the vocational programs, it opens up a whole host of possible career paths within the healthcare industry. With so much choice, you will need to be selective, so here is a rundown of the top jobs.
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#1 Healthcare manager
One of the most popular careers for people holding a nursing administration degree, healthcare managers run healthcare organizations of varying scales. They might be charged with coordinating a doctor’s surgery or a large hospital. Healthcare managers are also found in palliative care centers, nursing homes, and anywhere that medical treatment is administered. They are essential cogs in the medical machine and might even oversee multiple practices at once. Some managers are also involved with pricing and handling patient appointments. Others take care of budgets and hiring. The role of the healthcare manager is multifaceted and depends on who they are working for, but it is always varied and interesting.
#2 Nursing supervisor
Nursing supervisors do just that: they assist in the day to to day operation of nursing services in hospitals. This is an extremely rewarding profession that is also fast-paced. Hospital wards are notoriously fraught and present life and death scenarios on a daily basis. As a supervisor, you will be charged with establishing and maintaining shift patterns, assigning nurses to different wards, and (in some cases) working with hospital recruitment to screen and hire new staff. Supervisors require an enormous amount of organizational ability. They also need to be able to communicate instructions in a clear and efficient manner to ensure the smooth operation of healthcare organizations.
#3 Nursing instructor
Instructors are the foundation of any medical career. They guide nurses through training, from the absolute basics of care to more specialized procedures. Nursing instructors operate everywhere, from colleges to hospitals, where they offer ongoing training and update existing nurses on new medical developments. Being an instructor demands more than just knowledge of medicine and treatments. You will need to be a skilled teacher able to deliver complex information in a simple and memorable manner. Much of the job involves guaranteeing the best care for patients and ensuring that new nurses have all the skills required to succeed in the world of healthcare.
#4 Quality improvement
A more broadly encompassing career path, quality improvement, means working to improve nursing practices, patient experience, and patient outcomes in a single hospital or across multiple organizations. This is a scalable position, and quality improvement officers can even work in a national capacity with some finding places on government advisory boards. You will not have much direct involvement in the day-to-day care of people, but this is an opportunity to make a real difference in how patients are treated. Many people are attracted to the idea of improving hospital care more generally, so if you have an analytical mind and are adept at problem-solving, then this could be the job for you.