5 Hallmarks of an Effective Nursing Administrator
- Orientation to Detail
- Strong Interpersonal Communication
- Leadership Skills
- Analytical Skills
- Technology Skills
Nursing administrators supervise a team of nurses and provide support to physicians, other administrators, and patients, and these five characteristics of an effective nursing administrator are essential. In order to become a nursing administrator in a hospital, an advanced degree in nursing and coursework in healthcare administration are required. People with these five characteristics of an effective nursing administrator will do well in this type of work.
1. Orientation to Detail
Nursing administrators need to be oriented to the details of every situation. They may need to handle billing for nursing services. They may also have to coordinate the scheduling of a large team of nurses. A hospital nurse administrator may also be responsible for ensuring that all staff nurses are keeping up with their required continuing education and licensure requirements. Nursing administrators must also attend a lot of administrative meetings.
2. Strong Interpersonal Communication
Interpersonal communication skills are another key characteristic of an effective nursing manager. Successful people in this role should be able to communicate well orally and in written form. They may need to speak with patients and their families, other nurses, physicians, other healthcare professionals and the rest of the hospital administrators. They need to do this with respect, accuracy, and clarity.
3. Leadership Skills
As supervisors, nursing administrators need to have solid leadership skills. They have to interview, hire and train new staff members. The nursing administrator may also need to lead staff through difficult situations. As managers, they also need to find workable solutions to staffing problems and other situations that may come up without warning in the hospital setting. When it comes to hospital administration, the nurse administrator also needs to represent the entire nursing staff and advocate for their needs.
4. Analytical Skills
Nursing administrators have to keep up with all of the changes in laws related to healthcare. They must stay up-to-date with insurance changes for patient care. Hospitals also have their own code of conduct, and nurse administrators need to ensure that the nursing staff follows it. They may play a role in writing the employee training and conduct code for the nursing staff. Nursing administrators may be responsible for analyzing cost-effectiveness, staff training exercises and changes in patient care procedures. They may need to review data provided by health departments and infection control practitioners.
5. Technology Skills
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nursing administrators need to have current technology skills. They may need to use data analysis software in order to evaluate patient care procedures, effectiveness, and scheduling issues. Most hospitals have converted to electronic healthcare records. The nursing administrator will need to be adept at navigating the software and keeping up with upgrades and changes to it. There are also a lot of regulations around the use of technology in healthcare, especially where it comes to privacy and safeguarding of patient information. Nursing administrators may need to coach their employees on many of these aspects of nursing. They may need to use coding and billing software, too. Many hospitals also have separate scheduling systems for administrator use.
Nursing administrators coordinate all of the nursing activities in a hospital. They are key to keeping patients safe, comfortable and happy with their care. Each of these five characteristics of an effective nursing administrator helps ensure a good fit and success in the job.