As a nurse, you will guide patients and their families through some of the most difficult events of their lives. Nursing’s crucial role within healthcare involves acting as a confident source of information and effective care. In high-stress scenarios requiring quick decision-making, embodying leadership qualities makes an impact on the patients you serve. For nurse leaders who help direct nursing care, their choices help to set every nurse, physician, healthcare professional, and patient up for success.

Qualities of nursing leadership, like nursing expertise and organizational skills, are important for every nurse to have regardless of how long they’ve been practicing. Understanding your personal leadership style helps you be a better team player and bring unique strengths to your role. Through Marian University’s Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program, you’ll learn what it takes to be a leader in nursing through classes, labs, and clinical experiences that will hone your ability to take charge of any situation.

Types of Leadership in Nursing

There are established nursing leadership roles that require higher levels of education, but every nurse can act as a leader. Leadership in general isn’t defined by the title you hold or your degree level but rather by your characteristics.

You can begin exercising your leadership muscles within your first years in a nursing position, which can then translate to higher roles should you choose to pursue them. Some of the characteristics of a good leader include:

• Inspires and motivates other team members
• Sets an example of how to meet the workplace standard of excellence
• Serves as a mentor and source of guidance for other nurses
• Takes initiative to serve others and encourages others to better themselves in their quality of care

While any nurse can exemplify these traits, you can further your career through specific nursing leadership positions. Generally, nurses will gain experience in the healthcare field before choosing to pursue an established leadership role, but understanding what these positions entail can give you a better idea of what you can expect from these higher-level positions.

Director of Nursing

A director of nursing is a healthcare administrator who oversees the nursing staff and the services they provide to patients at a given facility. The exact duties of this role will vary by facility, but in general they involve supervising a nursing staff, evaluating individual nurses on performance, maintaining the standard of care throughout the team, and some administrative tasks like inventory management or budget tracking.

This job requires years of clinical experience as a registered nurse (RN), among other qualifications. In addition to their duties, they need to be strong leaders with good interpersonal skills to de-escalate conflicts within their department, find resolutions and keep the team in good standing when tensions rise. In addition to a graduate degree, many directors of nursing hold certifications in healthcare administration.

Chief Nursing Officer

A chief nursing officer (CNO) is an executive-level healthcare administrator who serves as the “voice” of the nursing department in facility-wide decisions. CNOs oversee delivery of nursing care, developing strategies and budgets to maximize the quality of care within a given organization.

Directors of nursing and CNOs can share responsibilities, but they have some key differences. In terms of hierarchy, the CNO is above the director. In terms of focus, the CNO is more concerned with higher-level issues like compliance and policy development rather than individual nursing development.

Clinical Nurse Manager

Also referred to as a nurse manager, the clinical nurse manager is below the director of nursing and oversees a specific nursing unit, though some facilities may give the nurse manager multiple units to oversee. They supervise the nurses in their unit, guiding the culture and overall care within the unit. They also oversee other staff members, including:

• Patient care technicians
• Certified nursing assistants
• Medical unit receptionists

An important part of the clinical nurse manager’s role is serving as a liaison between their staff and the healthcare administration. They often work one on one with their staff, helping them adjust to department policies and ensure that the standard of care is upheld. These nursing administrators will usually not provide direct patient care unless there is a shortage of nurses in their unit during a given shift.

Leadership Styles in Nursing

There are many different types of leadership in nursing. Evaluating your team and assessing what kind of leadership they respond to best will help ensure that your team works together effectively and efficiently. Some teams may need you to be more authoritative while others need a more compassionate approach.

You need to be able to adapt your style to the people you’re in charge of or working with. If you have bigger personalities competing for the spotlight, you can decide to hang back and encourage everyone to share the load. Likewise, if your team needs a decisive and dominating presence, you can step up to lead.

Developing Leadership Skills in Nursing

Leadership skills will develop over time. In your role as a nurse, you can put yourself in positions that challenge your leadership, such as volunteering to lend a helping hand or standing up for your fellow colleagues. This will not only build your leadership muscles but also show your administrators and advisors that you can handle more responsibility.

Don’t feel like you must be the perfect leader fresh out of nursing school, though. A lot of the skills and characteristics that make someone a good leader come from experience in the field, but they can start during your first exposure to a nursing environment like you will experience through clinical rotations as a Marian ABSN student. Finding a mentor in your workplace or embodying the traits that you admire most in your more experienced co-workers will help you step into your role as a leader.

How to Pursue Nursing Leadership Positions

Established nursing leadership positions require clinical experience and often a graduate degree like a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) or Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP). To get into any of these kinds of programs, you’ll most likely need professional clinical experience outside of the clinical hours completed during nursing school. If you know that you want to pursue a higher position, you can begin evaluating the types of available roles and their varied requirements.

Talking to individuals who currently work in the position you’re striving for is never a bad idea. Based on their experiences, these people will most likely have advice for as to what you should and shouldn’t do. While gathering information from them, you’ll begin building a relationship and demonstrating interest in professional development.

The Impact of Strong Nursing Leadership

Strong leadership in nursing can be the difference between meeting the standard of care and exceeding it. A good nurse leader will motivate the people around them, creating a better environment for other nurses as well as the patients they serve. Confidence, communication, and collaboration are essential to a good work environment, and a good leader will inspire that kind of positive change in the people surrounding them.

This kind of mindset can also set the tone for future nurses, modeling healthy nursing habits for students and patients to see. Being a leader means having the motivation to be the change you wish to see, pursuing that mission no matter what role you fill.

Become a Nursing Leader with Marian

At Marian, we believe in investing in quality education and community for the nurses of tomorrow. Through our ABSN program, you can set a foundation to pursue nurse leadership positions in as few as 16 months.

If you’re ready to start developing your leadership skills at one of our two ABSN program sites in Nashville or Indianapolis, we’re here to guide you. Simply fill out our online form to be contacted by an admissions advisor and start your journey today.