Combining 10 years of administration and RN

[Lurdes777]

I have Bachelor's of Business Administration and 10 years of administrative experience in a large organization. Was working directly with CEO's CFO's, developing business and org plans, etc. How do you combine that with an RN license (ASN)? What positions in the hospital should I look into? Do they require firstly get some years of practical nursing and then move to admin side?

[sourapril]

Nurse administrator/director. You probably need to get an advanced degree to practice in that role, like an MBA or MSN that focuses on administration. Most people I know have worked in clinical practice for a number of years, taking the role of supervisor, nurse manager before moving up to the director/administrator role. But I am sure there are exceptions. Just a personal note, I wouldn't want to work under a director who has no bedside/clinic experience. How would she/he know what staff nurses do and what problems they face? There are a lot of things you can do with a business and nursing degree. Good luck!

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

PP is absolutely correct. Nursing administration career trajectory is a step-wise pathway.... beginning with Charge Nurse & gradually moving up and accepting additional responsibility with each promotion. Clinical competency is essential - and mandated by clinical regulatory agencies for nurse leadership jobs that are accountable for specialty areas. Nurse leaders are legally accountable for nursing practice in areas for which they are responsible. It is not possible to do this unless they have achieved clinical competence themselves. MSN is 'entry level' for nursing leadership in most organizations - it is "our" graduate degree - and included as part of the professional model for Magnet organizations. There are many dual degree programs out there that are also popular such as MSN/MHA, MSN/MBA, MSN/JD, etc.

Healthcare is a completely different animal with very unique financial structures and processes. Generic MBAs (without relevant healthcare experience) are not very valuable. In non-nursing admin jobs, MHAs (with internship) are preferred. Nursing Services encompasses an enormously complex web of sub-systems, but this is not apparent to people who are unfamiliar with the environment. It's not uncommon for those individuals to assume that their qualifications should be more than sufficient . . . "it's only nursing, how hard can it be?"

Based on my own perspectives - and significant level of experience in health care leadership - I would rather be a hot tar roofer in July than a nurse administrator dealing with what they have to cope with on a continuous basis.