What are the responsibilities of the nurse as a leader?

Nurses perform a multitude of roles in their workplaces. Some assist other nurses and healthcare professionals with basic patient care, while others help in surgery or emergency situations. Nurses can also take on leadership positions in their organization as they gain experience and training. Learn what nurse leaders and managers are, explore their roles, responsibilities and duties, review nurse leadership styles, understand the benefits of hiring a nurse leader or manager and examine how to hire a nurse leader or manager.

Nurse leaders and managers handle a staff of other nurses, maintain organizational structure, provide patient care and develop improved nursing processes and procedures. These nursing professionals usually promote into these roles from traditional nursing jobs after developing certain skills and gaining sufficient experience.

Related: Setting Development Goals for Leaders: Best Practices

Nurse leaders and managers roles, responsibilities and duties

While both nurse leaders and nurse managers have similar backgrounds in nursing, their roles and responsibilities do differ:

Nurse leaders

Nurse leaders usually work with administrative teams dedicated to improving procedures and processes related to nursing. They don’t interact with patients as frequently as other nurses. Common job duties include:

Setting standards
Evaluating processes
Overseeing the implementation of new procedures
Meeting with stakeholders
Aligning nursing practices with the organization’s mission and vision

Nurse managers

Nurse managers usually oversee a team of nurses and serve as their supervisor. These nurses continue to perform many of the responsibilities of traditional nursing along with managerial duties. Common job duties include:

Setting team goals
Evaluating team members
Managing budgets
Observing patients
Providing medical care to patients

Related: Facilitating Skills for Leaders: Five Concepts to Work On

Nurse leadership styles

Nurse leaders and managers can perform their jobs by implementing one of several nurse leadership styles:

Autocratic leadership

The autocratic nurse leader or manager is the only decision maker on the team. They provide clear direction to their staff and rarely take suggestions from their staff. Often, autocratic leaders don’t approve of making any errors or mistakes on the job.

Laissez-faire leadership

The laissez-faire nurse leader or manager trusts their staff to manage themselves. They oversee the goings-on of their team but rarely intervene or offer suggestions. Laissez-faire leaders usually leave decision making up to the staff rather than making choices themselves.

Democratic leadership

The democratic nurse leader or manager seeks input from their team before making decisions or implementing new practices. Ultimately, the leader or manager makes the final choice, but they truly care about their staff’s recommendations and thoughts.

Transformational leadership

The transformational nurse leader or manager focuses on long-term, big picture organizational changes and improvements rather than smaller, short-term issues. They tend to stay out of day-to-day decision making and leave that up to their team instead.

Servant leadership

The servant nurse leader or manager ensures their team reaches their goals by providing the necessary training and resources for each team member. Servant leaders focus on the well-being of the entire group by meeting every individual team member’s needs and wants.

Related: 5 Charge Nurse Interview Questions and Answers

Benefits of hiring a nurse leader or manager

Nurse leaders and nurse managers can improve the efficiency and long-term success of your organization. Consider a few benefits of hiring these nursing professionals:

Teamwork: Nurse leaders and managers ensure that every member of the nursing team works together to create a cohesive unit rather than a loose group of disparate individuals.
Education: Continuing education is vital in the nursing field as doctors prescribe new medications and treatments. Nurse leaders and managers ensure their staff have the necessary education to perform their jobs well.
Innovation: Rather than rely on inefficient processes, nurse leaders and managers ensure the nursing staff continues to innovate and improve their protocols and procedures for better patient outcomes.
Standards: Nurse leaders and managers hold their nursing staff to a high standard and ensure that every patient receives exemplary care.

Related: How to Hire a Registered Nurse RN

How to hire a nurse leader or manager

If you’re looking to hire a nurse leader or nurse manager, follow these steps to help you find the best possible candidates:

1. Look internally

Begin your search for a nurse leader or manager by looking at your current nursing staff. You might have some excellent candidates already on your payroll who have the education, experience and skills necessary to move into a leadership position.

2. Craft a job description

If you’d like to assess external candidates, begin by writing a thorough job description. Include important information like:

An overview of the position
Specific job duties and responsibilities
Necessary education and training
Years of experience
Necessary certifications or licenses
Work environment
Hours
Salary range
Benefits
How to apply to the position

Some organizations choose not to include a salary range in the job posting. It’s an optional addition. Once you’ve written your job description, post it on your organization’s website and job posting websites like Indeed. Consider also attending job fairs for medical professionals or other industry events to share the job opening.

3. Consider a staffing agency

Some organizations use a healthcare staffing agency to help them find qualified candidates. While these services usually require a fee, they do ensure the candidates they offer have all the necessary certifications, licenses and training necessary for the job.

4. Hold interviews

Once you have a pool of qualified applicants, perform job interviews to learn more about your potential leaders and managers. Ask thoughtful questions during the interview that will help you determine whether the candidate’s nurse leadership style is the right fit for your organization.

5. Make an offer

When you’ve selected a candidate, make them a job offer with a proposed salary and benefits package. Prepare to negotiate — your candidate might ask for a different compensation package after receiving your initial offer.

Nurse leaders and managers can add enormous value to your organization. Understand the difference between the two positions, so you can select the best candidate for your company. Ask about their nurse leadership style during the job interview to ensure their practices align with your organization’s mission and vision.

The healthcare industry is booming, due in part to medical advances and in part to the fact that Americans are living longer than ever. With that old age comes an increased need for medical care to treat chronic medical conditions, such as diabetes, hypertension, dementia, and other conditions. It should be little surprise, then, that demand for healthcare workers like registered nurses and nurse practitioners—who are often seen as the front line of patient care—is also rising.

Another, somewhat lesser-known position is also seeing increased demand: The role of clinical nurse leaders (CNLs).

Whether you are just starting your career in nursing or you have been a nurse for a number of years and are considering your next steps in professional advancement, becoming a CNL could be an excellent option for you. Below, we take a look at who CNLs are and what they do, and briefly outline the key steps involved in breaking into the field.

What is a Clinical Nurse Leader?

A clinical nurse leader is an RN who has completed an advanced degree, typically a master’s degree with a CNL specialization, and who oversees the care of patients under their charge.

A CNL primarily accomplishes this by collaborating with the various caregivers that directly interact with their patients. This can include various nurses, doctors, aides, physical and occupational therapists, and more. The goal is to improve communication between medical professionals, ensure that patients are receiving quality care, reduce the potential for medical mistakes and errors, and generally improve patient outcomes. CNLs also ensure that healthcare systems, structures, internal policies, patient care, and research are managed properly.

Above all, CNLs act as a resource for the different members of their team, who turn to them with questions or for clarity as necessary.

The role of the clinical nurse leader was created by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) in 2003 in response to a report that stated between 44,000-98,000 Americans die every year due to medical errors in hopes to prevent these errors, streamline operations throughout hospitals, and ultimately improve the quality of patient care.

What do Clinical Nurse Leaders do?

While the industry-wide mission of a clinical nurse leader remains the same, their day-to-day responsibilities can vary widely and are dependent on the type and location of their organization. As a CNL, you can expect to perform the following duties:

Facilitating patient healthcare using evidence-based practice
Assessing healthcare plans and risks for diverse populations
Creating and overseeing safety standards in the working environment
Mentoring, supporting, and coordinating patient care among nurses and other medical team members
Delegating and overseeing overall care delivery and healthcare options for your patient cohort
Researching and implementing industry technology trends
Collecting and analyzing data to assess patient healthcare
Reviewing and educating patients and their families on their health
Meeting with hospital department leaders for patient status updates and needs (i.e., learn who’s ready for discharge, what their needs are, their length of stay, etc.)
Ensuring all healthcare services and facility protocols are being followed

CNLs are involved with almost every aspect of patient care and coordination, making them trained generalists and operation managers instead of specialists focused only on providing direct and limited care to the patients they serve.

Requirements to Become a CNL

Clinical nurse leaders are both caregivers and leaders, so becoming one requires advanced education, training, certifications, and practice in medicine.

The first step to becoming a CNL is to be a practicing registered nurse. Though you can accomplish this by earning an associate’s degree in nursing, you will ultimately need to earn your Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) in order to enroll in the requisite master’s degree program to become a CNL. For that reason, if you believe that you would like to one day advance within the field by becoming either a CNL or nurse practitioner, it’s generally recommended that you earn your BSN.

Many bridge programs also exist for individuals who have earned their associate’s degree, who wish to complete their BSN.

Typically, an individual will then work in the field for a number of years before taking the next step to become a CNL. At this point, you’ll enroll in a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program with a CNL specialization. Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs also exist.

Upon completion of your graduate education, you’ll need to pass the Commission on Nurse Certification (CNC) CNL exam. This will grant you your CNL certification. Your CNL certification will allow you to demonstrate your proficiency with leadership and management theory, mentorship skills, analysis and research abilities, clinical decision-making skills, in-depth knowledge of healthcare ethics, standards, and regulation, and, of course, training in healthcare practice that’s focused on evidence-based practice and research.

Keep in mind that the CNL program is designed to avoid duplicating too much of your previous nursing education by providing in-depth education solely on the skills you’ll need as a clinical nurse leader.

Typically, becoming a certified CNL can take anywhere from seven to eight years to accomplish, depending on your programs and educational training. You’ll also need to renew your certifications and stay up-to-date with industry news and technology.

And, because CNLs are often considered leaders within their organizations, you’ll need to hone your soft skills, too. You’ll need to learn how to prioritize the needs of multiple patients while retaining high-quality care, as well as be able to manage and support a group of nurses.

Having strong communication skills will enable you to work cross-functionally, and you’ll need to be resourceful and analytical to get the information you need, analyze and measure it, then build new strategies using data. As always, having strong problem-solving skills and being personable never hurts, either.

Overall, your keeping up with your certifications, training, and skill sets will help you to advance in your career as a clinical nurse leader.

Taking the First Step Toward a Rewarding Career in Nursing Leadership

Becoming a clinical nurse leader can be an extremely rewarding and challenging career. You’ll need to ensure you have thorough experience and training in the field, and, as a CNL, you’ll earn competitive salaries and benefits.

If you’re looking to have a significant impact on healthcare facilities, delivery of care, and the overall patient experience, you should pursue the CNL career path. After all, you won’t only save lives, but you’ll also drastically improve them day-to-day by managing the processes, operations, and people that provide the best medicine the industry has to offer.

Are you ready to take the next step toward becoming a clinical nurse leader? Learn more about Regis’s clinical nurse leader program.