Nurses are the backbone of our health care system. According to a 2023 report by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), the country has almost 5.5 million registered and practical nurses, filling a wide range of nursing professions. Working across the full spectrum of health care, nurses are a critical component in achieving positive health outcomes.
Given nurses’ essential role in health care, health care organizations need to support nurses, ensure they have adequate resources and work to maintain overall nurse morale. Nurses also need to feel that someone represents their interests with executive management. The role of chief nursing officer (CNO) is specifically designed for those purposes.
Interacting with both nursing staff and executive management, chief nursing officers have a combination of clinical expertise and business skills that enables them to develop strategies related to nursing, monitor nursing budgets and ensure compliance with nursing standards, among other tasks. If you’ve been considering pursuing an Executive MHA to move into a leadership role such as chief nursing officer, it’s important to learn about the intricacies of the CNO position and understand what the position entails.
Chief Nursing Officer Job Description
A chief nursing officer’s job description involves overseeing a health care organization’s entire nursing practice. Typically reporting to a health care organization’s executive leader, such as a hospital CEO, the chief nursing officer is responsible for key functions such as:
- Developing nursing strategies that align with an organization’s mission and goals
- Conducting financial forecasting and ensuring budget accountability with respect to an organization’s nursing staff
- Making high-level business decisions related to an organization’s nursing staff
- Helping to ensure health care safety and quality as well as approving an organization’s model for the delivery of nursing care
- Developing and overseeing initiatives to encourage patient engagement
- Overseeing compliance with nursing standards, regulations and laws
While chief nursing officer is an administrative role, CNOs rely on their nursing experience to produce positive change in an organization’s nursing department. This combination of clinical expertise, resource management and staff optimization makes CNO one of the most dynamic health administration careers in the health care industry.
Chief Nursing Officer Skills
With responsibilities that extend into numerous areas of a health care organization’s operations, successful chief nursing officers need to have a wide range of skills. They must maintain a high level of nursing expertise to make informed decisions regarding nursing staff, and they must possess strong management and analytical skills to ensure optimal performance and legal compliance.
Additionally, chief nursing officers must have soft skills in organization, problem-solving and communication. They frequently interact with nursing staff and executive management as well as leaders in the community and health care consumers. They also are called upon to lead presentations before an array of different groups. Because of this, communities often see the chief nursing officer as the face of a health care organization. This makes well-developed communication skills and the ability to present information clearly crucial ingredients in becoming an effective chief nursing officer.
The Effects of the Nursing Shortage
The ongoing nursing shortage is projected to escalate over the next several years, thanks in part to the aging baby boomer generation and a growing number of nurses retiring. CNOs can be instrumental in mitigating the negative impacts of this shortage by building a supportive work environment that keeps staff trained and engaged. They can achieve this through the execution of several key tasks, including the following:
- Conducting succession planning and recruiting nursing staff, particularly in light of nurses retiring and turnover
- Developing effective nurse retention strategies
- Providing emotional and mental health support to nursing staff
- Boosting the morale of nurses who are experiencing burnout
- Maintaining and strengthening nursing engagement
Chief Nursing Officer Salary Information and Job Outlook
Salaries and job prospects for CNOs are promising. The median chief nursing officer salary was approximately $140,500 as of June 2023, with the top 10% earning around $216,000, according to employment and compensation website Payscale. CNO salaries vary based on factors such as level of experience, size of the health care organization and location.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), job availability for medical and health services managers is projected to grow by 28% between 2022 and 2032, which is more than nine times the 3% growth that the BLS projects for the average profession.
How to Become a Chief Nursing Officer
Becoming a chief nursing officer involves fulfilling certain educational, experiential and leadership requirements. As employment website Indeed explains, to become a chief nursing officer, an individual typically needs to:
- Earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing
- Become a registered nurse, which entails passing the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) and obtaining a state license
- Gain clinical, administrative and managerial work experience
- Earn a master’s degree in a discipline such as nursing leadership or health care administration
- Consider pursuing a nurse leadership or nurse executive certification
Nurses typically need to have a minimum of three to five years of work experience in progressively higher nursing leadership positions, such as director of training and development or director of nursing, before they can become chief nursing officers. While most chief nursing officers have backgrounds working in acute care, chief nursing officers may also benefit from having experience working in other areas, such as long-term care or post-acute services.
Nurses can pursue a variety of certifications to strengthen their leadership and executive credentials when pursuing chief nursing officer positions. For example, they can earn:
- The American Organization for Nursing Leadership’s Certified in Executive Nursing Practice (CENP) certification
- The American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Nurse Executive (NE-BC) certification
A Rewarding Career as a Chief Nursing Officer
Chief nursing officers play a critical role in health care. In addition to overseeing a health care organization’s nurses, they serve as a bridge between clinical nursing staff and executive management and help to ensure that the organization supports nurses and provides optimal care.
If you’re interested in working in a leadership role such as chief nursing officer, explore USC Price’s online Executive Master of Health Administration program. Providing clinical and management professionals with the opportunity to build their leadership expertise, the degree program enables students to deepen their knowledge of business and gain expertise in health management practice.
Embark on your journey to health care leadership today.
Recommended Readings
7 Reasons to Pursue an EMHA Degree
Leadership in Health Care: How to Advance Into the Hospital C-Suite
Leadership Styles in Health Care: Executive Leader Development
Sources:
American Association of Colleges of Nursing, “Nursing Shortage Fact Sheet”
American Nurses Association, “Nurse Staffing Crisis”
American Nurses Credentialing Center, “Nurse Executive Certification (NE-BC)”
American Organization for Nursing Leadership, “Certified in Executive Nursing Practice Certification”
ANA Enterprise, “Chief Nursing Officer/Chief Nurse Executive”
HealthLeaders, “Chief Nurses Bring Overarching Perspective to a Hospital’s Senior Leadership Table”
Indeed, “How to Become a Nursing Officer in 5 Steps”
Indeed, “What Is a Chief Nursing Officer and How Do You Become One?”
National Council of State Boards of Nursing, “Number of Nurses in U.S. and by Jurisdiction”
Payscale, “Average Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) Salary”
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Medical and Health Services Managers”