Nursing administration programs prepare registered nurses to manage staff and services in hospitals and nursing homes. Students learn to manage people, budgets, and supplies. They study healthcare laws and policies.

As a nurse administrator, you contribute to patient care not only through direct contact with patients and their families, but also by making sure that other nurses and medical staff do their jobs well. You make sure that all aspects of delivering healthcare, from keeping supplies stocked to monitoring patient outcomes, are in order.

Courses in nursing administration programs include nursing theory, management theory, and statistics. You also take courses in administration, nursing information technology, and communication. In addition, you learn about the different ways people receive healthcare. You learn about managed care systems, such as health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and preferred provider organizations (PPOs). You also study the principles of economics as they apply to healthcare systems. This allows you to plan budgets and manage finances.

As a nurse administrator, you can work in a variety of healthcare settings. You can work in various departments in hospitals, such as oncology, maternity, or surgery. You can work in clinics staffed by nurses, doctors, or both. You can also work at nursing homes, mental health centers, and government health agencies.

You can become a nurse administrator by completing a two-year master's degree program after you finish your bachelor's degree in nursing (BSN). About 30 colleges and universities offer nurse administration programs. Several schools also offer doctoral programs in nurse administration. Most people with doctoral degrees in nurse administration become professors.