Healthcare Administration Nursing

Director of Nursing Salary and Job Description

January 13, 2022 |

AdventHealth University

Updated on: May 4, 2026

Nurses who are passionate about helping both their patients and their team can transition from clinical practice to leadership roles, such as director of nursing. Professionals who choose this career path enjoy greater autonomy, supervising and mentoring nursing staff, communicating and coordinating with senior staff, including department and hospital administrators, to improve workflow processes, and ensuring patients receive high-quality care by influencing policy.

Those aspiring to become a director of nursing must begin by developing the knowledge and skills they’ll need to succeed. The right education, such as an MSN/MHA Dual Degree or a Graduate Certificate in Nursing Administration and Leadership, can prepare nurses with the management expertise they’ll need to pursue jobs at the highest levels.

What Does a Director of Nursing Do?

A director of nursing’s job responsibilities can vary by the size and type of the organization, but some responsibilities and duties remain consistent. For example, all directors of nursing oversee budgets and supervise nursing staff. Other day-to-day job duties may include the following:

Serving as a liaison between nursing staff, doctors, and healthcare administrators
Creating standard-of-care guidelines
Overseeing and implementing changes to nursing best practices, such as shift changes and infection prevention procedures
Recruiting, onboarding, and training new nursing staff
Developing short- and long-term goals for the department, such as staffing goals, procedural goals, and standard-of-care goals
Monitoring and recording expenses
Setting nursing staff schedules
Evaluating nurse performance
Mentoring nurses for leadership
Ensuring compliance with local, state, and federal policies and regulations
Communicating with patients’ families, physicians, and medical residents

Work Environments for Directors of Nursing

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) classifies a director of nursing as a medical and health services manager. According to the BLS, the largest employers of medical and health services managers were state, local, and private hospitals. Physicians’ offices, nursing and residential care facilities, governmental institutions, and outpatient care centers are among the other top places that employ a director of nursing.

Most professionals in the field work full-time, but some directors of nursing work more than 40 hours per week. Additionally, night, weekend, and holiday shifts may be required for individuals working in 24-hour facilities, such as hospitals, nursing homes, and residential care facilities, and some directors of nursing may need to be on call in case of emergencies.

How To Become A Director of Nursing

Education

To become a director of nursing, you must gain experience working as a licensed registered nurse (RN) and develop certain leadership skills. To become an RN, nurses must complete a nursing program at the associate or bachelor’s degree level from an approved college or university.

While a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) is not required to become an RN, many employers prefer to hire candidates with a BSN, especially for leadership positions. For existing RNs with an associate degree, an RN to BSN program can boost their qualifications for advanced roles.

Licensure

Graduates must then pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN), which tests candidates' knowledge and critical-thinking skills, enabling them to become registered nurses.

Experience

After passing the NCLEX-RN and receiving licensure, RNs should gain several years of clinical experience. Nurses may also need to participate in continuing education (CE) coursework as a prerequisite for license renewal. Continuing education hour requirements vary by state. For example, while California and Georgia require RNs to complete 30 hours of coursework every two years, Colorado and Indiana have no such requirement.

Advanced Education

After meeting undergraduate education, licensure, and experience requirements, aspiring nursing directors may choose to pursue advanced education, such as an online MSN/MHA Dual Degree or an online Graduate Certificate in Nursing Administration and Leadership, to improve their job prospects. AdventHealth University’s 100% online graduate certificate program, for example, allows students to pursue their education from anywhere on their own schedule. It offers graduates extensive knowledge and insights about topics such as current and future healthcare practices and solutions, quality-of-care management, patient safety, and strategic leadership in nursing.

RNs can also pursue job-specific certifications, such as Director of Nursing Services-Certified (DNS-CT). To pursue this certification, candidates must have a current nursing license, the equivalent of 24 months of full-time post-acute care experience, and at least 12 months of experience in a nursing leadership or director of nursing services role. Although not required, certification demonstrates that candidates possess advanced knowledge and skills in the nursing field.

Director of Nursing Salary and Job Outlook

The BLS reports that the median salary for Medical and Health Services Managers, including directors of nursing, is about $118,000. Salary ranges will vary based on factors such as location, institution size, and experience level.

The BLS also projects the employment of medical and health services managers to grow by 23% from 2024 to 2034, much faster than the projected growth for the labor market as a whole, with about 62,100 openings available each year. A major driver of demand for these professionals will be the need to replace workers who transition to other occupations, retire, or leave the workforce for other reasons.

Become a Director of Nursing

Nurses interested in gaining greater autonomy and pursuing leadership roles may find that becoming a director of nursing is a good fit for their goals.

AdventHealth University Online has designed its Graduate Certificate in Nursing Administration and Leadership program to provide students with the in-demand skills they’ll need to succeed as a nursing director. Upon completion of the program, many graduates decide to pursue further degrees, such as a Master of Science in Nursing or a Master of Healthcare Administration. We also offer an Online MSN/MHA Dual Degree program that provides students with education in the public and private sectors of the U.S. health care system, strategic quality management, healthcare finance, and healthcare informatics, preparing them for leadership and managerial roles.

Are you ready to take the first step toward a career as a director of nursing? Discover how AdventHealth University Online can prepare you for the job you want.