The Career of a Director of Nursing

• Many nurses love their current positions but are ready to take the plunge and pursue the next steps in advanced roles such as a Director of Nursing. 
• A Director of Nursing takes commitment, dedication, great communication skills, and a strong desire to be proactive for both staff and patients. 
• A DON can and should exemplify a healthy balance of the characteristics of a strong leader that leads by example and empathizes with the patients, nurses, physicians, families, and other healthcare team members. 

Many nurses love their current positions but are ready to take the plunge and pursue the next steps in advanced roles such as a Director of Nursing.  Nurses who choose this career path often enjoy more autonomy, supervise other nursing staff, coordinate with administrators, and ensure that patients are receiving the highest quality of care possible.   

A Director of Nursing takes commitment, dedication, great communication skills, and a strong desire to be proactive for both staff and patients.   

The following are important to consider when contemplating the career path of a Director of Nursing:  

• What are the responsibilities of a Director of Nursing? 
• What are some possible work environments for a Director of Nursing?  
• What are the qualifications to become a Director of Nursing?   
• What are the skills needed to become an effective Director of Nursing? 

Responsibilities of a Director of Nursing

A Director of Nursing (DON) can have varying responsibilities to complete, and the job description can vary based on the size and type of organization.  However, there are a few responsibilities such as overseeing budgets and supervision of nursing staff that remain the same.   

Some of the daily job responsibilities of a DON are listed below: 

• Creating standard of care guidelines 
• Serving as liaison among nursing staff, healthcare administrators, and physicians 
• Implementation of changes to nursing practices such as shift changes, infection control procedures, and ensuring safety among all staff and patients 
• Recruiting and training new nursing staff and ensuring competency 
• Developing and revising short and long-term goals such as staffing issues, policies and procedures, and standards of care 
• Monitoring and evaluating expenses within the department  
• Overseeing nursing staff scheduling and conflicts 
• Performing nurse evaluations among nursing staff 
• Ensuring that compliance is being followed with local, state, and federal policies and procedures 
• Communicating openly and effectively with patients’ families, physicians, and staff being supervised  

Possible Work Environments

It is important to be mindful that responsibilities for a DON can vary greatly based on the facility or organization in which the DON works, the environment, and the patient population being served.   

The great advantage of a DON career is that there is flexibility concerning work environments.   

A Director of Nursing can work in the following areas: 

• Hospital 
• Medical office 
• Health department 
• University 
• Non-profit organization 
• Long-term care facility 
• Surgery center 
• Facility that serves those with intellectual and developmental disabilities
  

The options are numerous and there are many opportunities for a Director of Nursing based on one’s interests, size of an organization, flexibility, and work environment.  

Qualifications of a Director of Nursing

A DON must be a licensed registered nurse (RN) and have completed either a diploma, associate, or bachelor’s degree program from an approved college or university.   

Upon completion of a nursing program, the individual must have passed the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN).   

Once the individual has passed the NCLEX-RN and licensure has been received, the nurse should work for several years to gain clinical experience and to participate in the required continuing education coursework.   

After several years of clinical experience has been obtained, the nurse may opt to complete an advanced education to receive a Master of Science in Nursing Administration and Leadership.  Some nurses also opt to pursue a certification such as a Director of Nursing Services-Certified.  Although certification is not a requirement, it does demonstrate that the individual has advanced knowledge and capabilities within the nursing field.  

Skills Needed for a Director of Nursing

The role of a DON is to ensure that patients receive appropriate and quality care, the organization is functioning well, and that the nursing staff are supervised effectively.   

The following skills are needed in order to become an effective DON and to meet the responsibilities of a DON: 

• Interpersonal skills – a DON must communicate well with nurses and lead the nurses they manage which requires excellent interpersonal skills.  They must be able to communicate on different levels as they interact with patients, nurses, physicians, and other healthcare team members.   
• Leadership Skills – a DON needs to command respect and be approachable since he/she will be responsible for hiring/terminating staff, training staff to meet specific standards, ensuring high levels of motivation, and fostering a supportive work environment 
• Organization – a DON must possess great organizational skills in order to manage work schedules, reports, statistics, budgets, and manage patient records 
• Analytical skills – a DON must be able to ensure that efficient nursing care is provided and that demands for medical supplies are met.  Some of the tasks involved in this area include analyzing data to determine the efficiency and where improvements need to be made and how to make the necessary changes.   
• Technological skills – a DON must be able to understand the technology used for electronic medical records and other computer management systems implemented at each facility/organization 

The Bottom Line

Choosing a career as a Director of Nursing can be challenging but rewarding based on the motivation and skills of the individual and the desire to make a difference in an organization or other work environment.  The advantages of becoming a DON include flexibility, various work environments, and being able to engage with patients, administrators, nursing staff, physicians, and other healthcare team members.   

There is a large amount of responsibility involved in becoming a DON but the benefits seem to outweigh the increased responsibilities.  A DON must aspire to work hard in an environment to make positive changes and to ensure that the safety and quality of care of all patients is being fully maintained.  A desire to lead in a way that positively affects staff and all the other individuals that a DON encounters is another great qualification of a DON.   

Many leaders do not fully understand that one can lead without being demanding, overpowering, authoritative, and demeaning and on the flip side there are others that may feel that he/she is not an effective leader due to passivity.  A DON can and should exemplify a healthy balance of the characteristics of a strong leader that leads by example and empathizes with the patients, nurses, physicians, families, and other healthcare team members.   

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