Nursing is a key part of the healthcare system, not only throughout the U.S. but also on a global scale. Without qualified nurses to look after patients, the level of care provided in clinics, hospitals, and private practices would be nowhere near the high standard we enjoy today.
This need for trained nurses means it is an in-demand role and a popular career choice for those who like to help people. When you also factor in the variety of specific nursing jobs available, decent salary levels, and good job security, it is easy to see why so many people chose this career.
As you might expect, there are some key skills any nurse should possess. Management skills are certainly important for those who wish to move on to more senior roles in the future. How can you develop managerial skills as a nurse, and which ones are most important?
Education is essential for picking up managerial skills in nursing
While you may already possess some of the managerial skills needed for more senior roles, it is essential to develop them to a greater level over time. This will make you even more effective as a nurse and better prepare you to apply for managerial jobs in the future.
The best way to do this is through further education. The online DNP leadership programs at Baylor University are a good example of how this can be accomplished. With no GRE or GMAT required, these 100% online programs are ideal for busy working nurses looking to learn what they need to move into managerial roles. By learning the latest managerial skills and techniques in courses like this, you will be fully prepared to make the step up to executive levels in nursing moving forward.
Which managerial skills are the most important for nurses to develop?
People skills
If you work in a nurse executive role, you will likely have a team of nurses under you to manage. You may also come into contact with other stakeholders, patients, and families of patients. It is therefore crucial to have good people skills to rely on.
This will help you to engage with people in the most effective way and deal with them in a confident, respectful and sensitive manner. It can also help with conflict resolution and enable you to solve problems between team members or deal with tense situations effectively. Good people skills also help you build trust with those you lead and inspire them to follow you.
Finance and data analysis skills
Although financial skills might not be the first managerial skills for nursing that come to mind, they are increasingly important in the modern healthcare setting. Nurse leaders must be able to handle large budgets and allocate financial and HR resources. This is a big part of most managerial roles in nursing, so you need these skills to succeed. By honing your abilities in this area, you will be able to handle the financial side of executive nursing jobs and stay on top of your team’s budget.
It is also important to mention data analysis skills. These days, high-level skills in this area are valuable because many nursing manager roles will involve looking at data. In addition, many will also call on you to draw actionable insights from datasets to improve patient outcomes. With this in mind, it is useful to be able to analyze data effectively and pick up knowledge on things like the Python language for programming.
Decision-making
Decision-making is a skill that can be very useful in any job in nursing but is even more important for those working at an executive level. In a leadership role, you will be required to make decisions that could have significant consequences.
It is therefore critical that you have the ability to look at an issue, weigh up the various options and make the right decision. With nursing executives often required to make multiple decisions about complex issues each day, this is a very important trait to possess.
Communication
Another useful important managerial skill for nurses is communication. This is one skill that can help in any role but is especially valuable when working at a more senior level. Nurse executives must be able to not only make decisions each day but also communicate them to their team in a concise, clear manner.
By the same token, good communication enables you to keep staff updated with changes to guidelines and regulations in a way they understand. It is important to keep in mind that good communication relates to both verbal and written communication. Any nurse who wishes to develop these skills must learn to be effective at passing information on in person as well as through written communication such as letters or emails.
Time management
Being able to manage your time is a very important managerial skill in nursing as it allows you to stay on top of your schedule and avoid missing meetings or vital deadlines. It also means you can prioritize your workload and fit everything into your day that you need to accomplish.
Good time management skills also encourage the staff you manage to follow your example. Developing your own time management skills enables you to assist staff in organizing their own time better if needed.
Managerial skills are essential for nursing
There are many managerial skills that nurses will find useful, especially if they plan to move into executive-level roles. With the employment of medical health managers in the U.S. expected to grow 28% from 2021 to 2031, this is something many nurses are thinking about. If you possess these skills, you stand a far better chance of obtaining that dream nursing executive role.