Nurse manager responsibilities include all tasks related to overseeing RN staff at their facility. In addition to ensuring care delivery goals are met, nurse managers onboard and train staff, manage the nursing department budget, monitor levels of various resources such as medical supplies, gloves, and masks, and order replacement supplies as needed.
Although the exact duties of a nurse manager can vary depending on the facility and the size of the RN staff they oversee, other important nurse manager responsibilities may include the following.
- Setting departmental work schedules
- Disciplining RN staff
- Evaluating RNs’ job performance and providing coaching as needed
- Providing support to RNs, patients and patient’s families as needed
- Responding to inquiries from other department heads
- Making budgetary decisions
- Answering patients’ questions
- Providing information to the healthcare team, including doctors and in some cases, surgical staff, as needed
- Ensuring staff are compliant with state and federal legal and regulatory standards
Nurse managers work full-time, on-site at a variety of medical and healthcare facilities, such as long-term care facilities, hospice care centers, hospitals, surgical clinics, group medical practices, and rehabilitation centers, among others.
Although some professionals in this role may work Monday through Friday during standard business hours, nurse managers employed by facilities that provide 24-hour care may need to work nights, weekends, holidays, and on-call shifts.