What Is Nursing Administration?
11/19/2026
The Master of Science in Nursing specializations at Rasmussen University have not been approved by any state professional licensing body. They are not designed to prepare graduates for any advanced practice nursing license or other state-issued license, including but not limited to Nurse Practitioner (NP), Advanced Practice Nurse (APN), Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN), or Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA). This program and its specializations are not available to residents of all states. For information on professional licensing requirements, please contact the appropriate board or agency in your state of residence.
Nursing administration is a nursing career path focused on leadership, management and healthcare operations rather than direct patient care. According to the American Nurses Association®, nurse administrators are trained registered nurses who take on collaborative, managerial, and leadership roles, working with hospital administrators, including a facility's CEO, to make decisions affecting staffing, scheduling, and other organizational aspects of nursing.1
In this article, we'll look at what nursing administration involves day to day, the range of roles it covers, the skills it draws on, and how it may connect to further education.
What Does Nursing Administration Involve?
Professionals in nursing administration often have less direct interaction with patients than other nursing roles, focusing instead on the business side of healthcare and nursing. According to the American Nurses Association, nurse administrators are typically responsible for hiring, budgeting, and scheduling nurses within a healthcare facility. They also serve as a communication link between physicians, executives, and nursing staff, helping represent nurses' perspectives in organizational decisions.1
What Are Common Nursing Administration Roles?
Nursing administration isn't a single fixed position; it spans a range of responsibility levels. According to the American Organization for Nursing Leadership, the scope and complexity of a nurse leader's role may vary across positions such as supervisor, nurse manager, director, and chief nursing officer or chief nursing executive.3 Rasmussen University part of American Public University System (“Rasmussen University”) identifies typical career paths associated with the specialization, including nurse manager, nurse administrator, director of nursing and chief nursing officer.2
What Skills Do Nursing Administrators Need?
Nursing administrators draw on clinical experience, leadership skills and business knowledge to manage healthcare operations.1
The American Organization for Nursing Leadership frames these kinds of abilities around six broader competency areas that nurse leaders tend to draw on:3
- Leader Within: self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and the personal values that shape a leader's growth
- Leadership: vision, influence, and the decision-making and accountability that come with a leadership role
- Professionalism: the standards and conduct expected of someone in a leadership position
- Communication and Relational Leadership: the interpersonal skills needed to work across a team and an organization
- Knowledge of the Healthcare Environment: an understanding of how the broader healthcare system and industry operate
- Business Skills and Principles: financial and operational knowledge, similar to the business sense the American Nurses Association describes nurse administrators relying on
Explore Nursing Leadership and Administration at Rasmussen University
If nursing administration sounds like a direction worth exploring, the online Master of Science in Nursing at Rasmussen University offers a Nursing Leadership and Administration specialization. Coursework includes Advanced Nursing Leadership, The Business Side of Nursing, which looks at healthcare economics, and Meaningful Communication and Collaboration, along with an indirect-care leadership practicum. Typical career paths for the specialization include nurse manager, nurse administrator, and director of nursing.2
Interested in exploring nursing leadership and administration? Learn more about the online Master of Science in Nursing and its Nursing Leadership and Administration specialization at Rasmussen University.2
American Nurses Association® is a registered trademark of American Nurses Association.
1American Nurses Association, How to Become a Nurse Administrator, at https://www.nursingworld.org/content-hub/resources/nursing-resources/how-to-become-a-nurse-administrator/ (accessed Sept. 24, 2026).
2Rasmussen University, Master of Science in Nursing, at https://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/nursing/master-science-nursing/msn-specialties/ (accessed Sept. 24, 2026).
3American Organization for Nursing Leadership, Nurse Leader Core Competencies, at https://www.aonl.org/resources/nurse-leader-competencies (accessed Sept. 24, 2026).
