In the ever-evolving healthcare field, nurses in leadership positions are revered not only for their clinical expertise but also for their ability to assess situations and offer solutions confidently. They guide teams, coordinate resources, oversee clinical workflows, and offer innovative strategies for improving health outcomes. Their day-to-day work directly influences the quality and consistency of patient care. If you’re ready to take your nursing career to the next level, you may be ready to explore nursing leadership roles. Keep reading to learn about some of the top nursing leadership jobs and discover the skills, qualifications, and experience needed to thrive in each role. 

1. Charge Nurse

Charge nurses, also called lead nurses, supervise staff during their shifts, coordinate patient care, and serve as the primary point of contact for both clinical and administrative issues. For many nurses, this role is their first step into healthcare leadership. Lead nurses ensure that daily operations run smoothly by managing workflows, troubleshooting problems, and addressing patient concerns. While these nursing professionals still provide some bedside care, their focus is primarily on overseeing the nursing team and maintaining quality standards. Becoming a charge nurse allows healthcare professionals to develop the nursing qualities and skills essential for more advanced nurse leadership jobs. Typical job responsibilities in this role include: 

• Supervising nursing staff throughout the shift. 
• Monitoring workflows and addressing delays or inefficiencies. 
• Providing guidance and mentorship to new nurses.
• Answering patients’ questions and resolving their problems. 
• Communicating updates, safety alerts, and staffing changes to nursing teams. 
• Overseeing patient admissions and discharges to ensure adequate staffing levels and bed availability.
• Managing end-of-shift reporting and documenting any staffing challenges or patient concerns.

This role typically requires a registered nurse (RN) license and a bachelor’s degree in nursing. In addition to these educational qualifications, charge nurses need several years of nursing experience as well as strong clinical judgment and communication skills. The average salary for charge nurses is $85,509 a year, with some professionals earning upwards of $115,000 annually. 

2. Clinical Nurse Leader

A clinical nurse leader leads clinical improvement efforts at a team or departmental level. Unlike in other nurse leadership jobs, a clinical nurse leader (CNL) doesn’t supervise staff or manage operations. Instead, these professionals focus on implementing systems, policies, and procedures that directly influence the patient experience. They work to standardize nursing practices, improve workflow efficiency, and drive quality improvement initiatives. The job responsibilities involved in this role include: 

• Evaluating data from clinical performance reports, patient satisfaction surveys, healthcare outcome metrics, and safety audits to gather actionable insights. 
• Integrating evidence-based practices into clinical workflows.
• Communicating with other healthcare professionals to ensure continuity of care. 
• Identifying potential risks to patient safety and taking proactive steps to strengthen clinical protocols.
• Serving as a voice for patients by identifying unmet needs and advocating for appropriate interventions. 
• Helping patients and their families better understand treatment plans, medication instructions, and follow-up care.  

As the role of nursing professionals evolves, CNLs help bridge the gap between bedside care and departmental goals by applying data-driven strategies to clinical practices. To become a Certified Nurse Leader (CNL), an individual must first hold an active RN license and a bachelor’s degree in nursing. They must then complete a master’s degree program in nursing that includes coursework in clinical nurse leadership and is recognized by the Commission on Nurse Certification (CNC). After completing the program, they must pass the national CNL Certification Exam to earn their certification. The average salary for clinical nurse leaders is $89,949, with experienced professionals earning as much as $155,000 a year. 

3. Clinical Nurse Manager 

Clinical nurse managers balance patient care with administrative responsibilities to meet organizational goals while maintaining a high standard of care. They typically oversee operations within a specific department of a hospital, clinic, private practice, or long-term care facility. Their day-to-day work involves a variety of tasks, including: 

• Supervising nurses and other healthcare staff.
• Managing nurse onboarding, training, and scheduling.
• Assisting with budgetary decisions and resource allocation.
• Ensuring documentation practices meet all legal, regulatory, and organizational requirements.
• Identifying areas for improvement and collaborating with interdepartmental teams to implement changes.
• Addressing workflow issues, patient complaints, and team conflicts.
• Ordering and organizing medical supplies and equipment. 
• Facilitating clear, effective communication between clinical and administrative staff.

To become a clinical nurse manager, you’ll need an active (RN) license and a bachelor's degree in nursing. Some employers require or prefer to hire nurse managers with a relevant healthcare master’s degree, such as a master’s in nurse leadership and management. While not always required, earning a graduate degree can enhance your job prospects and prepare you for advanced positions with broader responsibilities and higher pay. 

The average salary for clinical nurse managers is $92,350 a year, with some managers earning as much as $124,000 annually. As healthcare systems grow and adapt to meet ongoing challenges in healthcare delivery, the demand for qualified nurse managers grows, making this an ideal time to advance into this essential leadership role.  

4. Director of Nursing

While nurse managers oversee nursing operations for a specific department, the nursing directors oversee nursing for the entire healthcare facility. The role is much broader in scope, involving high-level decision-making, strategic planning, staffing coordination, and budget oversight. Nursing directors can work in hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, outpatient centers, home health organizations, and government healthcare facilities. Their leadership guides clinical practice and fosters a workplace culture of quality, accountability, and continuous improvement. Typical daily responsibilities for this role include: 

• Developing and enforcing organizational policies and guidelines.
• Supervising nurse managers and other nurse leaders.
• Overseeing nursing department budgets, including staffing, supplies, and training.
• Monitoring performance metrics such as staff turnover, medication errors, and healthcare outcomes.
• Identifying areas for improvement and collaborating with executive leadership to devise innovative solutions.
• Performing or assisting in internal audits to evaluate whether nursing staff are following all policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements.
• Overseeing nursing-related reporting and documentation, including incident reports, staff performance evaluations, regulatory summaries, and budget statements. 

If you’re interested in becoming a director of nursing, you’ll need a well-rounded skill set that includes both clinical expertise and exceptional management and communication skills. The educational requirements for this job can vary. If a candidate is highly experienced, employers may require only an RN license and a bachelor’s degree in nursing. However, many employers require graduate-level education, such as a master’s degree in healthcare administration or nursing. The average annual salary for nursing directors is $102,220, with some directors earning more than $148,000 a year.  

5. Chief Nursing Officer

The chief nursing officer (CNO) is the highest-ranking nursing professional within a healthcare organization. This executive-level position typically requires an active RN license, a bachelor’s degree in nursing, and a master’s degree in a relevant field, such as healthcare administration, nursing, or business administration. Additionally, aspiring CNOs need 5 to 10 years of experience and a proven track record of leading clinical teams, managing complex operations, and driving measurable improvements in patient outcomes.  

Typical job responsibilities for CNOs include:

• Guiding the overall strategic direction for nursing practice across the organization.
• Ensuring compliance with all healthcare laws and regulations. 
• Establishing and enforcing organizational policies and procedures related to patient care.
• Directing nurse leadership teams throughout the facility. 
• Monitoring healthcare outcomes and implementing initiatives to improve patient comfort and safety. 
• Analyzing and optimizing the nursing budget to align financial decision-making with staffing needs and operational demands.
• Ensuring nursing staff meet continuing education and licensure requirements.
• Serving as a liaison between nursing staff and executive leadership.
• Presenting reports about nursing performance, staffing needs, quality metrics, and regulatory compliance to internal and external stakeholders.

The median annual salary for chief nursing officers is $266,740 a year. In large hospital systems, CNOs can earn more than $349,000 annually. These professionals play a crucial role in shaping the quality and efficiency of nursing care in an organization. As healthcare systems face increasingly complex challenges, the need for experienced nurse executives continues to rise. 

6. Nursing Education Director

Nursing education directors share the same ultimate goal as others in nursing leadership positions: to improve patient health outcomes through skilled nursing care. While other nursing leaders accomplish this through strategic decision-making or budget optimization, nursing education directors advance clinical outcomes through nurse training and professional development. Through a combination of teaching, clinical expertise, and curriculum development, they build strong, capable nursing teams that provide consistent, high-quality care. These professionals can work in both medical and academic settings. The typical responsibilities involved in this job include: 

• Developing continuing education programs that equip nurses or nursing students with the skills needed to meet modern healthcare challenges.

• Leading orientation and training programs for new nurses. 

• Supervising a team of nurse educators and instructors.

• Collecting and evaluating educational outcome data to improve learner engagement and retention.

• Incorporating evidence-based practices and emerging healthcare trends to keep educational programs current.

• Collaborating with clinical and administrative leaders to align educational programs with broader organizational goals. 

Because these professionals oversee organization-wide training and professional development, a relevant graduate-level degree is typically required. Many nursing education directors hold an RN license, a bachelor’s degree in nursing, and a master’s degree in a healthcare leadership field, such as nursing education, nurse leadership and management, or healthcare administration. The average annual salary for nursing education directors is $143,884, with salaries typically ranging from $110,000 to $180,000. Factors such as work setting, employer, and facility size have a significant influence on salary. 

7. Healthcare Administrator

For nurses interested in broader organizational leadership, becoming a healthcare administrator can be a rewarding next step. While this career isn’t technically a nursing position, it draws heavily on the clinical insight and leadership experience that nurses bring to healthcare settings. Healthcare administrators can work for hospitals, nursing homes, outpatient care centers, home health organizations, consulting firms, insurance companies, and government agencies. As the healthcare system transitions from the traditional fee-for-service model to value-based care, there is a growing need for skilled leaders in nonclinical roles who can effectively manage resources, enhance care coordination, and drive positive outcomes.

Healthcare administrators’ job duties vary based on their employer, but typical daily tasks include: 

• Managing budgets, staffing, and operations.
• Developing policies and procedures that support improved healthcare outcomes.
• Ensuring that organizations comply with all healthcare laws and regulations. 
• Overseeing patient services to maintain high standards of quality and satisfaction. 
• Collaborating with clinical and administrative teams to streamline workflows.
• Leveraging performance metrics and financial data to guide strategic planning. 
• Presenting data-driven insights to stakeholders. 

To become a healthcare administrator, you’ll need at least a bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration. However, an increasing number of healthcare facilities require candidates to have a master’s degree in healthcare administration or an MBA with a healthcare administration focus. The average salary for healthcare administrators is $109,274 a year. 

Earn a Nursing or Healthcare Degree on Your Terms

High-quality nursing does more than mend broken bones or manage illnesses—it directly enhances patients’ lives. If you’re passionate about shaping the future of healthcare and ready to take the next step toward a leadership role in nursing, WGU can equip you with the skills needed to succeed. WGU’s accredited nursing degree programs prepare students for advanced positions in diverse healthcare settings. Whether you're pursuing your RN license, seeking to broaden your career options with a bachelor’s degree in nursing, or advancing into leadership roles through a healthcare master's degree, WGU offers flexible, career-focused programs tailored to your goals. Get started by applying today!