What is a Chief Nursing Officer and How are They Important?
The healthcare industry offers a variety of challenging and rewarding career options with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicting a 13 % increase between 2021 and 2031. The role of the Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) becomes very important at this time as they evaluate new medical technology that might enhance nursing practices and patient outcomes. People who are actively pursuing a nursing profession and eventually hope to hold leadership positions in the field can explore a career as CNO. If you are one of those, then it will help you to learn more about what is a chief nursing officer and what it takes to become a successful one.
What is a Chief Nursing Officer?
The highest-ranking position for a nurse pursuing a managerial job in the hospital and health organization field is a chief nursing officer. The CNO reports directly to the organization’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and is in charge of all nursing services provided across all medical units in the organization. A CNO is critical in helping a medical facility and its nursing staff provide high-quality healthcare services to its patients.
What Does a CNO Do: Roles and Responsibilities
The CNO job description emphasizes nursing leadership as well as organizational management. A CNO’s responsibilities often include designing systems and practices for meeting patient care standards, as well as overseeing the work of all the nurses in the organization.
How Important is a CNO?
Now that we’ve talked about what is a chief nursing officer, let’s understand how important they are in the healthcare industry. Their significance lies in:
- Making high-level decisions on clinical and patient standards, and policy and procedure developments
- The impact of their leadership style on the workplace
- Training and mentoring nursing workers
- Building trust among team members and ensuring effective communication
- Their impact on the organizational culture
- Their influence on employee morale as well as recruitment and retention
What are the Qualifications for Becoming a CNO?
To become a CNO, you must be a registered nurse having taken the National Council Licensure Examination [for] Registered Nurses (NCLEX- RN) examination. It’s important to note that a Master’s degree is crucial to becoming a CNO. If you already work in healthcare and you have these certifications and a relevant managerial or administrative experience of 5-plus years, you can apply for the position of a CNO. Initially, however, you start with entry-level jobs and gain years of experience and expertise.
Keep Reading: How to Become a Chief Nursing Officer
What Education Does a CNO Need?
A Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree with a concentration in Nursing Administration or Leadership in Health Care Systems. A dual MSN degree alongside a Master of Health Administration (MHA) or a Master of Business Administration (MBA) is quickly becoming the standard for achieving leadership roles in the healthcare business. Some health organizations may also prefer applicants with a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) focusing on executive management.
What Skills Does a CNO Need?
The skills required for a CNO are:
- Caring for a patient
- Developing and enhancing policies in their organization
- Staff management
- Leadership
- Communication
- Problem-solving
- Data reporting
- Training/teaching
Chief Nursing Officer Salary and Employment
According to Glassdoor, the annual average salary for a chief nursing officer in the United States is $149,589. The healthcare industry is expected to grow at an exponential rate in the coming years, increasing the requirement for industry professionals. Chief nursing officers will continue to be in high demand and the employment rate will only increase.
If you want to take advantage of this opportunity, you can prepare for this role by signing up for online healthcare courses on Emeritus, in association with the top universities of the world. We hope this blog has answered all your questions on what is a chief nursing officer and how to become one.
By Siddhesh Shinde
Write to us at content@emeritus.org
