The influence healthcare professionals can have in this evolving environment varies by role. While equally important in their own way, the impact that nurses can organically create through patient interaction can differ greatly from that of healthcare professionals tasked with overseeing a facility’s operations. These differences may inspire some healthcare professionals to pursue an advanced degree in healthcare management and prepare to transition from a registered nurse (RN) to a healthcare administration or management role. 

Those interested in growing their career through such a transition need to understand the steps commonly taken to successfully complete the process. This way, they can enter healthcare management roles with confidence and help their organizations operate more efficiently. 

Nursing vs. Healthcare Management 

Fully understanding the healthcare management role that may lie ahead for a nurse looking to advance their career requires an examination of the differences between nursing versus healthcare administration or healthcare management. With a clearer understanding of these differences, they may be able to take a more holistic approach to leadership and decision-making and positively impact a facility’s patient care capabilities at various levels. 

Nursing at a Glance 

Nursing is a branch of healthcare devoted to providing direct care for patients of all ages throughout their lifespan, from birth to end of life. Nurses accomplish this through several tasks, including: 

• Diagnosing and treating patient illness 

• Developing proactive patient care strategies 

• Promoting and advocating for healthy living and healthy lifestyle choices 

• Collaborating with other healthcare professionals to develop treatment plans 

Nursing is a highly collaborative profession that requires those in the role to work closely with patients in different situations. The nature of this interaction can vary greatly based on patient needs. The nurse-patient dynamic in treating and managing an older patient’s chronic condition can differ from that with a younger patient facing an unexpected acute issue. Several key factors drive these differences, including: 

• Nature of the condition 

• Nursing level (e.g., an RN versus a nurse practitioner) 

• Nursing specialty (e.g., a neonatal nurse versus an oncology nurse) 

• Existing rapport between the nurse and the patient, driven by previous interactions 

Nurses who use these factors to build proper context around each care delivery situation can excel at building treatment strategies that meet patients where they are in their healthcare journey. By doing so, patients may be in a better position to receive the type of care that can improve their health beyond a clinical setting. 

Healthcare Management at a Glance 

Healthcare management focuses on the business side of care delivery. Roles within the field ensure that core operational components run as efficiently as possible; this can ultimately boost the ability to provide the organizational structure needed to provide optimized care. 

Those in healthcare management roles oversee various functions, including:  

• Developing and overseeing facility goals related to care quality 

• Overseeing facility budgets 

• Managing different aspects of facility finance, such as billing 

• Ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local laws and regulations 

• Recruiting staff 

• Training and supervising existing staff members 

• Creating and monitoring facility work schedules 

• Maintaining records related to facility operations and services 

Healthcare managers may sometimes be called upon to represent their healthcare facility for specific groups, such as governing boards or facility shareholders. Their specific duties can depend on facility size. Larger facilities may require multiple healthcare management professionals who concentrate on a specific aspect of facility operations, such as finances or staff training. 

Healthcare management roles can overlap those in healthcare administration. However, a key difference separates healthcare management versus healthcare administration. In healthcare management, individuals concentrate on overseeing a facility’s resources to reach optimal effectiveness and efficiency. In healthcare administration, individuals focus on shaping a facility’s overall long-term direction. Often, the two roles work together to develop a cohesive care delivery strategy that can potentially deliver short- and long-term results. 

While significant differences exist between nursing and healthcare management, the two fields share a notable symbiosis. A healthcare manager who’s mindful of what nurses do can help develop strategies that make it easier for nurses to carry out their duties. This can, in turn, increase the potential for patients to receive the precise type of care they need to achieve optimized outcomes. 

Why Do Nurses Transition to Healthcare Management? 

Transitioning from an RN role to a healthcare administration or healthcare management role can be both exciting and challenging. After all, the latter is considered an advanced career in healthcare, and the roles within the healthcare management field typically encompass a broad spectrum of complex duties. However, many nurses pursue this path for a combination of professional growth, expanded responsibility and the opportunity to influence care delivery at a broader level. 

Greater Organizational Impact 

For many nurses, one of the most compelling reasons to pursue a healthcare management career path is the opportunity to affect patient care at a larger scale. While nursing allows for vital one-on-one interactions, management roles can influence a facility’s short- and long-term strategies. Effective decision-making in these positions can help shape care delivery for entire patient populations, leading to improvements that extend beyond individual nurse-patient interactions. This expanded scope of influence can make a management or administrative role an appealing next step. 

Broader Professional Collaboration 

Because healthcare management and healthcare administration roles focus on facility operation, they allow individuals to expand the number of healthcare-related interactions they have within their profession. Their duties bring them into contact with a wide range of facility workers, from physicians and nurses to receptionists and custodial personnel. They may also have opportunities to interact with key people and entities outside the facility, such as state medical boards or insurance company representatives. 

Expanded Career Pathways 

Entering healthcare management opens doors to roles that extend beyond traditional clinical positions. While nurses also work in hospitals, clinics and private practices, healthcare managers can pursue leadership, operational or administrative roles within these settings — positions focused on budgeting, staffing, compliance, quality improvement or organizational strategy. This broader range of responsibilities allows individuals to shape how care is delivered across entire departments or facilities, rather than only within direct clinical settings. 

Strong Salary and Job Outlook 

Because a professional in healthcare management or healthcare administration can significantly impact a facility’s ability to provide optimized care, individuals in these roles can typically earn a comfortable wage. For example, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median annual salary for medical and health services managers was $117,960 in 2024. The exact salary depends on several factors, such as years of experience and job location. 

Healthcare management and healthcare administration roles also tend to have a solid job outlook. The BLS projects 23 percent growth between 2024 and 2034. 

How to Make the Transition From RN to Healthcare Administration and Management 

Healthcare administration and healthcare management roles can typically have a large impact on a facility’s patient care goals. Because of this, the road from nursing to healthcare management and healthcare administration roles is deliberate. 

Step 1: Earn a Degree 

To advance to healthcare management, nurses typically need to have earned a bachelor’s degree. Many practicing RNs have already earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), as many healthcare employers prefer nursing candidates with a bachelor’s degree. RNs who have earned an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) can advance their careers by completing a bridge program, such as an RN to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN to BSN) degree program.  

Or, if they know they want to advance into an administrative position, they could enroll in a program such as a Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Management.  

Those who want to move into management may also want to consider pursuing an advanced degree, such as a Master of Science in Healthcare Management. While not technically a requirement for a healthcare management or healthcare administration role, it can potentially expand a person’s career prospects, as some employers prefer to hire candidates with an advanced degree. 

Step 2: Gain Experience 

Nursing administration and management roles commonly require anywhere from two to five years of experience for consideration. This allows individuals to develop a firm grasp of the mechanics and processes behind effective nursing, translating into the foundational elements behind effective operational strategies. 

Step 3: Develop Skills 

The combination of education and experience earned at the RN level can also allow individuals to cultivate the hard and soft skills needed for effective healthcare management and healthcare administrative roles.  

The key skills needed for these roles include: 

• Leadership 

• Communication 

• Technical proficiency 

• Budgeting 

• Flexibility 

• Critical thinking 

• Decision-making 

Step 4: Obtain Licensure and Certification 

While not every healthcare management and healthcare administration role requires licensure, some positions do. These requirements vary from state to state, so prospective managers and administrators need to understand these requirements before transitioning from an RN position to a healthcare administration or healthcare management role. 

Certification is also not required. However, obtaining certification can further validate an individual’s knowledge and skill set, particularly within a specific aspect of healthcare management or healthcare administration. This validation may help a candidate stand out to a potential employer. There are several certifications to consider, such as the Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ) or the Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE). Individuals need to find a certification that best matches their professional interests. 

Registered Nurse Advancement Opportunities 

Once an RN is ready to make the leap from nursing to healthcare administration or healthcare management, they have several roles to potentially pursue. Each of these professions approaches care delivery optimization differently, based on the role’s core focus. This variety can make it possible for individuals to home in on a career path that they find relevant to their interests. 

Health Information Manager 

Health information managers oversee a facility’s patient records. Those in the role ensure that each record is accurate and complete, supporting accurate care decisions and reducing documentation errors. According to the BLS, the median annual salary for medical and health services managers, including health information managers, was $117,960 in 2024. 

Nursing Home Administrators 

Nursing home administrators oversee the operational aspects of nursing homes and assisted-living facilities, including care of the facility’s residents and various aspects of the facility itself, from building maintenance to the admissions process. The BLS also classifies nursing home administrators as medical and health services managers. 

Health Information Technologists 

Health information technologists focus their administrative skills on a facility’s computer-based healthcare systems. Those in the role collect and analyze clinical data to ensure data integrity, record security, patient confidentiality and patient outcome quality assessment. They also evaluate a facility’s systems to ensure that they’re operating efficiently and may also oversee the implementation of new health information systems that support data integrity and efficient workflows. The BLS lists the 2024 median annual salary for the role at $67,310. 

Chief Nursing Officers 

Chief nursing officers (CNOs) are C-suite executives tasked with overseeing the nursing practices and strategies across an entire healthcare organization. Those in the role work with other C-suite executives to develop cohesive care delivery strategies that optimize the impact an organization’s nursing staff can have on patient care. Their work ultimately aims to uphold care standards and ensure consistent practices within an organization's nursing staff. Payscale lists the median annual salary for CNOs at approximately $153,000 as of September 2025. 

Make a Significant Difference in the World of Healthcare 

Transitioning from an RN position to a health administration or healthcare management role allows nurses to advance their careers, but it also provides additional opportunities. It ultimately can place them in a position where they can make meaningful changes in how a facility delivers patient care. In these roles, they have the potential to address the operational challenges they may have spotted while nursing. Addressing these challenges can lead to a more efficient means of patient care delivery. This could make it easier for a facility to reach its ultimate goal of providing care that improves patient outcomes. 

Of course, landing a role in healthcare management or healthcare administration is the culmination of a journey filled with several steps. The Master of Science in Healthcare Management from SEMO Online can be an important step toward this goal. The program’s focused curriculum can help you develop a strong understanding of healthcare’s operational elements through a mix of online instruction and hands-on experience. The program’s flexibility also allows you to customize your degree to concentrate on a specific area such as administration, informatics, or quality and patient safety.  

Learn how SEMO Online can help prepare you to contribute effectively to patient care delivery. 

Recommended Readings 

Sources: 

American Association of Colleges of Nursing, Nursing Shortage Fact Sheet 
American Nursing Association, How to Become a Nurse Administrator 
American Nursing Association, What Is a Chief Nursing Officer / Chief Nurse Executive? 
Board of Executives for Long-Term Services and Supports, What Is a Nursing Home Administrator? 
CareerOneStop, Certification Finder 
Cleveland Clinic, Nurse - Nursing 
Indeed, “6 Reasons to Become a Healthcare Administrator” 
Indeed, “What Is Healthcare Management?” 
McKinsey & Co., “What to Expect in US Healthcare in 2024 and Beyond” 
Payscale, Average Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) Salary 
The HIPAA Journal, “What Is Healthcare Information Management?” 
​​U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Health Information Technologists and Medical Registrars  
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Medical and Health Services Managers 
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Registered Nurses