Also called: Director of Nursing, CNO
Leads all the nurses at a hospital or health system, setting policy, budgets, and patient-care standards.
Starts with a staffing meeting to fill tonight's open shifts, reviews patient-safety reports, then sits on the executive team deciding whether to open a new unit. Usually started as a bedside nurse decades earlier.
Estimate; varies hugely by hospital size.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Master's degree, about 6 years after high school. BSN plus a master's in nursing leadership or an MBA/MHA, and 10+ years of nursing and management experience.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school, On-the-job training. Training cost: $60k – $150k.
Majors to look at: Nursing (BSN), Nursing (ADN), Health Administration.
Growing much faster than average (about 23% over 10 years). Tracks BLS medical and health services managers (23%, 2024-34).
Low risk for 10 years. AI improves staffing forecasts and quality dashboards; leading thousands of nurses and handling crises stays human.
Classes: Biology, Business or economics, Speech & debate, Psychology.
Official data: O*NET occupation 11-9111.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.