How to hire an assistant director of nursing

How to hire an assistant director of nursing, step by step

Here's a step-by-step assistant director of nursing hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an assistant director of nursing job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new assistant director of nursing
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an assistant director of nursing do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your assistant director of nursing job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find an assistant director of nursing for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   An assistant director of nursing's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, assistant directors of nursing from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of assistant directors of nursing and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Assistant Director Of Nursing	Description	Hourly rate
   Assistant Director Of Nursing	Medical and health services managers, also called healthcare executives or healthcare administrators, plan, direct, and coordinate medical and health services. They might manage an entire facility, a specific clinical area or department, or a medical practice for a group of physicians... Show more	$29-53
   Unit Manager	Unit managers are responsible for managing the nursing unit. They primarily supervise the daily care of patients and ensure quality patient care... Show more	$18-46
   Nursing Home Administrator	A nursing home administrator is responsible for managing and running a nursing home facility and supervising staff. Your typical duties will include managing the budget and making critical decisions, overseeing the recruitment, training, and dismissal of staff members, conducting employee performance reviews, and communicating with prospective and existing residents and their families... Show more	$26-55

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Term Care
   • CPR
   • Rehabilitation
   • Quality Care
   • Resident Care
   • Home Health
   • Customer Service
   • Compassion
   • Federal Regulations
   • MDS
   • Staff Development
   • Direct Patient Care
   • Staff Education

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage care for all residents, ICF and SNF.
   • Evaluate operational performance consistently achieving excellent JCAHO accreditation.
   • Assist with managing daily facility operations, including patient care, staff supervision and logistical oversight.
   • Work to ensure regulatory compliance by conduction mock surveys, interviewing patients and randomly assessing medical records.
   • Complete newly-required HCFA MDS, and coordinated/chair all interdisciplinary care plan meetings to maintain HCFA regulatory compliance.
   • Administer BLS training for license staff.

   More assistant director of nursing duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your assistant director of nursing job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. An assistant director of nursing salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, assistant directors of nursing' average salary in oklahoma is 35% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level assistant directors of nursing earn 45% less than senior-level assistant directors of nursing.
   • Certifications. An assistant director of nursing with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in an assistant director of nursing's salary.

   Average assistant director of nursing salary

   $82,674yearly

   $39.75 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level assistant director of nursing salary

   $61,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 31, 2025

   Average assistant director of nursing salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$104,097	$50
   2	New York	$94,482	$45
   3	District of Columbia	$93,312	$45
   4	Ohio	$90,685	$44
   5	Utah	$88,377	$42
   6	Pennsylvania	$87,799	$42
   7	New Jersey	$87,456	$42
   8	Missouri	$86,739	$42
   9	Maryland	$86,466	$42
   10	Kansas	$85,508	$41
   11	Massachusetts	$83,847	$40
   12	Virginia	$82,461	$40
   13	Indiana	$81,330	$39
   14	Oregon	$81,308	$39
   15	Connecticut	$80,724	$39
   16	Michigan	$79,098	$38
   17	Arizona	$78,497	$38
   18	Illinois	$77,782	$37
   19	Colorado	$77,169	$37
   20	North Carolina	$75,655	$36

   Average assistant director of nursing salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Waters	$111,368	$53.54	2
   2	Tenet Healthcare	$106,424	$51.17	144
   3	Northwell Health	$101,763	$48.92	72
   4	Senior Living Properties	$101,347	$48.72
   5	University of Maryland Medical System	$101,204	$48.66	11
   6	Belle Fountain Nursing & Rehab	$99,200	$47.69
   7	Favorite Healthcare Staffing	$98,545	$47.38
   8	Acadia Healthcare	$98,489	$47.35	117
   9	CHRISTUS Health	$98,473	$47.34	71
   10	Alameda Health System	$98,259	$47.24	8
   11	Community Health Systems	$97,795	$47.02	135
   12	Concord Hospital	$97,699	$46.97	6
   13	BridgePoint Healthcare	$97,091	$46.68
   14	Careerstaff Unlimited - A Genesis Healthcare Company	$97,059	$46.66
   15	Therapy Resources Management	$97,012	$46.64	1
   16	Signature Healthcare	$96,373	$46.33	176
   17	Henry Ford Health System	$96,301	$46.30
   18	University Hospitals	$95,864	$46.09	7
   19	Montefiore Mount Vernon Hospital	$95,211	$45.77	9
   20	One Brooklyn Health	$95,020	$45.68

4. Writing an assistant director of nursing job description

   A good assistant director of nursing job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of an assistant director of nursing job description:

   Assistant director of nursing job description example

   ASSISTANT DIRECTOR of NURSING (RN) at NHC Osage Beach Rehabilitation and HealthCare Center: You'll enjoy our Family - Oriented Atmosphere!
   $5,000 Sign on Bonus! Don't miss this great opportunity for a Registered Nurse (RN) to join our team as ASSISTANT DIRECTOR of NURSING at NHC Osage Beach Rehabilitation and HealthCare Center!! You will enjoy working in an environment that is warm, positive, and welcoming! Our facility is newly remolded inside, ONLY 5 star facility in the Lake area, and offers opportunities to be involved in the community as a team! Benefits
   Earned Time Off
   Health, Dental, Vision, Disability and Life insurance
   401k with generous company contributions
   Uniforms
   Advancement Opportunities
   $5,000 Sign on Bonus! We are looking for an Assistant Director of Nursing who: has a Desire to lead takes pride in Excellent patient care uses Compassion as a second language provides Next Level customer service wants to work with a Team to achieve goals wants to make this a Career At Osage Beach Rehabilitation and HealthCare Center, we are more than a team- we're family! Job Type: Full Time Experience
   -The ideal candidate with have prior Long Term Care experience, prior management experience, and demonstrate longevity in work history.
   -Must have current Missouri Registered Nurse (RN) license
   In addition to providing excellent nursing care to our patients, the qualified RN for this position should possess patient-focused skilled nursing experience in a leadership role, superior communication skills, dependability, flexibility and the ability to lead a successful team. Work Location:
   Osage Beach Rehab and Healthcare Center
   844 Passover Road
   Osage Beach, MO 65065 If you are interested in working for a leader in senior care and share NHC's values of honesty and integrity , please apply today and find out more about us at nhccare.com/locations/osage-beach-rehabilitation/ "Care is our business" -Join our family and see why we strive to provide "care in a better way"! "50 years Committed, 50 years Caring, 50 years Strong" EOE

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right assistant director of nursing for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your assistant director of nursing job on Zippia to find and recruit assistant director of nursing candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit assistant directors of nursing, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new assistant director of nursing

   Once you've found the assistant director of nursing candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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