1. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
What is a Head Nurse?
The average head nurse salary is $80,173. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an nursing major. It usually takes 1-2 years of experience to become a head nurse. Head nurses with a Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 12% and produce 371,500 job opportunities across the U.S.
What Does a Head Nurse Do
There are certain skills that many head nurses have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed communication skills, compassion and detail oriented.
How To Become a Head Nurse
If you're interested in becoming a head nurse, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 49.2% of head nurses have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 8.5% of head nurses have master's degrees. Even though most head nurses have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Head Nurse Career Paths
In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of nurse manager you might progress to a role such as case manager eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title assistant director of nursing.
Head Nurse
Assistant Director Of Nursing
7 Years
Chief Nursing Officer
13 Years
Director Of Health Services
10 Years
Wellness Director
7 Years
Director Of Staff Development
7 Years
Clinical Care Manager
9 Years
Show More
Average Salary for a Head Nurse
Head Nurses in America make an average salary of $80,173 per year or $39 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $132,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $48,000 per year.
Average Head Nurse Salary
$80,173 Yearly$38.54 hourly
What Am I Worth?
Roles and Types of Head Nurse
There are several types of head nurse, including:
Registered Nurse
Role:
If you're looking for a job that will provide a lot of opportunities, you've come to the right place. Registered nurses are needed everywhere to provide patient care and educate patients about various health conditions.
All registered nurses need to be licensed, but there are three different ways you can go about it. One is earning a bachelor's degree in nursing. Another is to obtain an associate's degree in nursing. Or receive a diploma from a nursing program.
All registered nurses need to be licensed, but there are three different ways you can go about it. One is earning a bachelor's degree in nursing. Another is to obtain an associate's degree in nursing. Or receive a diploma from a nursing program.
- Average Salary: $73,349
- Degree: Associate Degree
Staff Nurse
Role:
If healthcare is your name and helping patients is your game, then you might consider a career as a staff nurse. Typically, you'll work in a healthcare facility of some sort, whether that be a hospital or a nursing home.
As a staff nurse, you'll be working closely with doctors and other nurses to ensure patients receive the utmost care and treatment for their health conditions. Usually, this line of work seals the deal with crazy hours. But staff nurses tend to be a little different.
It can vary, but you usually won't work over 40 hours a week. In fact, some weeks you may only work 35 hours. This great schedule does come with a price tag - student debt, to be exact. In order to become a staff nurse, you'll need to earn a bachelor's degree. I mean, you have to know what you're doing in this job so that much makes sense.
As a staff nurse, you'll be working closely with doctors and other nurses to ensure patients receive the utmost care and treatment for their health conditions. Usually, this line of work seals the deal with crazy hours. But staff nurses tend to be a little different.
It can vary, but you usually won't work over 40 hours a week. In fact, some weeks you may only work 35 hours. This great schedule does come with a price tag - student debt, to be exact. In order to become a staff nurse, you'll need to earn a bachelor's degree. I mean, you have to know what you're doing in this job so that much makes sense.
- Average Salary: $68,342
- Degree: Bachelor's Degree
Nurse
Role:
Nurses may seem to be just a cog in the machine of healthcare systems, but they are as essential as it gets. As trained healthcare professionals, they provide medical care for patients in hospitals or homes, caring for them before and after their medical procedures.
Working closely with physicians and other healthcare staff members, they plan and implement nursing care, evaluating the processes and assessing their efficiency.
Nurses are responsible for monitoring patients' symptoms and reporting any changes in their condition. They keep an eye on eventual side-effects of drugs and follow vital signs in severe cases. They administer pills and intravenous medication and create and maintain patient records. Properly managing the storage of medical substances they use on a daily basis and maintaining nursing supply inventory is also their responsibility.
It goes without saying that they keep facilities and work areas squeaky clean and comply with infection control standards without compromise.
Working closely with physicians and other healthcare staff members, they plan and implement nursing care, evaluating the processes and assessing their efficiency.
Nurses are responsible for monitoring patients' symptoms and reporting any changes in their condition. They keep an eye on eventual side-effects of drugs and follow vital signs in severe cases. They administer pills and intravenous medication and create and maintain patient records. Properly managing the storage of medical substances they use on a daily basis and maintaining nursing supply inventory is also their responsibility.
It goes without saying that they keep facilities and work areas squeaky clean and comply with infection control standards without compromise.
- Average Salary: $57,564
- Degree: Bachelor's Degree
States With The Most Head Nurse Jobs
Mouse over a state to see the number of active head nurse jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where head nurses earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
Average Salary: Job Openings:
Number Of Head Nurse Jobs By State
| Rank | State | Number of Jobs | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florida | 17,906 | $62,630 |
| 2 | Texas | 17,639 | $76,158 |
| 3 | California | 14,533 | $143,208 |
| 4 | Pennsylvania | 10,553 | $64,007 |
| 5 | New York | 9,737 | $84,201 |
| 6 | Ohio | 8,410 | $69,827 |
| 7 | North Carolina | 7,733 | $65,382 |
| 8 | Georgia | 7,697 | $70,025 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | 7,196 | $54,715 |
| 10 | Illinois | 7,140 | $71,154 |
| 11 | Virginia | 6,006 | $70,869 |
| 12 | Washington | 5,813 | $96,119 |
| 13 | Indiana | 5,764 | $69,960 |
| 14 | Michigan | 5,630 | $75,429 |
| 15 | Tennessee | 5,542 | $68,699 |
| 16 | New Jersey | 5,520 | $89,688 |
| 17 | Maryland | 4,410 | $71,661 |
| 18 | Colorado | 4,068 | $86,558 |
| 19 | Missouri | 4,057 | $68,349 |
| 20 | Arizona | 4,014 | $98,037 |
| 21 | South Carolina | 3,776 | $65,453 |
| 22 | Minnesota | 3,739 | $98,290 |
| 23 | Wisconsin | 3,458 | $70,091 |
| 24 | Louisiana | 3,058 | $70,413 |
| 25 | Kentucky | 2,755 | $68,384 |
| 26 | Iowa | 2,695 | $55,322 |
| 27 | Alabama | 2,594 | $70,540 |
| 28 | Connecticut | 2,540 | $65,759 |
| 29 | Oregon | 2,527 | $112,318 |
| 30 | Oklahoma | 2,391 | $72,014 |
| 31 | Kansas | 2,292 | $71,380 |
| 32 | Arkansas | 2,153 | $70,558 |
| 33 | New Mexico | 1,941 | $83,837 |
| 34 | Mississippi | 1,662 | $72,566 |
| 35 | New Hampshire | 1,654 | $49,738 |
| 36 | Nebraska | 1,521 | $67,511 |
| 37 | Maine | 1,473 | $48,019 |
| 38 | West Virginia | 1,395 | $76,986 |
| 39 | Nevada | 1,378 | $100,675 |
| 40 | Montana | 1,062 | $90,905 |
| 41 | Idaho | 997 | $98,003 |
| 42 | Delaware | 996 | $83,801 |
| 43 | South Dakota | 981 | $63,181 |
| 44 | North Dakota | 927 | $65,609 |
| 45 | Utah | 888 | $83,725 |
| 46 | Alaska | 735 | $101,841 |
| 47 | Vermont | 722 | $38,144 |
| 48 | Rhode Island | 688 | $75,718 |
| 49 | Wyoming | 409 | $89,956 |
| 50 | Hawaii | 365 | $127,613 |
Top Colleges for Head Nurses
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
3. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
In-State Tuition
$53,430
Enrollment
5,963
4. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-State Tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
5. Georgetown University
Washington, DC • Private
In-State Tuition
$54,104
Enrollment
7,089
6. University of California - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$13,226
Enrollment
31,568
7. University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA • Private
In-State Tuition
$17,653
Enrollment
16,405
8. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-State Tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
9. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
10. Chamberlain College of Nursing - Arlington
Arlington, VA • Private
In-State Tuition
$19,375
Enrollment
506
Top Skills For a Head Nurse
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 31.0% of head nurses listed patients on their resume, but soft skills such as communication skills and compassion are important as well.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Head Nurse Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Head Nurse templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Head Nurse resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Head Nurse Demographics
Head Nurse Gender Distribution
Female
87%
Male
13%
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among head nurses, 86.9% of them are women, while 13.1% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among head nurses is White, which makes up 65.2% of all head nurses.
- The most common foreign language among head nurses is Spanish at 60.3%.
Online Courses For Head Nurse That You May Like
Advertising Disclosure
1. Trauma Emergencies and Care
Welcome to Trauma Emergencies and Care. In this course, you will learn about some of the mechanics and physics of trauma on the human body, and how this can cause injury. You will continue to expand your new vocabulary with medical terminology, and learn how to describe the different injuries you may see. You will also learn about the trauma system itself- and when it is important to transport patients to a trauma center. Then we will dive into specific injuries based on what part of the body...
See More on Coursera2. Essentials of Palliative Care
This course starts you on your journey of integrating primary palliative care into your daily lives. You will learn what palliative care is, how to communicate with patients, show empathy, and practice difficult conversations. You will learn how to screen for distress and provide psychosocial support. You will learn about goals of care and advance care planning and how to improve your success with having these conversations with patients. Finally, you will explore important cultural...
See More on Coursera3. Transitions in Care from Survivorship to Hospice
This course should be taken after the Symptom Management course and continues building your primary palliative care skills – communication, psychosocial support, goals of care, and symptom management. You will explore transitions in care such as survivorship and hospice. You will learn how to create a survivorship care plan and how to best support a patient. The course also covers spiritual care and will teach you how to screen for spiritual distress. Finally, you will learn the requirements...
See More on CourseraJob type you want
Full Time
Part Time
Internship
Temporary
Best States For a Head Nurse
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a head nurse. The best states for people in this position are California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Alaska. Head nurses make the most in California with an average salary of $143,208. Whereas in Hawaii and Oregon, they would average $127,613 and $112,318, respectively. While head nurses would only make an average of $101,841 in Alaska, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Alaska
Total Head Nurse Jobs: 735
Highest 10% Earn:
$154,000
Location Quotient:
1.18
$101,841
Avg. Salary
2. Montana
Total Head Nurse Jobs: 1,062
Highest 10% Earn:
$136,000
Location Quotient:
1.23
$90,905
Avg. Salary
3. Oregon
Total Head Nurse Jobs: 2,527
Highest 10% Earn:
$174,000
Location Quotient:
0.82
$112,318
Avg. Salary
How Do Head Nurse Rate Their Jobs?
Top Head Nurse Employers
Most Common Employers For Head Nurse
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | American Red Cross | $118,369 | $56.91 | 12 |
| 2 | New York University | $90,995 | $43.75 | 7 |
| 3 | University Hospitals | $88,868 | $42.73 | 19 |
| 4 | Primary Care Partners | $86,704 | $41.68 | 6 |
| 5 | Health Alliance | $85,207 | $40.96 | 7 |
| 6 | Johns Hopkins Medicine | $82,332 | $39.58 | 6 |
| 7 | St. Vincent's Medical Center | $81,994 | $39.42 | 8 |
| 8 | Temple Health | $78,009 | $37.50 | 6 |
| 9 | Cleveland Clinic | $77,949 | $37.48 | 6 |
| 10 | Washington Health System | $73,982 | $35.57 | 8 |