What does a Head Nurse do?
Head nurse responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real head nurse resumes:
- Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
- Receive intensive training for critical care skill development upon transferring to the medical ICU.
- Perform advanced nursing care to acute/chronic medical/surgical, cardiac, thoracic surgery, neurosurgery, orthopedic and oncology/ hematology patients.
- Certify staff in CPR and blood glucose monitoring.
- Develop and implement an intensive care class for the staff; implement ACLS class for all staff.
- Develop process improvement plan with bundles for sedation and ventilation.
- Provide ongoing medication management for patients, including assessing effectiveness, and adjusting medications for optimum effectiveness with minimal side effects.
- Serve in rehabilitation and Medical/Surgical units
- Serve in rehabilitation and Medical/Surgical units
Head nurse skills and personality traits
We calculated that 31% of Head Nurses are proficient in Patients, BLS, and Compassion. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Compassion, and Detail oriented.
We break down the percentage of Head Nurses that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 31%
Performed advanced nursing care to acute/chronic medical/surgical, cardiac, thoracic surgery, neurosurgery, orthopedic and oncology/ hematology patients.
- BLS, 9%
Obtained BLS and ACLS certifications among others such as telemetry certification and gained experience with multiple computer documenting/charting systems.
- Compassion, 6%
Dedicated and patient-focused RN with experience performing admissions, assessment, treatment and education for multicultural patients with compassion and empathy.
- Acute Care, 6%
Supervised a staff of 42 on a 35-bed orthopedic/urology post-operative acute care unit
- Acls, 4%
Maintained required certifications including ACLS.
- CPR, 3%
Maintained certification and instruction to staff as CPR Instructor.
Most head nurses use their skills in "patients," "bls," and "compassion" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential head nurse responsibilities here:
Communication skills. The most essential soft skill for a head nurse to carry out their responsibilities is communication skills. This skill is important for the role because "registered nurses must be able to communicate effectively with patients in order to understand their concerns and evaluate their health conditions." Additionally, a head nurse resume shows how their duties depend on communication skills: "case management of client educating and monitoring staff on medication administration medical evaluations of clients communication with client parents and guardians"
Compassion. Many head nurse duties rely on compassion. "registered nurses should be caring and empathetic when working with patients.," so a head nurse will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways head nurse responsibilities rely on compassion: "show compassion in facilitating pain management and completing prescribed treatments including dosage changes, accu-checks, and ambulation. "
Detail oriented. This is an important skill for head nurses to perform their duties. For an example of how head nurse responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "registered nurses must be precise because they must ensure that patients get the correct treatments and medicines at the right time." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a head nurse: "oriented all new staff nurses to unit-- required technical proficiency. ".
Emotional stability. head nurse responsibilities often require "emotional stability." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "registered nurses need emotional resilience and the ability to cope with human suffering, emergencies, and other stressors." This resume example shows what head nurses do with emotional stability on a typical day: "worked with multidisciplinary team to provide medical support, chemotherapy administration, and emotional support for patients and families. "
Organizational skills. Another common skill required for head nurse responsibilities is "organizational skills." This skill comes up in the duties of head nurses all the time, as "nurses often work with multiple patients who have a variety of health needs." An excerpt from a real head nurse resume shows how this skill is central to what a head nurse does: "utilized effective organizational skills to coordinate surgery schedules at four separate hospitals. "
Physical stamina. Lastly, "physical stamina" is an important element of what a head nurse does. Head nurse responsibilities require this skill because "nurses should be comfortable performing physical tasks, such as lifting patients." This resume example highlights how head nurse duties rely on this skill: "included medication administration and psychiatric and physical assessment. "
The three companies that hire the most head nurses are:
- WakeMed11 head nurses jobs
- Appalachian Regional Healthcare6 head nurses jobs
- State of Connecticut5 head nurses jobs
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Compare different head nurses
Head nurse vs. Nurse coordinator
A nurse coordinator is primarily in charge of overseeing all nurses and their activities in a hospital or clinic. Their responsibilities include managing and rotating schedules, assessing nurse performance, organizing nursing programs, and developing strategies to optimize procedures. They may also assist patients and answer inquiries, studying their conditions to develop specific care plans to suit their needs. Furthermore, as a nurse coordinator, it is essential to lead and encourage teams to reach goals, all while implementing the facility's policies and regulations.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between head nurses and nurse coordinator. For instance, head nurse responsibilities require skills such as "bls," "acute care," "oncology," and "surgery." Whereas a nurse coordinator is skilled in "customer service," "data collection," "quality care," and "emr." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Nurse coordinators tend to make the most money working in the health care industry, where they earn an average salary of $80,569. In contrast, head nurses make the biggest average salary, $80,362, in the education industry.On average, nurse coordinators reach similar levels of education than head nurses. Nurse coordinators are 2.4% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Head nurse vs. Nurse clinician
A nurse clinician is a health expert who provides care and assistance to patients in hospitals, clinics, or similar establishments. Among their responsibilities include preparing equipment and documents, administering medication, monitoring the patient's condition, maintaining charts, and regularly reporting to physicians. In some establishments, they may also perform administrative support tasks such as answering calls and correspondence, preparing and processing documents, and organizing records. Moreover, a nurse clinician must maintain an active communication line with fellow medical staff to provide optimal services to patients.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, head nurse responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "bls," "acute care," "oncology," and "triage." Meanwhile, a nurse clinician has duties that require skills in areas such as "emergency situations," "patient outcomes," "home health," and "family education." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
On average, nurse clinicians earn a lower salary than head nurses. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, nurse clinicians earn the most pay in the education industry with an average salary of $73,633. Whereas head nurses have higher pay in the education industry, with an average salary of $80,362.nurse clinicians earn similar levels of education than head nurses in general. They're 3.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Head Nurses in the next 3-5 years?
Lisa Rebeschi Ph.D.
Associate Dean of the School of Nursing Professor of Nursing, Quinnipiac University
Head nurse vs. Registered professional nurse
A registered charge nurse is responsible for supervising nurses' workflow in a particular department or area, ensuring every patient gets the proper care that they need. A registered charge nurse has the discretion to direct tasks, arrange schedules, and monitor patients, such as in the aspects of admission and discharge. Furthermore, a registered charge nurse must maintain an active line of communication and coordination among nurses, physicians, and other personnel involved as the conditions in a hospital can be unpredictable.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a head nurse is likely to be skilled in "clinical supervision," "medical assistants," "fte," and "staff development," while a typical registered professional nurse is skilled in "healthcare professionals," "nursing diagnosis," "patient outcomes," and "home health."
Registered professional nurses earn the highest salary when working in the utilities industry, where they receive an average salary of $64,620. Comparatively, head nurses have the highest earning potential in the education industry, with an average salary of $80,362.Most registered professional nurses achieve a similar degree level compared to head nurses. For example, they're 0.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Head nurse vs. Registered nurse charge nurse
Types of head nurse
Updated January 8, 2025
