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How to hire a Nursing Director

Nursing director hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring nursing directors in the United States:

  • HR departments typically spend 15% of their expenses on recruitment.
  • It usually takes about 12 weeks for a new employee to reach full productivity levels.
  • It typically takes 36-42 days to fill a job opening.
  • The median cost to hire a nursing director is $1,633.
  • Small businesses spend an average of $1,105 per nursing director on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
  • There are currently 71,331 nursing directors in the US and 76,956 job openings.
  • Chicago, IL, has the highest demand for nursing directors, with 51 job openings.
  • Houston, TX has the highest concentration of nursing directors.

How to hire a nursing director, step by step

To hire a nursing director, you should create an ideal candidate profile, determine a budget, and post and promote your job. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to hire a nursing director:

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

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

What does a Nursing Director do?

A nursing director's role is to oversee and evaluate all nurse staff in a hospital or organization, ensuring their efficiency at providing care towards patients. A nursing director's responsibilities mainly revolve around administrative tasks such as coordinating with physicians and other consultants, producing reports, conducting assessments, managing the budget and expenditures, and resolving issues. Furthermore, a nursing director must keep and maintain accurate records, ensuring all procedures adhere to the highest health standards and aligns with the hospital's policies and regulations.

Learn more about the specifics of what a nursing director does
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  1. Identify your hiring needs

    Before you start hiring a nursing director, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

    Determine Employee vs Contractor Status
    Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

    A nursing director's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, nursing directors 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.

    Here's a comparison of nursing director salaries for various roles:

    Type Of Nursing DirectorDescriptionHourly Rate
    Nursing DirectorMedical 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$30-56
    Director Of Professional ServicesA director of professional services is responsible for evaluating and improving the professional services offered by the firm. Directors of professional services assess the operational processes and systems to ensure high-quality outputs and deliverables... Show More$45-99
    Director Of Clinical OperationsA director of clinical operations is responsible for monitoring the overall operations of a clinic facility, ensuring the efficiency of staff performance in providing the best quality care services for the patients. Directors of clinical operations enforce safety guidelines and security procedures during operations for everyone's strict compliance to prevent hazards and unforeseen circumstances within the premises... Show More$40-95
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common Skills:
    • Patients
    • Term Care
    • Home Health
    • Resident Care
    • Rehabilitation
    • Infection Control
    • CPR
    • Direct Patient Care
    • Federal Regulations
    • Customer Service
    • Quality Improvement
    • Oversight
    • Nursing Home
    • Compassion
    Check All Skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Manage FTE'S of the units.
    • Manage FTE numbers by following staffing grids.
    • Lead in the implementation of whole house telemetry.
    • Manage and provide inpatient nursing care for all aspects of general surgery.
    • Manage and coordinate all aspects of nursing and ancillary services for successful operation of the SNF.
    • Complete comprehensive assessments for all LTC residents which include managing falls, pain, skin integrity, and medications.
    More Nursing Director duties
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in your nursing director job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A nursing director can vary based on:

    • Location. For example, nursing directors' average salary in florida is 38% less than in california.
    • Seniority. Entry-level nursing directors 46% less than senior-level nursing directors.
    • Certifications. A nursing director with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
    • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a nursing director's salary.

    Average nursing director salary

    $87,643yearly

    $42.14 hourly rate

    Entry-level nursing director salary
    $64,000 yearly salary
    Updated February 8, 2025

    Average nursing director salary by state

    RankStateAvg. SalaryHourly Rate
    1California$110,426$53
    2Washington$98,618$47
    3Rhode Island$98,328$47
    4New York$97,924$47
    5Pennsylvania$92,244$44
    6Nevada$91,943$44
    7Connecticut$91,196$44
    8Maryland$90,972$44
    9Massachusetts$90,330$43
    10Georgia$90,030$43
    11District of Columbia$89,809$43
    12Vermont$89,019$43
    13Virginia$87,855$42
    14Arizona$87,200$42
    15Oregon$86,778$42
    16New Mexico$86,425$42
    17Ohio$84,997$41
    18Indiana$83,058$40
    19New Jersey$82,586$40
    20Colorado$81,532$39

    Average nursing director salary by company

    RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
    1Oculus$124,986$60.09
    2Waters$116,415$55.971
    3Mercy Corps$115,555$55.5635
    4Maine Health/maine Mental Health Partners$113,230$54.4423
    5Fairview Health Services$110,195$52.9859
    6Tenet Healthcare$108,108$51.98141
    7Solera$107,753$51.80
    8Senior Living Properties$104,029$50.01
    9Kaiser Permanente$103,930$49.9793
    10Novant Health$103,748$49.8865
    11Chesterfields Ltd$103,317$49.671
    12MACKINAC STRAITS HEALTH SYSTEM$103,220$49.63
    13CHRISTUS Health$101,550$48.8259
    14Harris Health System$101,363$48.737
    15Private Practice$101,352$48.732
    16Triad Adult and Pediatric Medicine$101,233$48.67
    17Acadia Healthcare$101,205$48.66180
    18University of Maryland Medical System$100,835$48.4849
    19Terros Health$100,763$48.443
    20Community Health Systems$100,422$48.28265
  4. Writing a Nursing Director Job Description

    A job description for a nursing director role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a nursing director job description:

    Nursing Director job description example

    Job DescriptionRio Las Palmas is a beautiful community in Stockton, CA, with more than 160 units offering independent living and assisted living.
    JOB DETAILS : At this time, we are seeking a Director of Resident Care to lead our clinical team!

    Responsibilities
    Overall management of the Resident Services Department to provide quality care and services to all residents. Supports and practices the philosophy, objectives and standards of the Resident Services department to ensure quality care to all residents. Effective and efficient organization and staffing of the Resident Services Department. Ensures resident care interventions meet the personal, physical, and cognitive needs of each resident as well as maximizing his/herself care capacities, identity, independence, choice and opportunity for social interaction. Monitors the outcomes of Resident Services activities by evaluating staff performance, ensuring compliance with community and State Regulations, and monitoring the effective and efficient use of budgeted resources.

    Qualifications: Graduate of an accredited School of Nursing. 2 years of experience in an assisted living environment are desired. Three years of experience in a position with management and leadership responsibilities. Basic knowledge of and ability to apply Geriatric Nursing principles. Familiarity with pertinent State Regulations.
    Similar Titles: Registered Nurse, RN, Clinical Services Director, Director of Nursing, DON, DNS – Director of Nurses, Resident Care Director, Licensed Practical Nurse, LPN, Licensed Vocational Nurse, LVN, Assisted Living, AL, Memory Care, ALZ, Independent Living, IL.

    ABOUT US: Five Star Senior Living, a national healthcare and senior living provider headquartered in Newton, Massachusetts, proudly offers the highest quality service and care with the warmth and hospitality of home. Founded in 2000, Five Star has two major operating divisions: Five Star Senior Living and Ageility Physical Therapy Solutions. The Five Star Senior Living division includes more than 280 senior living communities across the United States and is one of the country's largest providers of quality retirement living in the nation, offering Independent Living, Assisted Living, Alzheimer's/Memory Care, Healthcare Centers with Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation, and Continuing Care Retirement Communities. Ageility’s rehabilitation services include outpatient rehabilitation, inpatient rehabilitation, and personal fitness.

    EEOC Statement Five Star prohibits discrimination against any employee or applicant for employment with regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, marital status, genetic information, disability or veteran status, and any other status protected by local, state and/or federal laws. In addition to federal requirements, Five Star complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has communities and/or facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including, but not limited to, recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.
  5. Post your job

    There are various strategies that you can use to find the right nursing director 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 nursing director job on Zippia to find and recruit nursing director candidates who meet your exact specifications.
    • Use field-specific websites.
    • Post a job on free websites.
  6. Interview candidates

    To successfully recruit nursing directors, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

    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 nursing director

    Once you've found the nursing director 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.

    It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

    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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How much does it cost to hire a nursing director?

Recruiting nursing directors involves both the one-time costs of hiring and the ongoing costs of adding a new employee to your team. Your spending during the hiring process will mostly be on things like promoting the job on job boards, reviewing and interviewing candidates, and onboarding the new hire. Ongoing costs will obviously involve the employee's salary, but also may include things like benefits.

Nursing directors earn a median yearly salary is $87,643 a year in the US. However, if you're looking to find nursing directors for hire on a contract or per-project basis, hourly rates typically range between $30 and $56.

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