What does a registered nurse supervisor do?
A Registered Nurse Supervisor oversees a team of registered nurses in a hospital or clinic, making sure that all operations are efficient and up to standard. Moreover, they are responsible for the daily management of nurses, such as when it comes to evaluation, development, and assigning schedules and patients. Aside from supervising and ensuring that everything is running smoothly in their field, they also have to communicate and coordinate with physicians and even families of patients. The responsibilities of a Nurse Supervisor is challenging; this is why they must be proactive and excellent at communication.
Registered nurse supervisor responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real registered nurse supervisor resumes:
- Experience in Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance manage care programs.
- Initiate rapid response and lead nurse code team until the arrival of the ICU resident team.
- Lead staff in an effort to reduce EMR coding errors, from roughly 40 per day to 5.
- Manage, coordinate and run MDS program for Medicare/ Medicaid patients for insurance reimbursement in coordination with federal guidelines.
- Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
- Facilitate patient care, coordinate admissions and problem solving on the unit, establishing treatment plans, ACLS team leader.
- Participate in emergency situations of non-responsive individuals by administering drugs, initiating CPR and documenting appropriate actions according to response guidelines.
- Administer medication via PO, IM, SL, and g-tube as directed by physician.
- Administer oral medications, SC and IM injections, blood glucose monitoring and dressing wounds.
- Act as point of contact in emergent situations by successfully performing CPR on residents with developmental disabilities.
- Serve as a resource for staff for clinical issues as well as EMR, and cover departments during staff shortages.
- Care for same day surgery and procedure patients post PACU, recovering them, doing discharge education, and discharging them.
- Compile payroll and expenditure reports.
- Perform time-keeping and computerize payroll.
- Conduct code if physician unavailable utilizing ACLS protocols.
Registered nurse supervisor skills and personality traits
We calculated that 22% of Registered Nurse Supervisors are proficient in Patients, Rehabilitation, and CPR. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Emotional stability, and Organizational skills.
We break down the percentage of Registered Nurse Supervisors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 22%
Assessed patients' developmental stages and conditions, administered medications, maintained patient charts and responded to medical emergencies.
- Rehabilitation, 7%
Ordered and reviewed diagnostic tests, coordinated patient rehabilitation program therapies, and provided comprehensive education to patient and family members.
- CPR, 7%
Participated in emergency situations of non-responsive individuals by administering drugs, initiating CPR and documenting appropriate actions according to response guidelines.
- Acute Care, 6%
Managed and supervised more than twenty licensed and non-licensed personnel in busy acute care hospital.
- Resident Care, 5%
Provided communication between shifts to promote continuity of resident care and communicated regularly with the Associate Director of Nursing.
- Customer Service, 4%
Responded to all requests on patient complaints/concerns using exceptional customer services skills, followed up to ensure satisfactory resolution.
Most registered nurse supervisors use their skills in "patients," "rehabilitation," and "cpr" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential registered nurse supervisor responsibilities here:
Communication skills. The most essential soft skill for a registered nurse supervisor 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 registered nurse supervisor resume shows how their duties depend on communication skills: "post surgical rehabilitation care-20 residents: medication administration and treatments-desk: labwork interpretation, physician communication, order entry-point click care system"
Emotional stability. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling registered nurse supervisor duties is emotional stability. The role rewards competence in this skill because "registered nurses need emotional resilience and the ability to cope with human suffering, emergencies, and other stressors." According to a registered nurse supervisor resume, here's how registered nurse supervisors can utilize emotional stability in their job responsibilities: "provide direct care (medication administration) for the physical and emotional well-being of adolescents, along with weekly health education. "
Organizational skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of registered nurse supervisors is organizational skills. This skill is critical to many everyday registered nurse supervisor duties, as "nurses often work with multiple patients who have a variety of health needs." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "performed budgetary controls to ensure organizational proficiency and compliance with all state and federal regulations. "
Compassion. registered nurse supervisor responsibilities often require "compassion." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "registered nurses should be caring and empathetic when working with patients." This resume example shows what registered nurse supervisors do with compassion on a typical day: "provide compassionate and quality nursing care for residents, including assessments, medication administration, and transcribing doctor's orders. "
Detail oriented. Another crucial skill for a registered nurse supervisor to carry out their responsibilities is "detail oriented." A big part of what registered nurse supervisors relies on this skill, since "registered nurses must be precise because they must ensure that patients get the correct treatments and medicines at the right time." How this skill relates to registered nurse supervisor duties can be seen in an example from a registered nurse supervisor resume snippet: "interviewed and oriented new staff and conducted annual performance evaluations. "
Physical stamina. Lastly, "physical stamina" is an important element of what a registered nurse supervisor does. Registered nurse supervisor responsibilities require this skill because "nurses should be comfortable performing physical tasks, such as lifting patients." This resume example highlights how registered nurse supervisor duties rely on this skill: "managed patient care, staff needs and educational instruction provided wound care, medication administration, patient physical assessments"
The three companies that hire the most registered nurse supervisors are:
- Carle Foundation477 registered nurse supervisors jobs
- Kindred Hospital - Baytown242 registered nurse supervisors jobs
- The Center for Health Care Services241 registered nurse supervisors jobs
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Compare different registered nurse supervisors
Registered nurse supervisor vs. Staff nurse
Staff nurses are registered nurses who are usually assigned to work in a care home, a company, or in a clinical setting. They advise the physical assessments of patients, employees, and residents. They also handle the checking of vital signs, providing basic medical procedures, giving first aid, and, if possible, providing over the counter medication. Staff nurses provide medical attention to the people in their place of assignment. They help pave the path to their patients' full recovery. Staff nurses are expected to be patient and have good interpersonal skills.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between registered nurse supervisors and staff nurse. For instance, registered nurse supervisor responsibilities require skills such as "resident care," "customer service," "home health," and "compassion." Whereas a staff nurse is skilled in "bls," "patient safety," "surgery," and "critical care." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Staff nurses really shine in the health care industry with an average salary of $58,739. Comparatively, registered nurse supervisors tend to make the most money in the professional industry with an average salary of $78,568.On average, staff nurses reach similar levels of education than registered nurse supervisors. Staff nurses are 1.4% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Registered nurse supervisor vs. Head nurse
An emergency registered nurse is first in line for patients who need a response. These nurses are first to respond to emergency cases such as trauma, allergic reactions, and injuries. They assist doctors and other medical staff in emergency medical care. It is their responsibility to always provide high-quality standards for nursing. The skills they should possess include diligence, attention to detail, levelheadedness, and strong communication. They also need to be knowledgeable about emergency care.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real registered nurse supervisor resumes. While registered nurse supervisor responsibilities can utilize skills like "rehabilitation," "resident care," "customer service," and "home health," head nurses use skills like "bls," "oncology," "surgery," and "patient safety."
Head nurses earn a higher average salary than registered nurse supervisors. But head nurses earn the highest pay in the education industry, with an average salary of $80,362. Additionally, registered nurse supervisors earn the highest salaries in the professional with average pay of $78,568 annually.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Head nurses tend to reach similar levels of education than registered nurse supervisors. In fact, they're 1.7% 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 registered nurse supervisors in the next 3-5 years?
Lisa Rebeschi Ph.D.
Associate Dean of the School of Nursing Professor of Nursing, Quinnipiac University
Registered nurse supervisor vs. Emergency department registered nurse
A registered psychiatric nurse works alongside mental health experts to develop and administer psychiatric treatment plans according to the patients' needs. Among their responsibilities include gathering and organizing patient information, studying the patients' medical histories, conducting interviews and assessments, providing counseling, administering medicine, and restraining unsettled patients. There are also instances when they must conduct inspections to remove potentially harmful objects and provide psychoeducation to the patients' families. Above all, a registered psychiatric nurse must closely monitor the behavior of patients, record their daily progress, and report to the psychiatrists regularly.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, registered nurse supervisors are more likely to have skills like "resident care," "customer service," "infection control," and "good judgment." But a emergency department registered nurse is more likely to have skills like "life support," "patient outcomes," "critical care," and "tncc."
Emergency department registered nurses earn the best pay in the health care industry, where they command an average salary of $77,094. Registered nurse supervisors earn the highest pay from the professional industry, with an average salary of $78,568.Most emergency department registered nurses achieve a similar degree level compared to registered nurse supervisors. For example, they're 0.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Registered nurse supervisor vs. Psychiatric registered nurse
Types of registered nurse supervisor
Updated January 8, 2025
