free course: 4 STEPS TO A WORLD CLASS WORKPLACE CULTURE

How to Transition from Nursing Leadership to Executive Leadership

Nursing has a hierarchy. 

It usually starts as being a registered nurse then working up to be a charge nurse. 

Charge nurses then transition to a nursing management role. 

From there, it’s a long journey to become a nursing director and an even longer journey to become a senior level executive. 

Ultimately, the goal is to be a chief nursing officer. 

Right now, that pathway is shorter than where it needs to be. 

Why? Because the American healthcare system is in a crisis. 

It’s in a crisis of epic proportions. 

More than 500,000 registered nurses will leave the bedside in 2022, and they will not come back. 

This will accelerate the nursing shortage we’ve had for the past decade. 

This means we’ve got to find a way to redirect the flow of highly qualified and impactful nurses back into the profession. 

The only people that can do this are nursing leaders. 

But they won’t be able to do this from the position of nursing director or even chief nursing officer. 

This must be done by the CEO of the hospital. 

If we don’t find a way to get more nursing leaders in executive leadership roles, this crisis will persist. 

We will reach a breaking point in the American healthcare system and won’t have people to take care of the people we need. 

This is a problem. 

Most people don’t realize that when you go to a hospital, the majority of your time will be spent with nurses. 

But executives in leadership control everything. 

They control the vision of the organization. 

They control the values. 

They control the direction. 

We need more nursing leaders to control that direction. 

3 Ways to Move from Nursing Leadership to Executive Leadership 

1. Get an advanced degree. 

It’s great to have BSN or even a master’s in nursing. 

But what you need is a degree in business or one that is directly related to leadership. 

It doesn’t have to be an MBA, but something that focuses on becoming a better leader. 

2. Get formal leadership development training. 

Sign up for courses and get an executive coach. 

Find someone that can teach you how to be an executive. 

You need to know what an executive thinks like and see all aspects of leadership. 

Many times, you won’t see every aspect from the nursing chain. 

3. Develop your mindset. 

This is the most important thing you need to do. 

Change your mindset to believe that you deserve to be a CEO. 

You need to know that you are the best equipped person for the position. 

You won’t get there if you don’t believe you deserve to be there. 

Your mindset is more important than your skillset. 

You can have the right degree, training and experience, but if you don’t have the mindset, you won’t get to where you want to be. 

I encourage you to browse through my site to get the free resources I have available to help you develop the right mindset. 

It’s up to you to help us overcome this challenge in the American healthcare system. 

Anton

Want to improve your leadership culture? Get Immediate Access to My Video Course: Four Steps to World-Class Workplace Culture. Sign up today! 

Facebook
LinkedIn
Twitter
Email

Recent Posts

What to Look for in Your Next Executive Role

You finally realize that it’s time for you to move on to a job where your talents are appreciated.

Now, you’re evaluating what you should be looking for in your next executive role.

You’ve been through the fire before and you know how hard it is to work in an organization with a leader that doesn’t value your skills and a team that doesn’t respect your expertise.

This doesn’t allow you to help the people you came to help; the patients and the frontline members that look up to you.

You need to be in an environment that nurtures you but there is a chance you can jump out of this frying pan and into one that’s worse.

You need to slow down and really think about what environment you want to be in and what it takes to be successful as a leader.

Read More »

Why Nursing Leadership Is Important

Everyone needs to understand why leadership in nursing is important.

Let me explain what’s happening right now.

There are 9.7 million healthcare workers on the front lines in healthcare.

It is projected that in the next five years, 6.5 million of those workers will leave the healthcare industry and not come back.

It is also projected that only 2 million people will replace that 6.5 million leaving.

This means that in the next five years, we’ll be in a healthcare crisis.

Right now is the time for you to be a nursing leader with impact.

Read More »