How to Become a Nurse Administrator in Nebraska
A nurse administrator is a registered nurse with plenty of experience working on the front lines of patient care and has moved up into a leadership role. If you have strong leadership qualities and want a career that is more office related and has less patient interaction, then a nurse administrator might be the path for you.
In this role, registered nurses face more responsibilities such as nurse training, structuring and performance reviews, managing budgets and finances, and attending meetings with executives. Because of this increase in responsibilities, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) or Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) is preferred by most employers looking to fill a nurse administrator position.
While you are in school, if you can get your MSN, there are plenty of benefits that come with the post-graduate degree. You will have more opportunities for advancement and make more money per year starting compared to a BSN degree.
A registered nurse with an associate degree may have the opportunity to move into this position if they have extensive experience in managerial positions such as being a head or charge nurse. This is not the norm as most current employers want to see at least a BSN degree while they will give nurses who hold an MSN degree preference. Employers also want to see some management experience. Some will accept one year of this added experience, while others may require three or more years of management experience.
You can gain this experience by advancing into a head nurse-type position or even by assisting or volunteering to help your current nurse administrator with certain tasks.
Accredited Nursing Schools for Future Nurse Administrators in Nebraska
While searching for a college or university to advance your degree, you should look for schools with the proper accreditation. Schools that do not have accreditation by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) or by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) should be overlooked. If you get a degree from a non-accredited school, you could find trouble getting employment, as some employers will not recognize your degree. You don’t want to pay all that money and spend years of your time to find out you have a nearly useless piece of paper instead of a degree that will help you advance your career.
All the colleges or universities we have listed here have nursing degree programs that are accredited by either CCNE or ACEN.
This list is not ranked in any way. The sole purpose of this list of schools is to give you a few options to advance your degree to help you achieve your goal of becoming a nurse administrator.
1. Bryan College of Health Sciences
The Bryan College of Health Sciences is a college that primarily focuses its programs on and around nursing. They have a traditional BSN program, MSN, and RN-MSN program.
The traditional BSN program has a significant focus on hands-on experience. While getting a traditional four-year nursing degree and studying at Bryan College, you will get a minimum of 1,200 clinical hours. This is the state’s highest amount of required clinical hours and higher than most other university BSN programs anywhere else.
The MSN program offered through Bryan College was created for full-time, working nurses. The online classes have virtual meetings with faculty and other students to provide engaging learning experiences. The MSN program has the option to choose between a Nurse Educator track or a Nurse Leadership track which would be great for becoming a nurse administrator.
If you are a registered nurse with a non-nursing bachelor’s degree, you could qualify for the RN-MSN program. While going to online classes part-time so you can still work while advancing your education, you will earn a Master of Science in Nursing degree in three years. You can still choose between the two nurse tracks from the traditional MSN degree programs.
2. University of Nebraska Medical Center
The University of Nebraska offers an accelerated BSN degree that can be completed in 12 months of full-time, intense study. This program is for students who already have a bachelor’s degree in a field other than nursing. They will not have to complete any prerequisites, so they get straight into nursing program learning.
The University of Nebraska has a flexible RN to BSN program for registered nurses with an Associate Degree in Nursing. This online education offers on demand courses that you can attend anywhere you have an internet connection, anytime you are available, giving you unprecedented flexibility. Courses are offered in eight-week and 16-week stretches. If there are any clinical requirements, they can be completed at one or more of over 100 different healthcare facilities in the state.
The University of Nebraska also has an MSN program along with a newly offered dual master’s degree option. Nurses who really want to get into the business side of nursing can apply for the dual MSN/MBA (Master of Business Administration) degree. Students enrolled in this program will not only get a master’s degree in nurse leadership, but a master’s in business as well. This degree has a total of 56 credit hours between them, meaning you get done with both degrees in less time than it would take to get them separately. The classes are offered through two choices, either online or on campus during the evening. The dual degree program can be completed in four to six years, going part-time.
3. Nebraska Wesleyan University
Based in Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska, Wesleyan University (NWU) is a college with Methodist roots, but nursing students enrolled here to get a holistic education without emphasis on religion.
Whether you’re a registered nurse with an associate’s degree, you have a bachelor’s degree in another field of study, or you are looking to get an MSN degree, NWU has a path for you.
They offer traditional four-year BSN degrees that require over 900 clinical hours before graduating. NWU also has an accelerated BSN degree program and an RN to BSN degree for those looking to expand their degree.
The MSN degree offered by Nebraska Wesleyan University is an online course that has two different course tracks: the nurse leadership track and the nurse educator. Both are 40 credit hour degrees. This university has a dual MSN/MBA degree that can be completed with 56 credit hours, much like the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
4. Clarkson College
The first nursing school in the state of Nebraska knows how to educate future nurses. They have nine different degree options for nurses. They offer the traditional BSN and MSN degrees, but they also have degree paths such as LPN to BSN. This program is for Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurses who want to accelerate their degree to become a registered nurse with a bachelor’s degree. This program is offered in both full-time and part-time options, with the majority of classes being taught on campus while a few are available online.
Nurses who already have an unencumbered license can also take Clarkson College’s RN to BSN or RN to MSN program. This RN to MSN program offers registered nurses the ability to complete both their bachelor’s and master’s degrees, primarily online. Competency checks will have to be completed on campus, but the rest of the program is online, so you can work while going to school. While in this program, you can choose between five different specialties. They are:
- Nurse Educator
- Healthcare Administration
- Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
- Family Nurse Practitioner
- Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
Clarkson offers undergraduate students the option to become immediately eligible for the MSN program after completing their BSN degree. All they have to do is graduate from the BSN program and work for a full year, and then they can immediately enroll in the MSN program to help boost their career.
5. Purdue University Global-Omaha
Purdue University, located in Omaha, offers an RN to BSN degree program as well as an MSN degree and a dual MSN/MBA degree option.
The RN to BSN program has multiple start dates throughout the year. You can start the program at some point in nearly every month. You won’t have to wait until a specific semester to begin the enrollment process. Purdue University’s BSN program was designed by nurses who know what skills need to be taught. They focus on skills such as critical thinking, leadership, trends in healthcare, management, and community nursing.
If you have a lot of credits to transfer, Purdue will accept up to 135 credits, meaning you could potentially start the BSN degree program with 75% of your coursework already completed.
Purdue’s MSN program has six optional focuses. If you are planning on a career as a nurse administrator, you would do well to apply to the MSN track Executive Leader Concentration. The classes are all online and only require 15 hours per week. You can complete the degree in two years. The MSN program has nine optional start dates in a year, so you can start earlier to get finished quicker.