Nursing Leadership salary guide

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Published BLS wages for this family. BLS OEWS May 2025.

Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) SOC 11-9111, Medical and Health Services Managers. broader match.
Vice President of Patient Care Services SOC 11-9111, Medical and Health Services Managers. broader match.
Associate Chief Nursing Officer (ACNO) SOC 11-9111, Medical and Health Services Managers. broader match.
Director of Nursing (Hospital) SOC 11-9111, Medical and Health Services Managers. broader match.
Nurse Manager SOC 11-9111, Medical and Health Services Managers. broader match.
Director of Perioperative Services SOC 11-9111, Medical and Health Services Managers. broader match.
OR Manager (Surgical Services Manager) SOC 11-9111, Medical and Health Services Managers. broader match.
Director of Emergency Services SOC 11-9111, Medical and Health Services Managers. broader match.
ED Nurse Manager SOC 11-9111, Medical and Health Services Managers. broader match.
Director of Critical Care / ICU Nurse Manager SOC 11-9111, Medical and Health Services Managers. broader match.
Director of Women's & Children's Services SOC 11-9111, Medical and Health Services Managers. broader match.
Labor & Delivery Nurse Manager SOC 11-9111, Medical and Health Services Managers. broader match.
NICU Nurse Manager SOC 11-9111, Medical and Health Services Managers. broader match.
Director of Cardiovascular Services SOC 11-9111, Medical and Health Services Managers. broader match.
Cath Lab Manager SOC 11-9111, Medical and Health Services Managers. broader match.
Oncology Nurse Manager / Director of Oncology Nursing SOC 11-9111, Medical and Health Services Managers. broader match.
Med/Surg & Telemetry Nurse Manager SOC 11-9111, Medical and Health Services Managers. broader match.
Endoscopy / GI Lab Manager SOC 11-9111, Medical and Health Services Managers. broader match.
Director of Nursing Professional Development (Clinical Education) SOC 11-9111, Medical and Health Services Managers. broader match.
Assistant Nurse Manager SOC 11-9111, Medical and Health Services Managers. broader match.
Nursing Supervisor SOC 11-9111, Medical and Health Services Managers. broader match.

What does nursing leadership cover on a working day?

These roles keep the nursing side of a unit moving. A leader may review schedules, respond to callouts, check census, round with charge nurses, and answer physician concerns. Higher titles spend more time on budgets, service lines, policy, and executive reporting.

The day changes with the setting. A nurse manager stays close to assignments and escalation points. A CNO or vice president spends more time with strategy, labor issues, quality review, and board or senior leader updates.

Which titles sit under this family?

This family includes Chief Nursing Officer, Vice President of Patient Care Services, Associate Chief Nursing Officer, Director of Nursing, Nurse Manager, and Assistant Nurse Manager. It also includes perioperative, emergency, ICU, women’s and children’s, cardiovascular, oncology, med/surg, endoscopy, and nursing education leadership.

The title tells us where the person spends the day. Some leaders cover one unit. Others oversee several departments or a full service line. Pay shifts with span of control, shift coverage, and how much authority the role carries.

What work belongs to the leader, not the bedside charge nurse?

The leader owns staffing plans, schedule approval, budget follow-up, performance issues, and policy decisions. Charge nurses usually manage the shift. The leader steps in for repeated callouts, patient safety concerns, staffing gaps, and disputes that need manager judgment.

We ask who approves overtime, who signs discipline, and who handles openings or vacancies. Those lines matter. If the role only advises, the pay should not match a job with final decision authority.

How do setting and service line change salary?

A hospital leader may answer to several units and more after-hours issues. A perioperative or procedural leader may work around block time, case flow, and surgeon expectations. Emergency, ICU, and women’s services often bring weekend coverage, quick escalation, and stronger pressure on staffing.

We also look at what support sits around the role. Some leaders have assistant managers, educators, or supervisors. Others manage the work alone. That difference changes the scope of the search and the market range we discuss with you.

What should you ask in interviews?

Ask for a recent hard staffing day. Ask who the person called, what they changed, and what stayed in place. Ask how they handled turnover, attendance problems, physician conflict, and budget review. These answers show real management depth.

We also ask about rounding habits, meeting cadence, and reporting lines. If the job includes education, ask who owns onboarding, competency review, and policy rollout. If the role covers multiple units, ask how the candidate tracks issues across them.

How should we price a nursing leadership search?

The right range depends on title, unit mix, and decision authority. A Nurse Manager search is not the same as a CNO search. Perioperative, emergency, and critical care leadership can also carry different pay signals because the day is harder to cover.

For direct hire search, we help you compare the role you wrote with the role you need. If the posting mixes two jobs into one seat, the pay often misses the market. Clear scope usually makes the search easier to close.

What else should you ask about this edition?

How do we know if our opening is a manager job or a director job?

Look at who makes final calls on staffing, discipline, and unit changes. If the person mainly runs one department and reports upward, the job often sits at manager level. If the person owns multiple units, budgets, and department leaders, the title should reflect that broader scope.

What if our nursing leader covers nights, weekends, or on-call time?

Bring that into the posting and the pay discussion. Those hours change the daily burden and the candidate pool. We want the title, schedule, and authority to match the real work, or candidates will compare it to a different job.

Can we search for a leader in perioperative, ED, ICU, or women’s services without reworking the whole org chart?

Yes, but we need the reporting line and the handoff points. A unit leader needs to know who owns staffing, supplies, physician issues, and escalations. The interview should test whether the person has led that exact kind of day before.

What if we need temporary nursing leadership while we recruit?

We arrange locum tenens, travel and contract coverage on request. Credentialing, licensing and malpractice coverage are confirmed per engagement before anyone starts. That gives you a bridge while you keep the permanent search moving.