Increasingly, management level nursing positions require a graduate degree in nursing or health services administration. They also require leadership, negotiation skills, and good judgment. Graduate programs preparing executive level nurses usually last 1 to 2 years. Within patient care, nurses can advance to clinical nurse specialist, nurse practitioner, nurse midwife, or nurse anesthetist. These positions require 1 or 2 years of graduate education, leading to a certificate or master's degree.
Some nurses move into the business side of health care.
Their nursing expertise and experience on a health care team equip them to manage ambulatory, acute, home health, and chronic care services. Some are employed by health care corporations in health planning and development, marketing, and quality assurance. Job Outlook Job prospects in nursing are good. Although employers in some parts of the country reported shortages of R.N.'s in the past, large wage increases have attracted more people to nursing and dampened demand. However, R.N. recruitment has long been a problem in rural areas, in some big city hospitals, and in specialty areas including intensive care, rehabilitation, geriatrics, and long-term care.