Nurse Unit Manager
Job Description
A Nurse Unit Manager supervises and manages a nursing team. Nurse Unit Managers can be found in hospitals, aged care facilities or in outpatient clinics. Their elevated decision-making responsibilities require Nurse Unit Managers to undertake reporting and financial tasks on top of their healthcare duties.
Careers Ladder

Qualifications
To become a Nurse Unit Manager, you’ll need to have worked as a Registered Nurse. To work as a Registered Nurse, you’ll need to have completed a bachelor degree in a nursing-related field.
Complete a Bachelor of Nursing, Bachelor of Science (majoring in Nursing) or Bachelor of Nursing (Advanced Studies). These courses will take 3 years to complete full-time, and you’ll need to have an ATAR that qualifies you for admission or to apply for special entry.
Alternatively, for students with previous tertiary qualifications in a different field, complete a two-year Master of Nursing (Graduate Entry) program. This will qualify you to work as a Registered Nurse and eventually a Nurse Unit Manager.
Nurse Unit Managers must apply to the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA). Registration must be renewed annually.

Attributes
- Acumen
- Assertive
- Communicator
- Devoted
- Educated
- Focussed
- Interpersonal
- Organised
- Perceptive
- Procedural
- Resilient

Key Skills
- AHPRA Registration
- Midwifery
- Nursing Practice
- Quality Improvement
- Critical Care
- Mental Health
- Conflict Resolution
- Immunisations
- Preparing Rosters
- Patient Care
- Developing and implementing care policies.
- Coordinating & Recruiting Staff
- Recruiting new staff

Future Prospects
You may like to think about moving on from this career, some transferable skills can be utilised in roles such as;