Career Path

Nurse Executive

Overview

In this career, your responsibilities may include:

Designing and implementing policies and procedures to improve patient care and outcomes.
Helping oversee the organization’s finances to maximize efficiency and quality of care.
Providing mentorship to other nurses.
This is a high-level healthcare leadership role.

You can learn more about this career from AONL’s publication of Nurse Executive Competencies.

Academic Requirements

Typically requires a master’s degree. In addition to nursing studies, nurse executives also benefit from business studies. It may help you to earn a Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) or Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree in addition to – or even instead of – a master’s level nursing degree.

Certification
Many state boards of nursing require that internationally trained RN candidates complete the CGFNS Certification Program in order to take the NCLEX-RN exam, which is required for licensure as an RN (and is also a requirement for the higher designation of APRN). This three-part program includes a credential evaluation, a nursing exam, and verification that you have passed one of the accepted English language exams.
- NOTE: The exam component of the program also fulfills the examination requirement for the federal VisaScreen: Visa Credentials Assessment for immigration.
Additional certification is not required, but could make employers more likely to hire you or offer you a higher salary.

You may be eligible for Nurse Executive Certification (NE-BC) or Nurse Executive, Advanced Certification (NEA-BC) from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).

You may be eligible for Certified in Executive Nursing Practice (CENP) from the American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL).
Licensure
Registered Nurse (RN) licensure is required for RNs and Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs). Each state has a board of nursing that regulates licenses, and requirements vary by state. To be eligible for licensure, most states require that you pass the NCLEX-RN exam.
- Some states allow recent graduates of RN programs to practice nursing under supervision for a limited period of time while they await their NCLEX exam date, under a temporary or limited permit or license. Check with your state board of nursing to find out if this can be an option for you.
You must obtain a credential evaluation of your international education in order to take the NCLEX-RN exam. Many states require that you obtain your credential evaluation from CGFNS International (formerly the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools). Some states may also accept evaluations for RN or LPN/LVN licensure from Educational Records Evaluation Service (ERES), Josef Silny & Associates, or the International Education Research Foundation (IERF). Currently, IERF only performs evaluations for applicants educated in Canada, India, Mexico, Philippines, and Puerto Rico.
- Puerto Rico is the only U.S. territory that is NOT a member of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN). Therefore, any nursing education completed in Puerto Rico must be evaluated for licensure purposes the same as it would have to be for any education completed in a foreign country. Exceptions to this rule may exist on a state-by-state basis, such as in New York, which does recognize nursing education completed in Puerto Rico as being a U.S. education.
In most states you will need to pass an English language exam if your degree program was not taught entirely in English and in a country where English is the primary language. Accepted exams and scores vary by state, but may include the IELTS Academic, the PTE Academic, the TOEFL iBT, or the TOEIC.