Universidad de Manila

College of Health Sciences

Department of Nursing

A Research
on
Activities of Management
Functions of Head Nurse
Submitted by:
Tuazon, Jennah Ricci J.
NR41 Group 6
Submitted to:
Prof. Ben O. de Paz
Clinical Instructor

Activities of Management Functions of Head Nurse

Definition of a Head Nurse
The head nurse is a professional nurse who is responsible for one hospital unit, where
nursing care is provided.
The head nurse fills a first-line management position of the nursing management levels.
The head nurse is a link between top and middle management levels and staff nurses.

Different Roles of the Head Nurse

The head nurse has multi-roles in different areas in nursing as follows:
1. Patient Care Management
Head nurse must have a body of scientific knowledge and proper competencies to be able
to use the five steps of nursing process and ensure that each staff nurse is able to use nursing
process to provide patient care.
2. Staff Management
a. Orientation of new staff
b. Staff utilization
c. Time schedule
d. Patient assignment
e. Staff supervision.
f. Staff development.
g. Staff performance appraisal
3. Unit Management
a. Transcription of medical prescription.

b. Maintenance of supplies and equipment.

c. Maintenance of records and reports.
d. Plant maintenance
e. Reception of visitors.
h. Handling telephone messages
i. Dietary and housekeeping services.

Management Functions of a Head Nurse

P Planning
Plan staffing budget and recruitment
Review and approve nursing policies and procedures
Develop and schedule strategies, programs/projects/activities of staff
Set the time frames for tasks to be given
Prepares budget and allocation of resources in his/her unit
Manage all the administrative duties of the departments which they are assigned to work

in
Develop new patient care programs
O Organizing
Schedule shifts for the nurses and assign duties to them
Collect work reports from all the nurses regarding their day-to-day activities and

maintains a record of them

Assist and conduct training programs for the nurses who are new and need help
Maintain a log of the entries of the patients in their wards and their health reports
Look for the hygiene in the hospital and in the rooms and make sure that the patients are

provided with enough facilities and entertain all types of complaints from the patients
Train nursing management staff and coordinate educational programs for patients and

their families
D Directing
Present the records collected from all the nurses to the respective doctors who are

handling cases of those patients

Collaborate with nursing staff, upper management, and external agencies in coordnaton
of patient care

Facilitate meetings with medical staff from other departments

C Controlling
Ensure that nursing care meets regulatory standards

Review and supervise the pre-operative settings made by the nurses in the operating room
and make sure that they have provided required equipment to the doctors

Evaluate nursing staff performance

Implement quality assurance systems

References:
- http://www.jacksonvilleu.com/blog/nursing/leadership-and-management-innursing/#.VtGvS3197IV
- http://work.chron.com/job-description-responsibilities-head-nurse-12855.html
- http://www.slideshare.net/darlingbrat/directingppt?qid=429e89af-6ac4-404c-bcf0976c63c2730e&v=&b=&from_search=7
- http://www.slideshare.net/jofred/nursing-leadership-management-54826140
- http://www.slideshare.net/roducado/nursing-leadership-and-management-51382803