Which tasks fall under the role of a nurse administrator?

• A. Preparing the budget, staffing, strategic planning of programs and services, employee evaluations, and employee development.
• B. Providing direct patient bedside care and administering medications.
• C. Performing surgical procedures.
• D. Conducting clinical research on new therapies.

Answer: (A)

Nurse administrators focus on leadership, resource management, and program oversight within a healthcare system. Their responsibilities center on creating and guiding the structures that support care delivery, which includes budgeting to align financial resources with needs, staffing to ensure appropriate coverage, strategic planning of programs and services to meet organizational goals, and evaluating and developing employees to maintain high performance and growth. These tasks embody administrative and managerial duties rather than direct clinical care. Direct patient bedside care and administering medications are performed by bedside nurses. Performing surgical procedures is outside nursing scope and typically done by surgeons. Conducting clinical research involves study design and data collection led by researchers or nurse scientists, though administrators may oversee research programs. Thus, budgeting, staffing, strategic planning, evaluations, and staff development best represent the nurse administrator role.