How To Become A Unit Manager: What It Is and Career Path

What is a unit manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

A unit manager, also known as a head nurse, is responsible for managing a nursing unit at hospitals or other healthcare facilities, working under the supervision of a nursing director. You rise to this position after having worked extensively as a nurse, taking on the role of supervising and hiring staff, managing budgets, and performing administrative tasks while continuing to perform patient care as well.

Unit managers are the main point of contact between patients or residents and their families. They make sure the unit complies with regulatory standards and company policies, identify any procedural issues, and take care of admission and discharge assessments.

Leadership skills and an organized mindset are essential to be a successful unit manager. Your workload will be massive, so you have to learn to manage your time well. The average annual salaries of a nursing manager are around $63,896 a year, which is usually completed with a comprehensive benefits package, so if you have compassion and find helping others rewarding, this job will be worth your while.

ScoreUnit ManagerUS Average

Salary

4.7

Avg. Salary $60,561

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

9.6

Growth Rate 6%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.47%

Asian 6.36%

Black or African American 6.18%

Hispanic or Latino 15.19%

Unknown 4.34%

White 67.46%

Gender

female 57.61%

male 42.39%

Age - 44

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44

Stress Level

9.6

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

9.2

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

3.6

Work Life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a unit manager

Explore unit manager education requirements

Most common unit manager degrees

Bachelor's

52.4 %

Associate

26.7 %

Master's

8.7 %

Start to develop specific unit manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Quality Care	16.61%
Patients	9.62%
Federal Regulations	7.64%
Resident Care	7.54%
Customer Service	5.79%

Complete relevant unit manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New unit managers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a unit manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real unit manager resumes.

Gain additional unit manager certifications

Unit manager certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific unit manager certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for unit managers include Certified Manager Certification (CM) and Wound Care Certified (WCC).

More About Certifications

Research unit manager duties and responsibilities

Develop corporate culture utilizing skills attain through ERP and TQM management training.
Set and achieve goal of entire staff certification in ACLS and EKG interpretation.
Manage departmental resources, staffing plans, KPIs, strategic initiatives, and budget.
Enhance scheduling visibility to reduce age work-in-progress (WIP) and achieve EBIT goal.

Prepare your unit manager resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your unit manager resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a unit manager resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Unit Manager Resume templates

Build a professional Unit Manager resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Unit Manager resume.

Apply for unit manager jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a unit manager job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do unit managers rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

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1 Star

Unit Manager reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2019

Pros

People Busy Money Busy and variety in a job Solving problems

A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2019

Cons

Internal politics and human resources