Project Management in Nursing: Best Practices for Leaders
Written by:
University of Tulsa
• Jun 11, 2025
Project Management in Nursing: Best Practices for Leaders
Nurses rely on many skills and attributes to keep health care facilities running smoothly, optimizing care, and improving patient outcomes. Patient care, interpersonal skills, attention to detail, flexibility, and time management are just a few of them. But what about project management skills? The ability to bring health care-related projects to completion efficiently and effectively is also a key competency, especially for nurse leaders.
From establishing personnel training programs to improving workflows and upgrading hospital equipment, health care-related projects need strong leaders to guide them. Registered nurses (RNs) interested in these leadership roles should consider the importance of project management in nursing and how best to develop their skills and expertise in this area. One way is through an RN to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN to BSN) program .
What Is Project Management in Nursing?
Project management in nursing is simply managing projects or initiatives that will optimize health care facility operations and improve patient care. It involves evaluating the return on investment of initiatives and then carrying them out, from planning to the evaluation of results.
While projects vary, project managers generally have some standard responsibilities:
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Plan the project and establish scope: Define the project’s purpose — what it does and does not aim to achieve — and set timelines.
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Assemble the team: Determine team members based on the skills and expertise needed for the project. Ensure there are diverse perspectives within the team.
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Allocate resources: Establish a budget and gather non-financial resources (equipment, materials, etc.).
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Evaluate risk: Identify potential project roadblocks and risks to facility operations and patient safety. Create strategies for mitigating the risks.
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Communicate: Communicate clearly and consistently both inside and outside the project team. All stakeholders, which may include other health care providers, patients, and patients’ families, should remain well-informed.
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Monitor progress: Evaluate success as the project progresses. Are milestones being met? Do goals need to be adjusted?
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Deliver results: Bring the project to a close, confirming expectations have been met, stakeholders are satisfied, and key takeaways have been noted.
The Importance of Project Management in Nursing
At a time when the health care industry is facing an ongoing nursing shortage, any project that improves a facility’s efficiency or results in better patient care can help mitigate the shortage’s impact. Additionally, with a heavy focus on clear, consistent communication, project management in nursing can lead to improved communication outside the bounds of the project, particularly between nurses and other groups like physicians or administrators.
From an economic standpoint, project management can help a facility operate with greater financial efficiency. Projects can help identify wasteful or redundant spending; once spotted, project managers can build strategies to eliminate such instances. The savings can be reallocated toward initiatives to improve care delivery.
How Nurses Can Advance with Project Management Skills
Health care is one of the nation’s largest industries, employing more than 17 million people and accounting for about $5 trillion in spending. It is also an industry constantly transforming due to new technologies, an aging population, regulatory changes, and staffing shortages. For all these reasons and more, health care professionals with the skills to successfully manage projects are in demand.
Typically, project management in nursing is conducted by nurses in leadership roles. These nurse leaders have the education and experience to plan and execute various initiatives, leading project teams, measuring progress, and communicating with stakeholders.
RNs already have many, if not all, the skills necessary for project management — communication, critical thinking, leadership, flexibility, problem-solving, and collaboration — but honing those skills in an RN to BSN program offers benefits that can take nurses to the next level. It can open the door for graduates to take on higher-level responsibilities, including project management, making them more competitive for highly sought positions, and potentially offering better salaries. Payscale, for example, reports a median annual salary of about $76,100 for RNs and a median annual salary of about $97,000 for those with a BSN degree.
Current nurses who meet the requirements of an RN to BSN should consider how completing such a program and developing project management and other skills can propel their careers forward.
Help Shape the Future of Health Care as a Nurse Leader
At its most fundamental level, project management in nursing can help a health care facility improve its care delivery efficiency and effectiveness. It can also be transformative, as innovative projects can position a facility as a leader in the industry and inspire other facilities to tackle their own challenges.
The online RN to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN to BSN) program from The University of Tulsa (TU) can prepare nurses to be those leaders who impact their patients and facilities, and even the industry as a whole. Students can complete the program, designed to help busy professionals develop skills they can start using immediately, in 12-18 months.
Learn how TU can guide you toward a bright future in nursing.
Recommended Readings
How Much Do RNs Make in Oklahoma?
Clinic vs. Hospital Nursing: Which One Should You Choose?
Lifelong Learning in Nursing: What It Is and How a BSN Can Help
Sources:
American Association of Colleges of Nursing, Nursing Shortage Fact Sheet
Asana, “The 25 Project Management Skills You Need to Succeed”
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, National Health Expenditures Data: Historical
Deloitte, “2025 US Health Care Outlook”
Edge Induced Cohesion, “White Paper: Project Management In Nursing”
Health Facilities Management, “Project Management Tools and Best Practices”
Indeed, “15 Essential Nursing Skills To Include on Your Resume”
Indeed, “Project Management in Healthcare: Definition and Stages”
John Lynch & Associates, “What Does a Healthcare Project Manager Do?”
National Center for Health Workforce Analysis, “State of the U.S. Health Care Workforce, 2024”
Payscale, Average Registered Nurse (RN) Hourly Pay
