AONL Offers Resources on Nurse Manager Span of Control

An October article in Nurse Leader stresses the importance of executive nurse leaders using resources to determine an appropriate span of control to enable success for each nurse manager they oversee. AONL convened expert nurse leaders and partnered with other organizations to develop the span of control resources. The tools help to measure span of control effectively, taking into account the “number of direct reports, staff characteristics, amount of required supervision, work complexity and manager capability.” The resources also will enable nurse executives to justify a right-sizing span of control for nurse managers based on a return on investment. Nurse executives can use the resources to collaborate with other C-suite colleagues to build a supportive infrastructure where nurse managers can thrive.