Aspen Spotlight: Director of Nursing in 2026
In senior living, nursing leadership shapes the quality of care for residents and the daily experience of the nursing team. Hiring the right Director of Nursing puts your nursing unit in safe hands, and the benefits show up in care, compliance, and retention.
What is a Director of Nursing?
A Director of Nursing (DON) oversees the care provided in a long-term care, skilled nursing, or other healthcare facility. The job demands both clinical and administrative expertise. DONs manage the business side of the nursing department while overseeing clinical care, and they act as a bridge between administration and the people delivering care on the floor. Typical duties include:
- Overseeing nursing staff day to day and making sure clinical competencies are met for varying levels of acuity
- Managing and updating policies, standards of care, and best practices
- Keeping the nursing unit compliant with state and federal regulatory guidelines
- Communicating between nursing staff, other medical professionals, administrators, residents, and families
- Overseeing resident care planning and making sure plans are carried out properly
- Managing the business side of the unit, including budgets and hiring
A DON is senior to all front-line nursing staff and usually reports to the administrator, though the exact position varies with the organization’s size and structure.
Why the role matters more than ever
Federal rules still call for a full-time RN director of nursing in nursing homes. That requirement remains in force even though CMS repealed its 2024 minimum staffing standards, effective February 2, 2026. Several states keep their own staffing minimums, and the pressure on nursing leaders has not eased. In the first quarter of 2026, about 88% of nursing homes provided less staffing than their residents’ clinical needs called for, and nursing home RN turnover was 36.53% in 2025. A DON who can build a stable team and keep a unit compliant is among the most valuable hires a community can make.
Hiring Directors of Nursing
Demand for senior care leaders is growing along with the aging population. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 23% growth for medical and health services managers from 2024 to 2034, much faster than average, with about 142,900 new jobs. That category is broader than nursing leadership, but it includes the clinical managers and administrators who run care settings, so it is a useful signal.
Hiring a DON means finding a rare mix of clinical and administrative skill. The stakes are high. A DON who cannot keep the nursing department within state and federal regulations exposes the organization to civil monetary penalties that can reach into the thousands of dollars per day, not to mention the effect on residents. DONs must be licensed RNs in the state where the building operates. Several certifications exist for DONs, and continuing education is required to maintain nursing licensure.
What to look for beyond the license
Ask about survey experience and how the candidate prepared a unit before and after a visit. Ask how they have handled staffing gaps without leaning on overtime. Look for strong communication with families and physicians, and for comfort with budgets. Reimbursement awareness is also a real advantage, since care planning and documentation affect revenue, and clinical reimbursement skills are increasingly part of the nursing leadership role.
Plan for the next DON before you need one
An assistant director of nursing or staff development coordinator who is ready to step up gives you a ready successor, and a recruiter’s network gives you a second option. Succession planning also protects continuity of care. A sudden vacancy in this role can leave a unit without clinical leadership and raise survey risk, and the search itself takes time even when it goes well.
How Aspen helps
Aspen connects clients with a pipeline of qualified DON candidates, including people who are not actively looking. Candidates for department leader roles like DON are typically presented within 30 days, and every finalist has been screened against your scorecard before you meet them. Each search comes with a guarantee, with terms that depend on the service you choose. See how our process works, or, if the search needs discretion, we can run it as a confidential search.
The right DON can transform the experience of your employees and residents alike. If you are ready to start a search, contact us.