How to Position Yourself for a NUM Role in Theatres

What actually gets you there, and what's often missed

The Nurse Unit Manager role is the most commonly cited goal when I ask theatre nurses where they want to be in five years. Most of them have a clear sense of wanting to move into leadership. Far fewer have a clear plan for how to get there.

That gap tends to be where careers stall. Here's what actually matters when hospitals are filling NUM roles in theatres.

Clinical credibility is the foundation, but it's not enough

Every NUM candidate needs to be clinically strong. That's the baseline. What separates candidates at shortlist stage is almost always the leadership and operational experience they've built alongside clinical skill.

Hospitals want a NUM who can manage a team, handle conflict, make rostering decisions under pressure, and maintain standards without constant escalation. Strong scrub technique doesn't demonstrate any of that on its own.

You need to lead something before the title

The most successful NUM candidates I've seen go into roles having already led something meaningful, even informally. That might be acting in a coordinator role during leave, mentoring junior staff, running a specific equipment or quality process, leading an audit, or stepping up in a crisis and demonstrating sound judgment.

If you want a NUM role, start identifying where you can take on genuine responsibility now. Don't wait for the formal title to start behaving like a leader.

Your relationship with your current NUM matters

The people who get NUM roles tend to have had visibility with senior leadership. If your current NUM doesn't know what you're capable of beyond your clinical work, you need to change that. Find ways to contribute to team issues, volunteer for projects, and make yourself visible in the right ways.

Equally, the reference conversations that happen when hospitals check your background carry significant weight. How your current NUM speaks about you often determines whether a shortlist interview converts to an offer.

Postgraduate education helps, but isn't required

Many NUM candidates have or are completing postgraduate qualifications. It shows commitment to the profession and can help where two candidates are closely matched. But hospitals hire leaders, not degrees. If you have strong operational experience and genuine leadership capability, that will take you further than a qualification you completed but haven't applied.

Be honest about your readiness

One of the most common mistakes I see is nurses applying for NUM roles before they're genuinely ready, because the timeline feels right or the opportunity has come up. A poor first NUM appointment can set a career back significantly.

If you're not sure whether you're ready or what gaps you need to address, that's a conversation worth having before you apply, not after.

I work with NUM candidates regularly and I'm happy to give you an honest read of where you sit.

Kate Wheeler

Recruitment Partner, Carejobz

Kate Wheeler has specialised in healthcare recruitment since 2003 and has spent the past 15 years focused exclusively on perioperative and clinical recruitment for private hospitals across Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. She is known for her direct approach and her ability to identify and engage experienced clinicians who are not actively seeking a new role. Kate is based in Brisbane and personally leads every search at Carejobz.

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