staff [AS, staef] , 1. the people who work toward a common goal and are employed or supervised by someone of higher rank, such as the nurses in a hospital. 2. a designation by which a staff nurse is distinguished from a nurse manager or other nurse. 3. (in nursing service administration) the units of the organization that provide service to the line, or administratively defined hierarchy. For example, the personnel office is staff to the chief nurse executive and the nursing service administration.
