Post job

Assistant director of nursing vs nurse manager

The differences between assistant directors of nursing and nurse managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an assistant director of nursing and a nurse manager. Additionally, a nurse manager has an average salary of $83,684, which is higher than the $82,674 average annual salary of an assistant director of nursing.

The top three skills for an assistant director of nursing include patients, term care and CPR. The most important skills for a nurse manager are patients, home health, and CPR.

Assistant director of nursing vs nurse manager overview

Assistant Director Of NursingNurse Manager
Yearly salary$82,674$83,684
Hourly rate$39.75$40.23
Growth rate28%28%
Number of jobs118,347380,264
Job satisfaction4-
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 47%Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Average age4747
Years of experience66

What does an assistant director of nursing do?

An assistant director of nursing is responsible for administering quality care services for patients, supervising nursing activities, and ensuring the patients' comfort under the supervision of the director of nursing. Assistant directors of nursing assist with nursing staff training, distributing shift schedules, developing comprehensive nursing care plans, handling expense reports, identifying areas of improvement with the staff performance, and securing patients' medical charts for reference. An assistant director of nursing must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in handling patients' medical needs.

What does a nurse manager do?

The primary role of nurse managers is to supervise the nursing staff in a clinical or hospital setting. They are the ones who are in charge of patient care, setting work schedules, and making budgetary and management decisions. They are also responsible for making personnel decisions, coordinating meetings, and creating safe environments that promote patient engagement and aid the healthcare team's work. Their role is vital in promoting a culture in which team members contribute to professional growth and patient outcomes.

Assistant director of nursing vs nurse manager salary

Assistant directors of nursing and nurse managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Assistant Director Of NursingNurse Manager
Average salary$82,674$83,684
Salary rangeBetween $61,000 And $111,000Between $60,000 And $115,000
Highest paying CityFairfield, CALas Vegas, NV
Highest paying stateCaliforniaNevada
Best paying companyWatersBD
Best paying industryManufacturingHealth Care

Differences between assistant director of nursing and nurse manager education

There are a few differences between an assistant director of nursing and a nurse manager in terms of educational background:

Assistant Director Of NursingNurse Manager
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 47%Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common majorNursingNursing
Most common collegeUniversity of Michigan - Ann ArborUniversity of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Assistant director of nursing vs nurse manager demographics

Here are the differences between assistant directors of nursing' and nurse managers' demographics:

Assistant Director Of NursingNurse Manager
Average age4747
Gender ratioMale, 11.5% Female, 88.5%Male, 13.5% Female, 86.5%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 7.6% White, 60.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%Black or African American, 12.1% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 7.6% White, 60.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage12%12%

Differences between assistant director of nursing and nurse manager duties and responsibilities

Assistant director of nursing example responsibilities.

  • Manage care for all residents, ICF and SNF.
  • Evaluate operational performance consistently achieving excellent JCAHO accreditation.
  • Assist with managing daily facility operations, including patient care, staff supervision and logistical oversight.
  • Work to ensure regulatory compliance by conduction mock surveys, interviewing patients and randomly assessing medical records.
  • Complete newly-required HCFA MDS, and coordinated/chair all interdisciplinary care plan meetings to maintain HCFA regulatory compliance.
  • Administer BLS training for license staff.
  • Show more

Nurse manager example responsibilities.

  • Case manage workers compensation cases, administer drug testing, surveillance testing, minor 1st aid and CPR instruction.
  • Assess and manage various allergic and life threatening reactions of chemotherapy medications.
  • Manage staff of medical personnel providing care for telemetry, geriatric and general medicine patients.
  • Involve in utilization review and chart audits for all appropriate documentation for medicaid, Medicare and manage care organizations.
  • Manage surgical recovery patients including vascular, ENT, GI urological and neurological cases, coronary bypass surgery patients.
  • Maintain current ACLS and BLS certifications.
  • Show more

Assistant director of nursing vs nurse manager skills

Common assistant director of nursing skills
  • Patients, 17%
  • Term Care, 11%
  • CPR, 8%
  • Rehabilitation, 7%
  • Quality Care, 5%
  • Resident Care, 5%
Common nurse manager skills
  • Patients, 22%
  • Home Health, 8%
  • CPR, 4%
  • Customer Service, 4%
  • Performance Improvement, 3%
  • Surgery, 3%

Browse executive management jobs