Department director vs assistant director of nursing

The differences between department directors and assistant directors of nursing can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a department director and an assistant director of nursing. Additionally, a department director has an average salary of $97,804, which is higher than the $82,674 average annual salary of an assistant director of nursing.

The top three skills for a department director include patient care, patients and healthcare. The most important skills for an assistant director of nursing are patients, term care, and CPR.

Department director vs assistant director of nursing overview

	Department Director	Assistant Director Of Nursing
Yearly salary	$97,804	$82,674
Hourly rate	$47.02	$39.75
Growth rate	28%	28%
Number of jobs	73,424	118,347
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Associate Degree, 47%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	6

What does a department director do?

A Department Director spearheads and oversees the operations of a department, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. Although their responsibilities vary upon the functions of a department, they typically have the power to decide on projects and programs. Their responsibilities include setting goals, establishing budgets and guidelines, representing the department at meetings and media coverages, liaising with external business partners, managing staff, and monitoring the progress of operations. Moreover, a Department Director leads and encourages staff to reach goals while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

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.

Department director vs assistant director of nursing salary

Department directors and assistant directors of nursing have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Department Director	Assistant Director Of Nursing
Average salary	$97,804	$82,674
Salary range	Between $64,000 And $148,000	Between $61,000 And $111,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Fairfield, CA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	California
Best paying company	Anna Jaques Hospital	Waters
Best paying industry	Finance	Manufacturing

Differences between department director and assistant director of nursing education

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

	Department Director	Assistant Director Of Nursing
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Associate Degree, 47%
Most common major	Business	Nursing
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Department director vs assistant director of nursing demographics

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

	Department Director	Assistant Director Of Nursing
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 52.8% Female, 47.2%	Male, 11.5% Female, 88.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 7.9% White, 62.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black 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%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between department director and assistant director of nursing duties and responsibilities

Department director example responsibilities.

Manage and direct bureau operations, and provide oversight of criminal investigations of statewide importance.
Establish and develop relationships with ERP and consulting vendors with the goal of maximizing comparative advantage and cost efficient solution development.
Ensure compliance with all CMS regulations.
Provide public education in the areas of fire department capabilities and history as well as CPR classes.
Follow up and coordination of rehabilitation services.
Cross-Train pre-operative and PACU staff to optimize efficiency.

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.

Department director vs assistant director of nursing skills

Common department director skills

Patient Care, 15%
Patients, 14%
Healthcare, 13%
Oversight, 8%
Human Resources, 5%
Payroll, 4%

Common assistant director of nursing skills

Patients, 17%
Term Care, 11%
CPR, 8%
Rehabilitation, 7%
Quality Care, 5%
Resident Care, 5%

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Department Director
Department Director vs Assistant Director Of Nursing

Updated January 8, 2025

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