Head nurse vs supervisor

The differences between head nurses and supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a head nurse and a supervisor. Additionally, a head nurse has an average salary of $80,173, which is higher than the $53,902 average annual salary of a supervisor.

The top three skills for a head nurse include patients, BLS and compassion. The most important skills for a supervisor are customer service, safety procedures, and sales floor.

Head nurse vs supervisor overview

	Head Nurse	Supervisor
Yearly salary	$80,173	$53,902
Hourly rate	$38.54	$25.91
Growth rate	6%	-
Number of jobs	649,127	224,920
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Average age	44	46
Years of experience	2	2

Head nurse vs supervisor salary

Head nurses and supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Head Nurse	Supervisor
Average salary	$80,173	$53,902
Salary range	Between $48,000 And $132,000	Between $31,000 And $92,000
Highest paying City	Minneapolis, MN	New York, NY
Highest paying state	California	Alaska
Best paying company	AstraZeneca	Reed Smith
Best paying industry	Education	Health Care

Differences between head nurse and supervisor education

There are a few differences between a head nurse and a supervisor in terms of educational background:

	Head Nurse	Supervisor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Most common major	Nursing	Business
Most common college	Duke University	Stanford University

Head nurse vs supervisor demographics

Here are the differences between head nurses' and supervisors' demographics:

	Head Nurse	Supervisor
Average age	44	46
Gender ratio	Male, 13.1% Female, 86.9%	Male, 55.8% Female, 44.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 8.8% White, 65.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 4.6% White, 59.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	9%	6%

Differences between head nurse and supervisor duties and responsibilities

Head nurse example responsibilities.

Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
Receive intensive training for critical care skill development upon transferring to the medical ICU.
Perform advanced nursing care to acute/chronic medical/surgical, cardiac, thoracic surgery, neurosurgery, orthopedic and oncology/ hematology patients.
Certify staff in CPR and blood glucose monitoring.
Develop and implement an intensive care class for the staff; implement ACLS class for all staff.
Develop process improvement plan with bundles for sedation and ventilation.

Supervisor example responsibilities.

Lead continuous process improvement and six sigma teams to meet ISO 9001 and QS 9000 standards.
Manage and implement merchandising strategy for POS marketing and display inventory.
Lead comprehensive training for each new volunteer or court-mandate worker regarding OSHA regulations and warehouse procedure.
Organize care with 6 CNAs.
Coordinate lifeguard duty schedule for all pools.
Maintain cleanliness throughout kitchen, coolers, and freezer areas.

Head nurse vs supervisor skills

Common head nurse skills

Patients, 31%
BLS, 9%
Compassion, 6%
Acute Care, 6%
Acls, 4%
CPR, 3%

Common supervisor skills

Customer Service, 11%
Safety Procedures, 9%
Sales Floor, 9%
POS, 9%
Direct Supervision, 9%
Payroll, 5%

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Head Nurse
Head Nurse vs Supervisor

Updated January 8, 2025

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