Health care manager vs nurse manager

The differences between health care managers 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 a health care manager and a nurse manager. Additionally, a nurse manager has an average salary of $83,684, which is higher than the $60,931 average annual salary of a health care manager.

The top three skills for a health care manager include social work, behavioral health and substance abuse. The most important skills for a nurse manager are patients, home health, and CPR.

Health care manager vs nurse manager overview

	Health Care Manager	Nurse Manager
Yearly salary	$60,931	$83,684
Hourly rate	$29.29	$40.23
Growth rate	28%	28%
Number of jobs	153,821	380,264
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	6

What does a health care manager do?

A health care manager is in charge of overseeing the workflow and the workforce in a medical facility. Their responsibilities revolve around planning and organizing services, delegating tasks, managing schedules and budgets, and devising strategies for optimal operations. They must also coordinate with different health care workers within the facility, participate in hiring and training staff, set goals and guidelines, and maintain hospital records. Furthermore, a health care manager must implement the hospital's policies and regulations, even create new ones as needed.

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.

Health care manager vs nurse manager salary

Health care managers and nurse managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Health Care Manager	Nurse Manager
Average salary	$60,931	$83,684
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $93,000	Between $60,000 And $115,000
Highest paying City	Linden, NJ	Las Vegas, NV
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Nevada
Best paying company	Accenture	BD
Best paying industry	Utilities	Health Care

Differences between health care manager and nurse manager education

There are a few differences between a health care manager and a nurse manager in terms of educational background:

	Health Care Manager	Nurse Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Health care manager vs nurse manager demographics

Here are the differences between health care managers' and nurse managers' demographics:

	Health Care Manager	Nurse Manager
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 30.2% Female, 69.8%	Male, 13.5% Female, 86.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 7.5% White, 61.3% 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 Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between health care manager and nurse manager duties and responsibilities

Health care manager example responsibilities.

Manage network participation, care with specialty networks, DME providers and transfers to appropriate levels of care.
Manage patient care expenditures including but not limit to labor, pharmacy, DME, medical supplies and mileage.
Provide oversight of the case management and utilization management staff for the Medicaid population
Supervise and conduct employee seminars and training in employee health issues, infection control and CPR.
Support sales team in designing population health solutions present in proposals and client facing PowerPoint presentations.
Assist members with benefits, PCP referrals and inquires.

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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.

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Health care manager vs nurse manager skills

Common health care manager skills

Social Work, 28%
Behavioral Health, 10%
Substance Abuse, 8%
Community Resources, 8%
Patients, 5%
Utilization Management, 4%

Common nurse manager skills

Patients, 22%
Home Health, 8%
CPR, 4%
Customer Service, 4%
Performance Improvement, 3%
Surgery, 3%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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