Health services administrator vs nursing director

The differences between health services administrators and nursing directors 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 services administrator and a nursing director. Additionally, a nursing director has an average salary of $87,643, which is higher than the $82,505 average annual salary of a health services administrator.

The top three skills for a health services administrator include patients, ACA and cost effectiveness. The most important skills for a nursing director are patients, term care, and home health.

Health services administrator vs nursing director overview

	Health Services Administrator	Nursing Director
Yearly salary	$82,505	$87,643
Hourly rate	$39.67	$42.14
Growth rate	28%	28%
Number of jobs	163,213	76,956
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Associate Degree, 44%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	6

What does a health services administrator do?

A health services administrator is responsible for performing administrative functions in a health care setting, such as sorting medical reports, updating patients' information in the database, and ensuring the adequacy of medical inventory. Health services administrators also organize medical programs and activities, coordinate with suppliers and third-party vendors, and assist in strategizing efficient procedures to maintain quality care services for patients' satisfaction. A health services administrator may reach out to other organizations to gather medical information and interview patients to validate their details in the system for accurate reference.

What does a nursing director do?

A nursing director's role is to oversee and evaluate all nurse staff in a hospital or organization, ensuring their efficiency at providing care towards patients. A nursing director's responsibilities mainly revolve around administrative tasks such as coordinating with physicians and other consultants, producing reports, conducting assessments, managing the budget and expenditures, and resolving issues. Furthermore, a nursing director must keep and maintain accurate records, ensuring all procedures adhere to the highest health standards and aligns with the hospital's policies and regulations.

Health services administrator vs nursing director salary

Health services administrators and nursing directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Health Services Administrator	Nursing Director
Average salary	$82,505	$87,643
Salary range	Between $57,000 And $118,000	Between $64,000 And $118,000
Highest paying City	Newark, NJ	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Connecticut	California
Best paying company	Kona Community Hospital	Oculus
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between health services administrator and nursing director education

There are a few differences between a health services administrator and a nursing director in terms of educational background:

	Health Services Administrator	Nursing Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Associate Degree, 44%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Health services administrator vs nursing director demographics

Here are the differences between health services administrators' and nursing directors' demographics:

	Health Services Administrator	Nursing Director
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 34.6% Female, 65.4%	Male, 11.6% Female, 88.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 7.8% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 7.5% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between health services administrator and nursing director duties and responsibilities

Health services administrator example responsibilities.

Lead and train staff through initial certification of Medicare and Medicaid programs resulting in increase revenues and cash flows.
Lead transformation form top-down control organization to a model focuse on everyone's accountability to patients and co-workers.
Evaluate compliance with state licensing and federal certification requirements of Medicare and Medi-Cal programs.
Maintain all hospital functions within JCAHO, Medicare and Medicaid standards.
Prepare hospital for JCAHO and implement plan to assure ongoing compliance with regulatory agencies.
Develop curriculum for health and fitness programs and begin developing the health manual for the ministry.

Nursing director example responsibilities.

Manage FTE'S of the units.
Manage FTE numbers by following staffing grids.
Lead in the implementation of whole house telemetry.
Manage and provide inpatient nursing care for all aspects of general surgery.
Manage and coordinate all aspects of nursing and ancillary services for successful operation of the SNF.
Complete comprehensive assessments for all LTC residents which include managing falls, pain, skin integrity, and medications.

Health services administrator vs nursing director skills

Common health services administrator skills

Patients, 20%
ACA, 7%
Cost Effectiveness, 7%
Medical Services, 6%
Statistical Data, 6%
Operational Efficiency, 5%

Common nursing director skills

Patients, 16%
Term Care, 8%
Home Health, 7%
Resident Care, 6%
Rehabilitation, 5%
Infection Control, 5%

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Health Services Administrator
Health Services Administrator vs Nursing Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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