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Health unit supervisor vs nurse manager

The differences between health unit supervisors 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 unit supervisor and a nurse manager. Additionally, a nurse manager has an average salary of $83,684, which is higher than the $74,174 average annual salary of a health unit supervisor.

The top three skills for a health unit supervisor include patients, social work and patient care. The most important skills for a nurse manager are patients, home health, and CPR.

Health unit supervisor vs nurse manager overview

Health Unit SupervisorNurse Manager
Yearly salary$74,174$83,684
Hourly rate$35.66$40.23
Growth rate28%28%
Number of jobs70,139380,264
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 54%Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Average age4747
Years of experience66

What does a health unit supervisor do?

A health unit supervisor handles both the administrative and executive tasks in a health care unit. They coordinate all that takes place in one or more patient care units in health care facilities. The unit supervisor plans and oversees administrative operations. They also supervise other personnel or staff in the unit or ward. They may also be responsible for the generation of schedules for teams in the unit. They will be required to communicate with other members of the administrative team.

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 unit supervisor vs nurse manager salary

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

Health Unit SupervisorNurse Manager
Average salary$74,174$83,684
Salary rangeBetween $50,000 And $108,000Between $60,000 And $115,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CALas Vegas, NV
Highest paying stateNew HampshireNevada
Best paying companyTeslaBD
Best paying industry-Health Care

Differences between health unit supervisor and nurse manager education

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

Health Unit SupervisorNurse Manager
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 54%Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common majorNursingNursing
Most common collegeUniversity of Michigan - Ann ArborUniversity of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Health unit supervisor vs nurse manager demographics

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

Health Unit SupervisorNurse Manager
Average age4747
Gender ratioMale, 35.1% Female, 64.9%Male, 13.5% Female, 86.5%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 7.6% White, 61.4% 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 health unit supervisor and nurse manager duties and responsibilities

Health unit supervisor example responsibilities.

  • Engage, educate and empower participants to access community base resources in or- der to achieve rehabilitation and recovery.
  • Facilitate administrative, advocacy, customer service and technical support to uninsure and under-insure patients, and their families.
  • Engage, educate and empower participants to access community base resources in or- der to achieve rehabilitation and recovery.
  • Coordinate with clinical managers regarding: CMS, CDPH, TJC, and ACHC survey preparation process and on-site surveys.
  • Assist in respiratory fit-testing program, strongly contributing to prevention of tuberculosis and other airborne diseases.

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

Health unit supervisor vs nurse manager skills

Common health unit supervisor skills
  • Patients, 21%
  • Social Work, 13%
  • Patient Care, 11%
  • CPR, 6%
  • Substance Abuse, 5%
  • Clinical Supervision, 4%
Common nurse manager skills
  • Patients, 22%
  • Home Health, 8%
  • CPR, 4%
  • Customer Service, 4%
  • Performance Improvement, 3%
  • Surgery, 3%

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