Hospital administrator vs nursing director

The differences between hospital 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 hospital administrator and a nursing director. Additionally, a nursing director has an average salary of $87,643, which is higher than the $75,644 average annual salary of a hospital administrator.

The top three skills for a hospital administrator include patient care, patients and PET. The most important skills for a nursing director are patients, term care, and home health.

Hospital administrator vs nursing director overview

	Hospital Administrator	Nursing Director
Yearly salary	$75,644	$87,643
Hourly rate	$36.37	$42.14
Growth rate	28%	28%
Number of jobs	72,975	76,956
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Associate Degree, 44%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	6

What does a hospital administrator do?

A hospital administrator is responsible for the management of the hospital. They may also manage outpatient clinics, hospices, or substance abuse centers. Working in this role, they are tasked with ensuring that the hospital operates efficiently and that adequate care is given to patients. Generally speaking, they oversee both the health and medical services in a hospital.

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.

Hospital administrator vs nursing director salary

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

	Hospital Administrator	Nursing Director
Average salary	$75,644	$87,643
Salary range	Between $48,000 And $118,000	Between $64,000 And $118,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Oculus
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between hospital administrator and nursing director education

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

	Hospital Administrator	Nursing Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Associate Degree, 44%
Most common major	Business	Nursing
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Hospital administrator vs nursing director demographics

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

	Hospital Administrator	Nursing Director
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 46.3% Female, 53.7%	Male, 11.6% Female, 88.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.1% Asian, 7.9% White, 60.6% 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 hospital administrator and nursing director duties and responsibilities

Hospital administrator example responsibilities.

Manage accounts receivable, inventory, control facility and administrative costs, process payroll and perform invoice audit reviews.
Manage billing procedures and negotiate third-party contracts including a federal Medicare and state Medicaid contracts.
Add new employees to payroll system setting up employee specific tax, deduction, direct deposit, etc.
Maintain confidential patient information in accordance to HIPPA.
Revise policy and procedures; developed/revise reports and documents for practice efficiency and HIPPA compliance.
Implement business relationship with national strategic partner to provide bedside medication delivery services for discharging patients.

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.

Hospital administrator vs nursing director skills

Common hospital administrator skills

Patient Care, 15%
Patients, 14%
PET, 6%
Hospital Operations, 6%
Human Resources, 4%
Surgery, 4%

Common nursing director skills

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

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Hospital Administrator
Hospital Administrator vs Nursing Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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