Hospital supervisor vs staff nurse

The differences between hospital supervisors and staff nurses can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a hospital supervisor and a staff nurse. Additionally, a staff nurse has an average salary of $68,342, which is higher than the $41,899 average annual salary of a hospital supervisor.

The top three skills for a hospital supervisor include patients, HR and hospital policy. The most important skills for a staff nurse are patients, BLS, and CPR.

Hospital supervisor vs staff nurse overview

	Hospital Supervisor	Staff Nurse
Yearly salary	$41,899	$68,342
Hourly rate	$20.14	$32.86
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	14,851	699,636
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	2

What does a hospital supervisor do?

A hospital supervisor has the important responsibility of supervising and evaluating the work activities of hospital personnel. This includes medical, nursing, technical, service, and maintenance personnel. Their job is to establish and supervise work schedules to ensure shifts are always covered. They are also in charge of delegating responsibilities to staff and giving orientation and training to new staff. A hospital supervisor is also always on the lookout for areas that need quality improvement.

What does a staff nurse do?

Staff nurses are registered nurses who are usually assigned to work in a care home, a company, or in a clinical setting. They advise the physical assessments of patients, employees, and residents. They also handle the checking of vital signs, providing basic medical procedures, giving first aid, and, if possible, providing over the counter medication. Staff nurses provide medical attention to the people in their place of assignment. They help pave the path to their patients' full recovery. Staff nurses are expected to be patient and have good interpersonal skills.

Hospital supervisor vs staff nurse salary

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

	Hospital Supervisor	Staff Nurse
Average salary	$41,899	$68,342
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $63,000	Between $42,000 And $109,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Burlingame, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	RSM US	Washington Hospital Healthcare System
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between hospital supervisor and staff nurse education

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

	Hospital Supervisor	Staff Nurse
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Duke University

Hospital supervisor vs staff nurse demographics

Here are the differences between hospital supervisors' and staff nurses' demographics:

	Hospital Supervisor	Staff Nurse
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 36.1% Female, 63.9%	Male, 12.3% Female, 87.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between hospital supervisor and staff nurse duties and responsibilities

Hospital supervisor example responsibilities.

Interact successfully with regulatory and oversight agencies, which lead to more streamline operations of complex healthcare reimbursement programs.
Maintain the cleanliness of the food court in the international concourse in Hartfield-Jackson airport.
Maintain high standards of sanitation and expect levels of cleanliness and appearance at all times.
Work in labor and delivery, medical, surgical, psychiatry, rehabilitation, and administration.
Work in accordance with HIPPA regulations and maintain patient confidentiality.
Coordinate emergency helicopter services to and from the facility of critically ill or injure patients.

Staff nurse example responsibilities.

Manage and further help stabilize elective and urgent care surgical patients in their post-operative/post PACU admission to the floor.
Accomplish extensive critical care course with EKG interpretation and yearly critical care medication exam.
Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
Participate in discharge planning including teaching family members and patients wind care and medication administration process after discharge.
Provide direct nursing care to patients in a variety of settings with an emphasis in critical care and PACU settings.
Prepare patients for surgery and endoscopy procedures including initiating intravenous lines, physical assessments and administering medications.

Hospital supervisor vs staff nurse skills

Common hospital supervisor skills

Patients, 31%
HR, 8%
Hospital Policy, 7%
Patient Safety, 7%
Wine, 4%
Rehabilitation, 4%

Common staff nurse skills

Patients, 28%
BLS, 9%
CPR, 6%
Acls, 5%
Acute Care, 4%
Direct Patient Care, 3%

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Hospital Supervisor
Hospital Supervisor vs Staff Nurse

Updated January 8, 2025

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