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.
Hospital supervisor responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real hospital supervisor resumes:
- 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.
- Confer with physicians/nursing staff to determine placement of patients in appropriate unit classification base on medical necessity.
- Provide leadership accountability and oversight for planning, organization, supervision, and coordination of operational activities for clinical documentation.
- Utilize electronic medical records (EMR) system to generate and analyze management reports.
- Prepare weekly A/R and A/P reports.
- Develop policy and procedures for a new telemetry unit.
- Perform procedures and uses equipment as delegated by license professionals: including blood draws, urethral/intravenous catheters, immobilizers and EKGs.
Hospital supervisor skills and personality traits
We calculated that 31% of Hospital Supervisors are proficient in Patients, HR, and Hospital Policy. They’re also known for soft skills such as Compassion, Emotional stability, and Organizational skills.
We break down the percentage of Hospital Supervisors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 31%
Staff RN, Post-Open Heart Telemetry: Direct patient care of post-open heart patients, as early as 24 hours post-op.
- HR, 8%
Provide HR reports to corporate monthly/bi-weekly, to include productivity, turnover, employee injuries and staffing.
- Hospital Policy, 7%
Maintained staffing and upheld hospital policy.
- Patient Safety, 7%
Coordinated the activities of the Patient Safety Interdisciplinary Committee and serves as Chairperson of the Patient Safety Steering Committee.
- Wine, 4%
Oversee the more intimate Table Service area, which provides guests with a more exclusive wine tasting experience.
- Rehabilitation, 4%
Direct the weekend operation of 96 bed acute rehabilitation hospital.
Most hospital supervisors use their skills in "patients," "hr," and "hospital policy" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential hospital supervisor responsibilities here:
Compassion. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a hospital supervisor to have is compassion. Their role and responsibilities require that "registered nurses should be caring and empathetic when working with patients." Hospital supervisors often use compassion in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "demonstrated morals, ethics, respect, dignity and compassion towards clients and their families. "
Emotional stability. Another essential skill to perform hospital supervisor duties is emotional stability. Hospital supervisors responsibilities require that "registered nurses need emotional resilience and the ability to cope with human suffering, emergencies, and other stressors." Hospital supervisors also use emotional stability in their role according to a real resume snippet: "launched client sensitivity program during smithkline-beecham merger - measurably increasing customer satisfaction and maintaining account stability. "
Organizational skills. hospital supervisors are also known for organizational skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to hospital supervisor responsibilities, because "nurses often work with multiple patients who have a variety of health needs." A hospital supervisor resume example shows how organizational skills is used in the workplace: "provide organizational day-to-day direction for this private non-profit psychiatric and substance abuse facility serving patients of all ages. "
Physical stamina. A big part of what hospital supervisors do relies on "physical stamina." You can see how essential it is to hospital supervisor responsibilities because "nurses should be comfortable performing physical tasks, such as lifting patients." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical hospital supervisor tasks: "provide transportation of patients to and from physicals visits, chart behavior changes in medication. "
Communication skills. A commonly-found skill in hospital supervisor job descriptions, "communication skills" is essential to what hospital supervisors do. Hospital supervisor responsibilities rely on this skill because "registered nurses must be able to communicate effectively with patients in order to understand their concerns and evaluate their health conditions." You can also see how hospital supervisor duties rely on communication skills in this resume example: "direct communication with executive and culinary staff to guarantee a positive guest experience. "
Detail oriented. While "detail oriented" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to hospital supervisor responsibilities. Much of what a hospital supervisor does relies on this skill, seeing as "registered nurses must be precise because they must ensure that patients get the correct treatments and medicines at the right time." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of hospital supervisors: "highlight summary lead a team of highly motivated individuals oriented on providing a predominant experience to the vip gambler. "
The three companies that hire the most hospital supervisors are:
- Rochester Regional Health16 hospital supervisors jobs
- Sonder14 hospital supervisors jobs
- Spectrum Health8 hospital supervisors jobs
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Hospital supervisor vs. Student nurse
A Student Nurse is responsible for treating and taking care of a patient's needs while upholding all the rules and medical regulations of a hospital or clinic. They work and function under the supervision of a Clinical Instructor while still gaining practical experience. Furthermore, among the duties of a Student Nurse revolves around following guidelines given by superiors, administering medication according to schedule, dressing patients, handing meals and changing beds, gathering and charting data, and coordinating with the instructor at all times.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, hospital supervisor responsibilities require skills like "hr," "hospital policy," "wine," and "rehabilitation." Meanwhile a typical student nurse has skills in areas such as "vital signs," "administer medications," "cpr," and "med-surg." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Student nurses really shine in the health care industry with an average salary of $48,578. Comparatively, hospital supervisors tend to make the most money in the health care industry with an average salary of $46,698.student nurses tend to reach lower levels of education than hospital supervisors. In fact, student nurses are 7.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Hospital supervisor vs. Ambulatory care coordinator
An ambulatory care coordinator coordinates with physicians to ensure that the patients' individual medical needs are identified and addressed on time. Ambulatory care coordinators work directly under the supervision of an assigned ambulatory manager and supervisor to promote patients' health and welfare through face-to-face, telephone, or email. They maintain knowledge and expertise in electronic software tools so that medical records can be encoded into the computer. Ambulatory care coordinators are also required to take the licensure exams for registered nurses.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that hospital supervisor responsibilities requires skills like "hr," "hospital policy," "patient safety," and "wine." But an ambulatory care coordinator might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "social work," "patient care," "home health," and "customer service."
On average, ambulatory care coordinators earn a lower salary than hospital supervisors. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, ambulatory care coordinators earn the most pay in the health care industry with an average salary of $40,878. Whereas hospital supervisors have higher pay in the health care industry, with an average salary of $46,698.ambulatory care coordinators earn similar levels of education than hospital supervisors in general. They're 4.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Hospital supervisor vs. Nurse
Nurses are medical professionals assigned to a specific department in the hospital and provide their trusted department services. Nurses are in charge of taking patients' medical histories, getting vital signs, preparing patients for checkups or procedures, explaining upcoming practices, answering any questions, and communicating any concerns to the assigned doctor. Nurses should ensure that patients follow the medical advice given to them. They also assist patients in completing administrative requirements, such as filling out forms, validating details, and endorsing payments.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a hospital supervisor is likely to be skilled in "hr," "hospital policy," "wine," and "safety standards," while a typical nurse is skilled in "home health," "cpr," "bls," and "acute care."
Nurses earn the highest salary when working in the government industry, where they receive an average salary of $63,263. Comparatively, hospital supervisors have the highest earning potential in the health care industry, with an average salary of $46,698.nurses typically earn lower educational levels compared to hospital supervisors. Specifically, they're 6.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Hospital supervisor vs. Home care nurse
A home care nurse is responsible for providing quality health care for patients, usually in a private home setting. Home care nurses monitor patients' conditions and their medication and other treatments as prescribed by the attending physician or other health care professionals. They assist with the patients' daily activities such as bathing, feeding, and performing procedures such as taking the patients' temperature and vital signs, collecting specimens, and updating their medical chart.
Types of hospital supervisor
Updated January 8, 2025











