Nurse administrator vs head nurse

The differences between nurse administrators and head 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 nurse administrator and a head nurse. Additionally, a head nurse has an average salary of $80,173, which is higher than the $72,224 average annual salary of a nurse administrator.

The top three skills for a nurse administrator include patients, acute care and direct patient care. The most important skills for a head nurse are patients, BLS, and compassion.

Nurse administrator vs head nurse overview

	Nurse Administrator	Head Nurse
Yearly salary	$72,224	$80,173
Hourly rate	$34.72	$38.54
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	619,218	649,127
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	2

Nurse administrator vs head nurse salary

Nurse administrators and head nurses have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Nurse Administrator	Head Nurse
Average salary	$72,224	$80,173
Salary range	Between $48,000 And $107,000	Between $48,000 And $132,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Minneapolis, MN
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Community Health Systems	AstraZeneca
Best paying industry	Government	Education

Differences between nurse administrator and head nurse education

There are a few differences between a nurse administrator and a head nurse in terms of educational background:

	Nurse Administrator	Head Nurse
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Duke University

Nurse administrator vs head nurse demographics

Here are the differences between nurse administrators' and head nurses' demographics:

	Nurse Administrator	Head Nurse
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 16.3% Female, 83.7%	Male, 13.1% Female, 86.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.1% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 8.8% White, 65.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between nurse administrator and head nurse duties and responsibilities

Nurse administrator example responsibilities.

Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
Instruct employees in first aid, safety, CPR, growth and development of children and nutrition.
Care planning and coordinating with the MDS team on restraints, psychoactive medications, infections, falls and restraints.
Make referrals for medical treatment: and follow-up with psychiatric rehabilitation programs, treating physicians, pharmacies and other treatment collaterals.
Make referrals for medical treatment and follow-up with psychiatric rehabilitation programs.
Administer intravenous medications for conscious sedation and monitor patients during in office procedures per protocol.

Head nurse example responsibilities.

Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
Receive intensive training for critical care skill development upon transferring to the medical ICU.
Perform advanced nursing care to acute/chronic medical/surgical, cardiac, thoracic surgery, neurosurgery, orthopedic and oncology/ hematology patients.
Certify staff in CPR and blood glucose monitoring.
Develop and implement an intensive care class for the staff; implement ACLS class for all staff.
Develop process improvement plan with bundles for sedation and ventilation.

Nurse administrator vs head nurse skills

Common nurse administrator skills

Patients, 33%
Acute Care, 9%
Direct Patient Care, 6%
Infection Control, 4%
Rehabilitation, 3%
Quality Patient Care, 3%

Common head nurse skills

Patients, 31%
BLS, 9%
Compassion, 6%
Acute Care, 6%
Acls, 4%
CPR, 3%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Nurse Administrator
Nurse Administrator vs Head Nurse

Updated January 8, 2025

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