Nurse administrator vs nurse

The differences between nurse administrators and 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 nurse. Additionally, a nurse administrator has an average salary of $72,224, which is higher than the $57,564 average annual salary of a nurse.

The top three skills for a nurse administrator include patients, acute care and direct patient care. The most important skills for a nurse are patients, home health, and CPR.

Nurse administrator vs nurse overview

	Nurse Administrator	Nurse
Yearly salary	$72,224	$57,564
Hourly rate	$34.72	$27.68
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	619,218	696,124
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	2

What does a nurse administrator do?

Nurse Administrators are responsible for the coordination of all operational and administrative tasks relating to the nursing team. They are responsible for the retention, hiring, and firing of nursing staff, creating budgets, authorizing spending, ensuring regulatory guidelines compliance, implementing staff mentorship sessions, and accomplishing patient satisfaction, safety, cost savings, and efficiency objectives. Other duties include preparing reports, attending meetings, supervising fundraising projects, and forming partnerships with the academic and medical community.

What does a nurse do?

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.

Nurse administrator vs nurse salary

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

	Nurse Administrator	Nurse
Average salary	$72,224	$57,564
Salary range	Between $48,000 And $107,000	Between $38,000 And $86,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Community Health Systems	Conviva
Best paying industry	Government	Government

Differences between nurse administrator and nurse education

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

	Nurse Administrator	Nurse
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Duke University

Nurse administrator vs nurse demographics

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

	Nurse Administrator	Nurse
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 16.3% Female, 83.7%	Male, 14.0% Female, 86.0%
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, 11.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between nurse administrator and 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.

Nurse example responsibilities.

Monitor patients' status during surgery (circulate in operating room) and manage patients in PACU.
Manage high-acuity cardiac/pulmonary and psychiatric patients
Monitor patients for cardiac rhythm changes and implement medication according to ACLS guidelines.
Educate patients and families on diseases processes, medications, wind care, and iv infusion.
Provide care for patients on medical/surgical, transplant, cardiac, orthopedic, postpartum, neonatal ICU, and psychiatric units
Demonstrate competence in CPR and other medical emergency situations.

Nurse administrator vs 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 nurse skills

Patients, 21%
Home Health, 7%
CPR, 6%
BLS, 6%
Acute Care, 5%
Acls, 4%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Nurse Administrator
Nurse Administrator vs Nurse

Updated January 8, 2025

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