Nurse administrator vs practical nurse

The differences between nurse administrators and practical 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 practical nurse. Additionally, a practical nurse has an average salary of $75,363, 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 practical nurse are patients, APN, and home health.

Nurse administrator vs practical nurse overview

	Nurse Administrator	Practical Nurse
Yearly salary	$72,224	$75,363
Hourly rate	$34.72	$36.23
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	619,218	511,602
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 30%
Average age	44	46
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 practical nurse do?

A practical nurse is responsible for providing the highest quality care services for the patients and assisting them with their needs and concerns. Practical nurses work within a health institution or private household to support the patients in their daily activities, monitor their conditions, administer medication, and inform the doctors of their health updates. They also coordinate with other medical professionals to develop nursing care plans and activities to suit the patients' lifestyle and keep their active wellbeing.

Nurse administrator vs practical nurse salary

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

	Nurse Administrator	Practical Nurse
Average salary	$72,224	$75,363
Salary range	Between $48,000 And $107,000	Between $47,000 And $120,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Lancaster, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Community Health Systems	University Hospitals
Best paying industry	Government	Health Care

Differences between nurse administrator and practical nurse education

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

	Nurse Administrator	Practical Nurse
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 30%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Emory University

Nurse administrator vs practical nurse demographics

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

	Nurse Administrator	Practical Nurse
Average age	44	46
Gender ratio	Male, 16.3% Female, 83.7%	Male, 14.3% Female, 85.7%
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, 12.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 6.3% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	9%	7%

Differences between nurse administrator and practical 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.

Practical nurse example responsibilities.

Manage surgical recovery patients including vascular, ENT, GI urological and neurological cases, coronary bypass surgery patients.
Treat patients with dignity, respect, and compassion while maintaining there safety.
Maintain safety and quality standards of care while facilitating early discharge of mother and baby.
Maintain HIPPA and OSHA guidelines.
Receive and implementing Dr orders.
Train in lactation and NRP certify.

Nurse administrator vs practical 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 practical nurse skills

Patients, 27%
APN, 7%
Home Health, 6%
Acute Care, 5%
Physical Examinations, 4%
Vital Signs, 4%

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

Updated January 8, 2025

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