Nurse administrator vs registered nurse charge nurse

The differences between nurse administrators and registered nurses charge 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 registered nurse charge nurse. Additionally, a nurse administrator has an average salary of $72,224, which is higher than the $71,342 average annual salary of a registered nurse charge nurse.

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

Nurse administrator vs registered nurse charge nurse overview

	Nurse Administrator	Registered Nurse Charge Nurse
Yearly salary	$72,224	$71,342
Hourly rate	$34.72	$34.30
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	619,218	645,134
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Associate Degree, 51%
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 registered nurse charge nurse do?

A registered charge nurse is responsible for supervising nurses' workflow in a particular department or area, ensuring every patient gets the proper care that they need. A registered charge nurse has the discretion to direct tasks, arrange schedules, and monitor patients, such as in the aspects of admission and discharge. Furthermore, a registered charge nurse must maintain an active line of communication and coordination among nurses, physicians, and other personnel involved as the conditions in a hospital can be unpredictable.

Nurse administrator vs registered nurse charge nurse salary

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

	Nurse Administrator	Registered Nurse Charge Nurse
Average salary	$72,224	$71,342
Salary range	Between $48,000 And $107,000	Between $46,000 And $110,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Diego, CA
Highest paying state	California	Hawaii
Best paying company	Community Health Systems	Alameda Health System
Best paying industry	Government	Health Care

Differences between nurse administrator and registered nurse charge nurse education

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

	Nurse Administrator	Registered Nurse Charge Nurse
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Associate Degree, 51%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Duke University

Nurse administrator vs registered nurse charge nurse demographics

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

	Nurse Administrator	Registered Nurse Charge Nurse
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 16.3% Female, 83.7%	Male, 12.1% Female, 87.9%
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, 11.7% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between nurse administrator and registered nurse charge 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.

Registered nurse charge nurse example responsibilities.

Manage intravenous therapy via peripheral and central catheters; antibiotic, TPN/lipid, constant cardiac medication infusion and fluid administration.
Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
Assess and carefully monitor medically diverse patients who require telemetry and safely administer medications.
Collaborate with ICU team to provide excellent patient care utilizing critical thinking skills and evidence-base practice.
Document patient medical history and symptoms, administer treatment and medications, and follow-up with patients during rehabilitation.
Respond to codes, administering CPR and oxygen, monitoring vitals and preparing medications in anticipation of physician orders.

Nurse administrator vs registered nurse charge 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 registered nurse charge nurse skills

Patients, 24%
BLS, 8%
CPR, 7%
Acls, 4%
Direct Patient Care, 4%
Rehabilitation, 4%

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Nurse Administrator
Nurse Administrator vs Registered Nurse Charge Nurse

Updated January 8, 2025

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