Nurse manager vs patient care manager

The differences between nurse managers and patient care managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a nurse manager and a patient care manager. Additionally, a nurse manager has an average salary of $83,684, which is higher than the $65,369 average annual salary of a patient care manager.

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

Nurse manager vs patient care manager overview

	Nurse Manager	Patient Care Manager
Yearly salary	$83,684	$65,369
Hourly rate	$40.23	$31.43
Growth rate	28%	28%
Number of jobs	380,264	123,652
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	6

What does a nurse manager do?

The primary role of nurse managers is to supervise the nursing staff in a clinical or hospital setting. They are the ones who are in charge of patient care, setting work schedules, and making budgetary and management decisions. They are also responsible for making personnel decisions, coordinating meetings, and creating safe environments that promote patient engagement and aid the healthcare team's work. Their role is vital in promoting a culture in which team members contribute to professional growth and patient outcomes.

What does a patient care manager do?

Patient care managers are executives who are in charge of supervising a clinical team. The managers take responsibility for directing patient care within an organization. Also called health care managers, they protect every patient's safety and health in a clinical setting. They interact with the healthcare team members to maintain open communication. It is also part of their duties to supervise the daily operations in the clinical care units. Managing clinical budgets and maintaining quality health services are also their responsibilities.

Nurse manager vs patient care manager salary

Nurse managers and patient care managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Nurse Manager	Patient Care Manager
Average salary	$83,684	$65,369
Salary range	Between $60,000 And $115,000	Between $36,000 And $117,000
Highest paying City	Las Vegas, NV	Oakland, CA
Highest paying state	Nevada	California
Best paying company	BD	Accenture
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between nurse manager and patient care manager education

There are a few differences between a nurse manager and a patient care manager in terms of educational background:

	Nurse Manager	Patient Care Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	University of Pennsylvania

Nurse manager vs patient care manager demographics

Here are the differences between nurse managers' and patient care managers' demographics:

	Nurse Manager	Patient Care Manager
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 13.5% Female, 86.5%	Male, 17.1% Female, 82.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.1% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 7.6% White, 60.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 7.4% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between nurse manager and patient care manager duties and responsibilities

Nurse manager example responsibilities.

Case manage workers compensation cases, administer drug testing, surveillance testing, minor 1st aid and CPR instruction.
Assess and manage various allergic and life threatening reactions of chemotherapy medications.
Manage staff of medical personnel providing care for telemetry, geriatric and general medicine patients.
Involve in utilization review and chart audits for all appropriate documentation for medicaid, Medicare and manage care organizations.
Manage surgical recovery patients including vascular, ENT, GI urological and neurological cases, coronary bypass surgery patients.
Maintain current ACLS and BLS certifications.

Patient care manager example responsibilities.

Manage complicated cases involving serious injuries, medical evacuations, cruise ship disembarkation, and repatriation of remains with compassion.
Direct oversight of all case management and education relate to chronic disease and primary care management.
Utilize resources such as financial and pharmacy assistance for uninsure patients to receive professional medical care upon discharge.
Prevent unnecessary hospital admissions using keen assessment skills and redirecting to PCP's office when appropriate.
Ensure compliance both with HIPAA and CMS, to include all audits and enrollments via Medicare.
Plant and maintain flower beds such as mulching, fertilizing, watering, mowing, and pruning.

Nurse manager vs patient care manager skills

Common nurse manager skills

Patients, 22%
Home Health, 8%
CPR, 4%
Customer Service, 4%
Performance Improvement, 3%
Surgery, 3%

Common patient care manager skills

Home Health, 15%
Patients, 12%
Quality Care, 8%
Social Work, 7%
Community Resources, 4%
Substance Abuse, 4%

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Nurse Manager
Nurse Manager vs Patient Care Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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