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The differences between nurse managers and supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a nurse manager, becoming a supervisor takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a nurse manager has an average salary of $83,684, which is higher than the $53,902 average annual salary of a supervisor.
The top three skills for a nurse manager include patients, home health and CPR. The most important skills for a supervisor are customer service, safety procedures, and sales floor.
| Nurse Manager | Supervisor | |
| Yearly salary | $83,684 | $53,902 |
| Hourly rate | $40.23 | $25.91 |
| Growth rate | 28% | - |
| Number of jobs | 380,264 | 224,920 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Average age | 47 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 2 |
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.
Supervisors are responsible for overseeing the daily functions of employees in a specific team, department, or even a work shift. They create work schedules, organize work processes and workflows, train new hires, provide necessary reports related to the team function and the employees, monitor and evaluate employee performance, and ensure that goals of the specific team or department are met. When needed, supervisors also provide guidance to employees in terms of their career or even personal challenges. They also help in fostering harmonious work relationships by resolving interpersonal conflicts at work. To be successful in their role, they must have leadership skills, time management skills, decision-making capabilities, analytical skills, and problem-solving skills.
Nurse managers and supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Nurse Manager | Supervisor | |
| Average salary | $83,684 | $53,902 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $115,000 | Between $31,000 And $92,000 |
| Highest paying City | Las Vegas, NV | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | Alaska |
| Best paying company | BD | Reed Smith |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a nurse manager and a supervisor in terms of educational background:
| Nurse Manager | Supervisor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Business |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between nurse managers' and supervisors' demographics:
| Nurse Manager | Supervisor | |
| Average age | 47 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 13.5% Female, 86.5% | Male, 55.8% Female, 44.2% |
| 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, 12.2% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 4.6% White, 59.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 6% |