Nursing director vs clinical director

The differences between nursing directors and clinical directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a nursing director and a clinical director. Additionally, a clinical director has an average salary of $96,497, which is higher than the $87,643 average annual salary of a nursing director.

The top three skills for a nursing director include patients, term care and home health. The most important skills for a clinical director are patients, patient care, and physical therapy.

Nursing director vs clinical director overview

	Nursing Director	Clinical Director
Yearly salary	$87,643	$96,497
Hourly rate	$42.14	$46.39
Growth rate	28%	28%
Number of jobs	76,956	83,232
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	6

What does a nursing director do?

A nursing director's role is to oversee and evaluate all nurse staff in a hospital or organization, ensuring their efficiency at providing care towards patients. A nursing director's responsibilities mainly revolve around administrative tasks such as coordinating with physicians and other consultants, producing reports, conducting assessments, managing the budget and expenditures, and resolving issues. Furthermore, a nursing director must keep and maintain accurate records, ensuring all procedures adhere to the highest health standards and aligns with the hospital's policies and regulations.

What does a clinical director do?

A clinical director is a managing professional who manages the work of healthcare providers to ensure quality patient care is achieved. Clinical directors are responsible for organizational tasks such as adjusting staff schedules, explaining insurance benefits to the patients, and managing financial reports. They can work either in small clinics with a smaller workforce or larger hospitals with multiple departments. Clinical directors may also assist in the hiring process of healthcare providers and should establish a positive work environment.

Nursing director vs clinical director salary

Nursing directors and clinical directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Nursing Director	Clinical Director
Average salary	$87,643	$96,497
Salary range	Between $64,000 And $118,000	Between $63,000 And $145,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	California	Rhode Island
Best paying company	Oculus	Sutro Biopharma
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between nursing director and clinical director education

There are a few differences between a nursing director and a clinical director in terms of educational background:

	Nursing Director	Clinical Director
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Nursing director vs clinical director demographics

Here are the differences between nursing directors' and clinical directors' demographics:

	Nursing Director	Clinical Director
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 11.6% Female, 88.4%	Male, 35.2% Female, 64.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 7.5% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 8.1% White, 60.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between nursing director and clinical director duties and responsibilities

Nursing director example responsibilities.

Manage FTE'S of the units.
Manage FTE numbers by following staffing grids.
Lead in the implementation of whole house telemetry.
Manage and provide inpatient nursing care for all aspects of general surgery.
Manage and coordinate all aspects of nursing and ancillary services for successful operation of the SNF.
Complete comprehensive assessments for all LTC residents which include managing falls, pain, skin integrity, and medications.

Clinical director example responsibilities.

Develop distinctive ambulatory strategies to achieve and sustain competitive healthcare advantage.
Manage and assist with data collection and input for MDS.
Manage quality of documentation through education and electronic review of clinical processes utilizing HCHB EMR.
Manage front office, marketing, and communication -demonstrated/supervise exercises for patients -Developed instructional packets for home exercise programs
Manage projects and ambulatory system initiatives, and collaborate with system leadership teams to ensure EMR alignment with all regulatory requirements.
Experience in GCP, FDA audits, and regulatory guidance review and implementation.

Nursing director vs clinical director skills

Common nursing director skills

Patients, 16%
Term Care, 8%
Home Health, 7%
Resident Care, 6%
Rehabilitation, 5%
Infection Control, 5%

Common clinical director skills

Patients, 18%
Patient Care, 11%
Physical Therapy, 5%
Social Work, 4%
Rehabilitation, 4%
Clinical Services, 3%

Nursing Director vs. similar jobs

Nursing Director related careers

Nursing Director related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Executive Management Industry
Nursing Director
Nursing Director vs Clinical Director

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse executive management jobs