Nursing director vs unit director

The differences between nursing directors and unit 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 unit director. Additionally, a nursing director has an average salary of $87,643, which is higher than the $74,346 average annual salary of a unit director.

The top three skills for a nursing director include patients, term care and home health. The most important skills for a unit director are patients, patient care, and customer service.

Nursing director vs unit director overview

	Nursing Director	Unit Director
Yearly salary	$87,643	$74,346
Hourly rate	$42.14	$35.74
Growth rate	28%	28%
Number of jobs	76,956	41,585
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
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 unit director do?

A unit director is a management professional who is responsible for directing and managing a group of medical professionals in an organization. This director must manage the daily clinical and administrative duties for those professionals involved in the mental health hospitalization programs. The director must assist in recruiting healthcare professionals to maximize the branch and margin profits of the medical establishment. This director should also attend meetings with the OCFS program to discuss the performance and outcome measures of the program.

Nursing director vs unit director salary

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

	Nursing Director	Unit Director
Average salary	$87,643	$74,346
Salary range	Between $64,000 And $118,000	Between $42,000 And $131,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Fairfield, CT
Highest paying state	California	Connecticut
Best paying company	Oculus	Palo Alto Networks
Best paying industry	Health Care	Manufacturing

Differences between nursing director and unit director education

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

	Nursing Director	Unit Director
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	University of Pennsylvania

Nursing director vs unit director demographics

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

	Nursing Director	Unit Director
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 11.6% Female, 88.4%	Male, 46.0% Female, 54.0%
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, 12.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 13.8% Asian, 7.5% White, 60.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between nursing director and unit 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.

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Unit director example responsibilities.

Prepare and manage payroll and purchasing, which include balancing of accounts within budgetary limits; establish daily interaction with clients.
Manage operational organizing of stock and equipment, order supplies and oversee building maintenance, cleanliness and security.
Provide case management services to residents in the Alzheimer's unit.
Migrate all operations to a new ERP and retail system with a successful implementation.
Develop and implement a program which assure quality of life for mid- stage Alzheimer's residents.
Oversee labor, as well as, payroll, purchases, complete work orders, and operating supplies.

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Nursing director vs unit director skills

Common nursing director skills

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

Common unit director skills

Patients, 23%
Patient Care, 21%
Customer Service, 14%
Cleanliness, 7%
Staff Development, 6%
Customer Satisfaction, 5%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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