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Patient relations director vs nursing director

The differences between patient relations directors and nursing 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 patient relations director and a nursing director. Additionally, a patient relations director has an average salary of $94,921, which is higher than the $87,643 average annual salary of a nursing director.

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

Patient relations director vs nursing director overview

Patient Relations DirectorNursing Director
Yearly salary$94,921$87,643
Hourly rate$45.64$42.14
Growth rate28%28%
Number of jobs91,30876,956
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 55%Associate Degree, 44%
Average age4747
Years of experience66

What does a patient relations director do?

A patient relations director is primarily in charge of spearheading and overseeing the efforts in maintaining an active communication line between patients and health care providers. Their responsibilities revolve around devising strategies to improve client interactions, liaising with patients and their families, answering inquiries, and providing information assistance as needed. They must also address the concerns and issues raised by patients or families, resolving them promptly and efficiently. Furthermore, as a patient relations director, it is essential to lead and encourage staff to reach goals, all while implementing the hospital's policies and regulations.

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.

Patient relations director vs nursing director salary

Patient relations directors and nursing directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Patient Relations DirectorNursing Director
Average salary$94,921$87,643
Salary rangeBetween $61,000 And $145,000Between $64,000 And $118,000
Highest paying CityNorth Las Vegas, NVSan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateNevadaCalifornia
Best paying companyAstraZenecaOculus
Best paying industryHealth CareHealth Care

Differences between patient relations director and nursing director education

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

Patient Relations DirectorNursing Director
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 55%Associate Degree, 44%
Most common majorNursingNursing
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Patient relations director vs nursing director demographics

Here are the differences between patient relations directors' and nursing directors' demographics:

Patient Relations DirectorNursing Director
Average age4747
Gender ratioMale, 25.0% Female, 75.0%Male, 11.6% Female, 88.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 7.1% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%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%
LGBT Percentage12%12%

Differences between patient relations director and nursing director duties and responsibilities

Patient relations director example responsibilities.

  • Manage oversight to joint commission and other regulatory requirements.
  • Lead interdisciplinary teams working on quality improvement initiatives and prepare for a JCAHO survey.
  • Coach staff on hospital systems such as CMS, IEX, CTI and TCS.
  • Maintain monthly reports, payroll, and budget.
  • Create bi-weekly schedule for staff, approve PTO's & vacation requests.
  • Cover shifts for outlying facilities when either PTO is taken or employees call out.
    • Show more

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.
    • Show more

Patient relations director vs nursing director skills

Common patient relations director skills
  • Patients, 21%
  • Patient Care, 9%
  • Patient Safety, 7%
  • Revenue Cycle, 5%
  • Customer Service, 5%
  • Acute Care, 4%
Common nursing director skills
  • Patients, 16%
  • Term Care, 8%
  • Home Health, 7%
  • Resident Care, 6%
  • Rehabilitation, 5%
  • Infection Control, 5%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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