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The differences between practice managers 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 practice manager and a nursing director. Additionally, a practice manager has an average salary of $107,374, which is higher than the $87,643 average annual salary of a nursing director.
The top three skills for a practice manager include patients, patient care and customer service. The most important skills for a nursing director are patients, term care, and home health.
| Practice Manager | Nursing Director | |
| Yearly salary | $107,374 | $87,643 |
| Hourly rate | $51.62 | $42.14 |
| Growth rate | 28% | 28% |
| Number of jobs | 38,196 | 76,956 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Associate Degree, 44% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A practice manager is responsible for supervising daily operations, especially on the side of the medical industry. Practice managers monitor staffing needs, train new employees, and evaluate the employees' productivity and performance. They also enforce strict guidelines and procedures, ensuring that the processes adhere to the legal standards and regulatory requirements. Practice managers also maintain budget goals, creating cost estimates and expense reports. A practice manager must have strong communication, analytical, and critical-thinking skills, as well as comprehensive knowledge of the medical industry practices.
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.
Practice managers and nursing directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Practice Manager | Nursing Director | |
| Average salary | $107,374 | $87,643 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $175,000 | Between $64,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | Providence, RI | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | California |
| Best paying company | Davis Wright Tremaine | Oculus |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a practice manager and a nursing director in terms of educational background:
| Practice Manager | Nursing Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Associate Degree, 44% |
| Most common major | Business | Nursing |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor |
Here are the differences between practice managers' and nursing directors' demographics:
| Practice Manager | Nursing Director | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 25.3% Female, 74.7% | Male, 11.6% Female, 88.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 7.9% White, 61.0% 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 Percentage | 12% | 12% |