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Registered nurse supervisor vs head nurse

The differences between registered nurse supervisors and head nurses can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a registered nurse supervisor and a head nurse. Additionally, a head nurse has an average salary of $80,173, which is higher than the $74,174 average annual salary of a registered nurse supervisor.

The top three skills for a registered nurse supervisor include patients, rehabilitation and CPR. The most important skills for a head nurse are patients, BLS, and compassion.

Registered nurse supervisor vs head nurse overview

Registered Nurse SupervisorHead Nurse
Yearly salary$74,174$80,173
Hourly rate$35.66$38.54
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs640,040649,127
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 47%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age4444
Years of experience22

Registered nurse supervisor vs head nurse salary

Registered nurse supervisors and head nurses have different pay scales, as shown below.

Registered Nurse SupervisorHead Nurse
Average salary$74,174$80,173
Salary rangeBetween $53,000 And $102,000Between $48,000 And $132,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CAMinneapolis, MN
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyCommunity Medical CenterAstraZeneca
Best paying industryProfessionalEducation

Differences between registered nurse supervisor and head nurse education

There are a few differences between a registered nurse supervisor and a head nurse in terms of educational background:

Registered Nurse SupervisorHead Nurse
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 47%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common majorNursingNursing
Most common collegeDuke UniversityDuke University

Registered nurse supervisor vs head nurse demographics

Here are the differences between registered nurse supervisors' and head nurses' demographics:

Registered Nurse SupervisorHead Nurse
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 13.2% Female, 86.8%Male, 13.1% Female, 86.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 8.8% White, 65.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between registered nurse supervisor and head nurse duties and responsibilities

Registered nurse supervisor example responsibilities.

  • Experience in Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance manage care programs.
  • Initiate rapid response and lead nurse code team until the arrival of the ICU resident team.
  • Lead staff in an effort to reduce EMR coding errors, from roughly 40 per day to 5.
  • Manage, coordinate and run MDS program for Medicare/ Medicaid patients for insurance reimbursement in coordination with federal guidelines.
  • Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
  • Facilitate patient care, coordinate admissions and problem solving on the unit, establishing treatment plans, ACLS team leader.
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Head nurse example responsibilities.

  • Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
  • Receive intensive training for critical care skill development upon transferring to the medical ICU.
  • Perform advanced nursing care to acute/chronic medical/surgical, cardiac, thoracic surgery, neurosurgery, orthopedic and oncology/ hematology patients.
  • Certify staff in CPR and blood glucose monitoring.
  • Develop and implement an intensive care class for the staff; implement ACLS class for all staff.
  • Develop process improvement plan with bundles for sedation and ventilation.
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Registered nurse supervisor vs head nurse skills

Common registered nurse supervisor skills
  • Patients, 22%
  • Rehabilitation, 7%
  • CPR, 7%
  • Acute Care, 6%
  • Resident Care, 5%
  • Customer Service, 4%
Common head nurse skills
  • Patients, 31%
  • BLS, 9%
  • Compassion, 6%
  • Acute Care, 6%
  • Acls, 4%
  • CPR, 3%

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