Nurse Leadership vs. Management: Which Should You Choose

For nurses with a passion for taking charge and a dedication to empowering others, there are two paths you can take: leadership or management. While they may sound similar, nurse leadership vs. management differ across several key factors.

Leaders strive to establish direction in their teams, while managers work to effectively organize and utilize their resources. Let us consider how these two authoritative roles differ, uncover their key responsibilities, and learn how you can get started on the path toward either profession.

The Importance of Nurse Leadership vs. Management

Nurse leadership and management roles are both necessary in high-stakes, fast-paced healthcare settings. Nurse leaders motivate and inspire fellow nurses to reach their full potential, embodying the essence of being a better nurse through constant improvement. Likewise, nurse managers keep schedules organized, ensuring their nursing staff is there to tackle what comes.

What is Nurse Leadership?

Nurse leaders are authority figures in the emergency room, triage center, and other healthcare settings. They are looked up to for advice, direction, and counsel from their colleagues and are generally responsible for:¹

• Creating a shared vision amongst nursing teams and setting the policies to achieve it often involves interprofessional collaboration in nursing to improve patient care.
• Listening to team members’ concerns and communicating effectively with and between colleagues
• Inspiring others to do their best and strive for professional growth

Nurse leaders are masters of soft skills, using empathy, mentorship, and conflict resolution regularly to support their teams. On the other hand, nurse managers might more often use hard skills like organization and data analysis.

What is Nurse Management?

While leaders are responsible for their teams’ feelings and well-being, a nurse manager’s primary focus is on performance. They handle many of the nitty-gritty tasks of scheduling, budgeting, and delegating, including:²

• Allocating resources and establishing shift rotations
• Developing employment incentives and taking corrective action to improve team performance
• Hiring and terminating employees

Overall, managers do the difficult but necessary organizational work that allows nursing teams to focus on delivering care.

Key Differences Between Nurse Leadership and Management

Nursing leaders and managers both operate within the same workplaces and even collaborate on the same teams. Their roles differ significantly, however, when it comes to their focus and responsibilities.

Focus and Responsibilities

Nurse leaders are people-focused. They work to ensure their team is satisfied with their careers, comfortable with their teammates and hours, and able to perform at their best.

Nurse managers, on the other hand, are more numbers and results-oriented. They are responsible for rectifying budgets with staffing requirements, setting care goals, and establishing healthcare policies within their working environments.

What is the Best Leadership Style for Nurse Leaders?

Since nurse leaders and managers’ responsibilities vary, they likewise need different skill sets. Nurse leaders who deal with the more human aspects of healthcare teams must be:³

• Effective communicators – Leaders communicate not just with their teammates, but between them as well. They are responsible for successful collaboration and must be able to communicate clearly.  
• Highly educated and qualified – Nurse leaders are looked to for guidance, so they must have the expertise and experience to initiate strong judgment.
• Ethical – During times of dispute, leaders must encourage amicable resolution that treats each team member fairly and equally, upholding the standards of the nursing practice.

On the other hand, the more calculative duties of the nurse manager require them to be:⁴

• Role models – Nurse managers set schedules and demand excellent work from their nursing staff. In turn, they should display the same determined work ethic they expect from their colleagues.
• Positive – Since nurse managers set care practices, workplace etiquette, and similar policies, they must strive to promote a positive healthcare environment amongst staff and patients.
• Excellent prioritizers – Managers allocate assignments and select specific staff members for certain patients. They must know their team, understand patients’ needs, and prioritize their resources to provide optimal care at all times.

Both nurse leader and manager roles are exciting careers that allow you to oversee a team, mentor others, and help more patients. If you are interested in either, you should consider how the roles fit your skills and goals.

Factors to Consider When Choosing a Path

Nurse managers and nurse leaders are both essential and rewarding roles. Which to pick, however, is a personal choice based on factors like:

• Your strengths – Are you personable, people-oriented, and caring? Then, a role as a nurse leader may be the best fit. Alternatively, if you are a more analytical, pragmatic, and numbers-oriented person, nursing management may be a better choice.
• Interests – Do you prefer working with people on a personal level or managing larger groups at arm’s length? Do you like to resolve conflicts or set schedules and expectations? Decide what kind of work you are interested in before deciding between nurse leadership and management.
• Goals – What is the ultimate aspiration for your career? If it is becoming a nurse leader or manager, then pursue the one that your heart is set on. If you have a dream beyond either of these roles, pick the one that advances you on the path to your preferred career.

Speaking of goals and future career growth, whether you decide to become a nurse leader or manager, both offer room for personal advancement.

Opportunities for Growth and Advancement

Whether you pursue leadership or management, there is ample opportunity for career advancement once you are established in your field. Before deciding between the two, consider these:

Leadership Roles and Opportunities

Nurse leader is a broad term that refers to a variety of roles within the healthcare sector. A couple of the key positions available to nurse leaders include:

• Executive leadership – Executive nurse leaders often oversee other medical professionals within their healthcare organization. They ensure consistency in nursing practices, including care standards and expectations, for all the teams under their watch.⁵
• Clinical leadership – Clinical leaders are often involved at the physical care level by tending to patients, but likewise, work to motivate and influence other team members to enhance their performance.⁶

Leaders are necessary in a variety of healthcare settings, and if you see a registered nurse working, there is a solid chance there is a nurse leader on duty as well.

Management Roles and Opportunities

Like nurse leadership, management roles are diverse and vary based on the field, area, and facility. A few nurse management professions are:

• Unit manager – Unit managers focus on strategy and administration within healthcare settings. They are responsible for implementing care policies and staying on top of the latest medical developments to improve clinical practice.⁷
• Nurse supervisor – With a focus on quality assurance and oversight, nurse supervisors ensure the smooth daily operations of clinics and other healthcare facilities.⁸  
• Nurse administrator – Nurse administrators are responsible for large groups of professionals, such as an entire hospital’s staff. They are the key decision-makers for hiring, scheduling, and other major organizational concerns.⁹

Nurse management is a diverse and interesting field. Most roles that involve setting schedules, staffing, and other logistical tasks fall under its umbrella.

The Importance of Both Roles

Leaders are essential for increasing morale, fostering collaboration, and communicating key concerns to their teams. On the other hand, without the hiring skills, scheduling foresight, and delegation of the nurse manager, every nursing team would lack essential structure.

Both are key to delivering quality patient care and ensuring the efficient operations of any healthcare facility. If you are interested in either role, you can get your nursing journey underway today by applying to Alliant International University.

Choose Your Path with Alliant International University

When it comes to nurse leadership vs. management, while they contain different responsibilities, both are essential to healthcare operations. Nurse leaders motivate teams, resolve conflicts, and handle other interpersonal affairs. Meanwhile, nurse managers hire staff, set schedules, and deal with similar logistical concerns.

If you are considering either as a career path, do yourself a favor and apply to the nursing school at Alliant.

Our Master of Science in Nursing, Nurse Executive program lets students who have already obtained a Bachelor of Science in Nursing take the next step on their journey to a nursing leadership position or management position. In this two-year online program, you will work under qualified mentors, gain valuable industry experience, and elevate your healthcare knowledge in preparation for a supervisory or leadership role.

Apply to Alliant International University today. Your future team is waiting.

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Sources: 

1. Open Resources for Nursing (Open RN). “Chapter 4 - Leadership and Management.” Nursing Management and Professional Concepts [Internet]., 1970. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK598387/.
2. Open Resources for Nursing (Open RN). “Chapter 4 - Leadership and Management.” Nursing Management and Professional Concepts [Internet]., 1970. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK598387/.
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5. What Is a Chief Nursing Officer / Chief Nurse Executive?” American Nursing Association, March 7, 2024. https://www.nursingworld.org/content-hub/resources/nursing-leadership/chief-nursing-officer/.
6. Guibert-Lacasa, Carlota, and Mónica Vázquez-Calatayud. “Nurses’ Clinical Leadership in the Hospital Setting: A Systematic Review.” Journal of nursing management. Accessed October 25, 2024. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9311216/.
7. “What Do Nurse Unit Managers Do? 6 Important Responsibilities of a Nurse Unit Manager.” Nurses Now By Healthcare Australia, May 16, 2023. https://nursesnow.com.au/news/what-do-nurse-unit-managers-do-a-complete-guide/. 
8. “Nurse Supervisor.” North Carolina State Human Resources. Accessed October 25, 2024. https://oshr.nc.gov/migrated-files/guide/compwebsite/profiles/nurse-supervisor-profile/download.
9. “How to Become a Nurse Administrator.” American Nursing Association, February 8, 2024. https://www.nursingworld.org/content-hub/resources/nursing-resources/ho….