What does an advanced practice registered nurse do?
Advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) are professional healthcare providers who have post-master's certificates to provide primary and preventive care to patients in community-based settings. These registered nurses must evaluate and identify the patient's need for care while ordering diagnostic tests and prescribing them with medications. They can perform minor medical procedures and provide counseling to patients together with their families. Advanced practice registered nurses must also manage registered nurses and medical assistants and consult with doctors and specialists about the condition of their patients.
Advanced practice registered nurse responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real advanced practice registered nurse resumes:
- Employ as an APRN to manage wind care for adults and geriatrics in a rehabilitation and nursing home setting.
- Manage chronic comorbid conditions such as; congestive heart failure, COPD, hypothyroidism, atrial fibrillation and hypertension.
- Manage acute and chronic conditions such as ESRD, COPD, heart failure, spinal cord injury, and diabetes.
- Demonstrate clinical competency and compassion in providing care, using technology, administering medications, performing procedures and managing emergencies.
- Provide comprehensive assessment, diagnosis, planning, intervention, education and evaluation of patients in an acute/critical care hospital setting.
- Train volunteer nurses, physicians, and staff in the transition to the EMR.
- Experience with suturing, preliminary interpretations of radi- ographs, punch biopsy, and splinting.
- Complete history and physicals, daily progress notes, medication management and discharges to home and various rehabilitation services.
- Document patient encounters utilizing EMR.
- Perform laceration repair including suturing.
- First-Assist in surgery, including advance microsurgery in spinal cases.
- Assist in surgical prep including communication with operating room techs/nurses regarding equipment need prior to surgery.
- Use appropriate analysis and synthesis of client data for diagnosis and for identification of appropriate therapeutic interventions.
- Provide initial comprehensive psychiatric diagnostic interview to establish a psychiatric working diagnosis in accordance with the DSMV.
- Work with patients in this private outpatient clinic working with chemical dependency treatment of adolescents and adults with medication management.
Advanced practice registered nurse skills and personality traits
We calculated that 22% of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses are proficient in Patients, APRN, and Diagnosis. They’re also known for soft skills such as Interpersonal skills, Leadership skills, and Resourcefulness.
We break down the percentage of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 22%
Worked with patients in this private outpatient clinic working with chemical dependency treatment of adolescents and adults with medication management.
- APRN, 16%
Attended monthly Utah APRN Educational/informational meetings.
- Diagnosis, 8%
Obtain medical history, physical examination, interpretation, and diagnosis of acute medical needs; Prescribe appropriate medications.
- Acute Care, 4%
Work with inpatients in acute care / ICU setting on my weekend to work at Oak Bend Medical Center.
- Advanced Life Support, 3%
Perform therapeutic nursing interventions, such as stabilizing patients, providing advanced life support, administering medications and initiating corrective actions.
- Diagnostic Studies, 3%
Completed physicals and collaborated with mentor about which medications and diagnostic studies to order.
"patients," "aprn," and "diagnosis" are among the most common skills that advanced practice registered nurses use at work. You can find even more advanced practice registered nurse responsibilities below, including:
Organizational skills. A big part of what advanced practice registered nurses do relies on "organizational skills." You can see how essential it is to advanced practice registered nurse responsibilities because "nurses often work with multiple patients who have a variety of health needs." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical advanced practice registered nurse tasks: "utilized organizational and nursing skills to assist in the care of the gyn oncology patient seeking medical care at umc. "
Physical stamina. Another crucial skill for an advanced practice registered nurse to carry out their responsibilities is "physical stamina." A big part of what advanced practice registered nurses relies on this skill, since "nurses should be comfortable performing physical tasks, such as lifting patients." How this skill relates to advanced practice registered nurse duties can be seen in an example from an advanced practice registered nurse resume snippet: "dot physical work physical return to work clearance and family practice with everything that includes for all ages"
Communication skills. While "communication skills" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to advanced practice registered nurse responsibilities. Much of what an advanced practice registered nurse does relies on this skill, seeing as "registered nurses must be able to communicate effectively with patients in order to understand their concerns and evaluate their health conditions." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of advanced practice registered nurses: "demonstrated excellent communication skills with patients, collaborating physicians and team members. "
See the full list of advanced practice registered nurse skills
The three companies that hire the most advanced practice registered nurses are:
- Cleveland Clinic329 advanced practice registered nurses jobs
- The University of New Mexico210 advanced practice registered nurses jobs
- Florida Medical Clinic63 advanced practice registered nurses jobs
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Advanced practice registered nurse vs. Staff nurse
Staff nurses are registered nurses who are usually assigned to work in a care home, a company, or in a clinical setting. They advise the physical assessments of patients, employees, and residents. They also handle the checking of vital signs, providing basic medical procedures, giving first aid, and, if possible, providing over the counter medication. Staff nurses provide medical attention to the people in their place of assignment. They help pave the path to their patients' full recovery. Staff nurses are expected to be patient and have good interpersonal skills.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between advanced practice registered nurses and staff nurse. For instance, advanced practice registered nurse responsibilities require skills such as "aprn," "diagnosis," "diagnostic studies," and "diagnostic tests." Whereas a staff nurse is skilled in "bls," "cpr," "acls," and "patient safety." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Staff nurses earn the highest salaries when working in the health care industry, with an average yearly salary of $58,739. On the other hand, advanced practice registered nurses are paid more in the health care industry with an average salary of $100,089.The education levels that staff nurses earn slightly differ from advanced practice registered nurses. In particular, staff nurses are 43.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an advanced practice registered nurse. Additionally, they're 2.8% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Advanced practice registered nurse vs. Registered nurse charge nurse
A registered charge nurse is responsible for supervising nurses' workflow in a particular department or area, ensuring every patient gets the proper care that they need. A registered charge nurse has the discretion to direct tasks, arrange schedules, and monitor patients, such as in the aspects of admission and discharge. Furthermore, a registered charge nurse must maintain an active line of communication and coordination among nurses, physicians, and other personnel involved as the conditions in a hospital can be unpredictable.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, advanced practice registered nurse responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "aprn," "diagnosis," "diagnostic studies," and "mental health." Meanwhile, a registered nurse charge nurse has duties that require skills in areas such as "bls," "cpr," "acls," and "resident care." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
On average, registered nurses charge nurses earn a lower salary than advanced practice registered nurses. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, registered nurses charge nurses earn the most pay in the health care industry with an average salary of $68,929. Whereas advanced practice registered nurses have higher pay in the health care industry, with an average salary of $100,089.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Registered nurses charge nurses tend to reach lower levels of education than advanced practice registered nurses. In fact, they're 43.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 2.8% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Advanced practice registered nurse vs. Registered nurse case manager
A registered nurse is responsible for providing medical services to patients, assisting doctors in hospitals, clinics, and other health centers. Registered nurses' duties include monitoring the condition of admitted patients, operating medical equipment, responding to patients' inquiries, assisting on physical exams and medications, keeping medical records, and observing strict hygienic standards. A registered nurse must display strong communication and organizational skills, as well as the ability to multi-task, attend to patients' needs, and adjust to different conditions.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, an advanced practice registered nurse is likely to be skilled in "aprn," "diagnosis," "acute care," and "advanced life support," while a typical registered nurse case manager is skilled in "care coordination," "quality care," "utilization review," and "community resources."
Registered nurse case managers earn the best pay in the pharmaceutical industry, where they command an average salary of $72,809. Advanced practice registered nurses earn the highest pay from the health care industry, with an average salary of $100,089.registered nurse case managers typically earn lower educational levels compared to advanced practice registered nurses. Specifically, they're 43.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 3.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Advanced practice registered nurse vs. Registered professional nurse
Types of advanced practice registered nurse
Updated January 8, 2025











