Post job

Cardiac nurse specialist vs head nurse

The differences between cardiac nurse specialists 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 cardiac nurse specialist and a head nurse. Additionally, a head nurse has an average salary of $80,173, which is higher than the $70,130 average annual salary of a cardiac nurse specialist.

The top three skills for a cardiac nurse specialist include patients, BLS and acls. The most important skills for a head nurse are patients, BLS, and compassion.

Cardiac nurse specialist vs head nurse overview

Cardiac Nurse SpecialistHead Nurse
Yearly salary$70,130$80,173
Hourly rate$33.72$38.54
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs396,644649,127
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 48%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age4444
Years of experience22

Cardiac nurse specialist vs head nurse salary

Cardiac nurse specialists and head nurses have different pay scales, as shown below.

Cardiac Nurse SpecialistHead Nurse
Average salary$70,130$80,173
Salary rangeBetween $45,000 And $108,000Between $48,000 And $132,000
Highest paying City-Minneapolis, MN
Highest paying state-California
Best paying company-AstraZeneca
Best paying industry-Education

Differences between cardiac nurse specialist and head nurse education

There are a few differences between a cardiac nurse specialist and a head nurse in terms of educational background:

Cardiac Nurse SpecialistHead Nurse
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 48%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common majorNursingNursing
Most common collegeDuke UniversityDuke University

Cardiac nurse specialist vs head nurse demographics

Here are the differences between cardiac nurse specialists' and head nurses' demographics:

Cardiac Nurse SpecialistHead Nurse
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 19.6% Female, 80.4%Male, 13.1% Female, 86.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.8% 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 cardiac nurse specialist and head nurse duties and responsibilities

Cardiac nurse specialist example responsibilities.

  • Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
  • Work with patients to recover normal lifestyles post cardiac events including surgery, in a cardiac rehabilitation clinical environment.
  • Develop and implement exercise programs for cardiac and pulmonary patients, stress testing, cardiac monitoring, and patient education
  • Monitor and interprets data from EKG and telemetry within scope of nursing care.
  • Monitor for life threatening EKG changes and administer appropriate therapy in treating patient.
  • Identify critical conditions and take the appropriate action to contact the physician for surgery, rapid response, or ICU care.
  • Show more

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.
  • Show more

Cardiac nurse specialist vs head nurse skills

Common cardiac nurse specialist skills
  • Patients, 30%
  • BLS, 9%
  • Acls, 8%
  • Acute Care, 5%
  • Rehabilitation, 4%
  • Electrophysiology, 3%
Common head nurse skills
  • Patients, 31%
  • BLS, 9%
  • Compassion, 6%
  • Acute Care, 6%
  • Acls, 4%
  • CPR, 3%

Browse healthcare practitioner and technical jobs