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Cardiac nurse specialist vs staff nurse

The differences between cardiac nurse specialists and staff 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 staff nurse. Additionally, a cardiac nurse specialist has an average salary of $70,130, which is higher than the $68,342 average annual salary of a staff nurse.

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

Cardiac nurse specialist vs staff nurse overview

Cardiac Nurse SpecialistStaff Nurse
Yearly salary$70,130$68,342
Hourly rate$33.72$32.86
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs396,644699,636
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 48%Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Average age4444
Years of experience22

Cardiac nurse specialist vs staff nurse salary

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

Cardiac Nurse SpecialistStaff Nurse
Average salary$70,130$68,342
Salary rangeBetween $45,000 And $108,000Between $42,000 And $109,000
Highest paying City-Burlingame, CA
Highest paying state-California
Best paying company-Washington Hospital Healthcare System
Best paying industry-Health Care

Differences between cardiac nurse specialist and staff nurse education

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

Cardiac Nurse SpecialistStaff Nurse
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 48%Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Most common majorNursingNursing
Most common collegeDuke UniversityDuke University

Cardiac nurse specialist vs staff nurse demographics

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

Cardiac Nurse SpecialistStaff Nurse
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 19.6% Female, 80.4%Male, 12.3% Female, 87.7%
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, 11.8% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between cardiac nurse specialist and staff 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.
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Staff nurse example responsibilities.

  • Manage and further help stabilize elective and urgent care surgical patients in their post-operative/post PACU admission to the floor.
  • Accomplish extensive critical care course with EKG interpretation and yearly critical care medication exam.
  • Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
  • Participate in discharge planning including teaching family members and patients wind care and medication administration process after discharge.
  • Provide direct nursing care to patients in a variety of settings with an emphasis in critical care and PACU settings.
  • Prepare patients for surgery and endoscopy procedures including initiating intravenous lines, physical assessments and administering medications.
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Cardiac nurse specialist vs staff nurse skills

Common cardiac nurse specialist skills
  • Patients, 30%
  • BLS, 9%
  • Acls, 8%
  • Acute Care, 5%
  • Rehabilitation, 4%
  • Electrophysiology, 3%
Common staff nurse skills
  • Patients, 28%
  • BLS, 9%
  • CPR, 6%
  • Acls, 5%
  • Acute Care, 4%
  • Direct Patient Care, 3%

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