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Clinical research nurse vs traveling nurse

The differences between clinical research nurses and traveling 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 clinical research nurse and a traveling nurse. Additionally, a traveling nurse has an average salary of $83,961, which is higher than the $60,347 average annual salary of a clinical research nurse.

The top three skills for a clinical research nurse include patients, BLS and acute care. The most important skills for a traveling nurse are patients, acute care, and healthcare.

Clinical research nurse vs traveling nurse overview

Clinical Research NurseTraveling Nurse
Yearly salary$60,347$83,961
Hourly rate$29.01$40.37
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs703,983585,515
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 55%Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age4444
Years of experience22

What does a clinical research nurse do?

A clinical research nurse is responsible for conducting research studies on various health conditions, illness treatments, and healthcare methodologies, analyzing existing scientific research to make new reports. Clinical research nurses also communicate with other health professionals and health organizations for their insights and recommendations for a specific medical study, ensuring to report their findings to doctors and medical researchers for further validation and clinical trials. A clinical research nurse must have excellent knowledge of communication, both written and spoken, as well as expertise in the medical industry.

What does a traveling nurse do?

Often employed under a staffing agency, a travel nurse primarily works short-term on different limited-staffed hospitals in cities all over a country, and even abroad on rare occasions. They are mainly responsible for providing treatment and immediate care to patients, administering medicine, assisting in various tasks, preparing meals, and other functions that the supervising colleague delegates. Furthermore, as a travel nurse, one must quickly familiarize the surroundings and colleagues to work efficiently, all while upholding their oath as health care workers.

Clinical research nurse vs traveling nurse salary

Clinical research nurses and traveling nurses have different pay scales, as shown below.

Clinical Research NurseTraveling Nurse
Average salary$60,347$83,961
Salary rangeBetween $44,000 And $82,000Between $53,000 And $132,000
Highest paying CitySacramento, CADetroit, MI
Highest paying stateCaliforniaHawaii
Best paying companyUniversity of California, BerkeleyMaxim Healthcare Group
Best paying industryEducationProfessional

Differences between clinical research nurse and traveling nurse education

There are a few differences between a clinical research nurse and a traveling nurse in terms of educational background:

Clinical Research NurseTraveling Nurse
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 55%Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common majorNursingNursing
Most common collegeDuke UniversityDuke University

Clinical research nurse vs traveling nurse demographics

Here are the differences between clinical research nurses' and traveling nurses' demographics:

Clinical Research NurseTraveling Nurse
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 10.9% Female, 89.1%Male, 15.9% Female, 84.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 9.7% White, 65.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between clinical research nurse and traveling nurse duties and responsibilities

Clinical research nurse example responsibilities.

  • Maintain accountability and compassion while providing care, administering medications, performing procedures and managing emergencies.
  • Demonstrate clinical competency and compassion in providing care, using technology, administering medications, performing procedures and managing emergencies
  • Command of CPR team until a doctor arrives; defibrillate and assess patients' condition.
  • Administer pain medication through intravenous, oral or subcutaneous injection to recovering patients in the immediate post-operative period of surgery.
  • Provide complete nursing care for patient populations undergoing procedures relate to abdominal surgery, multiple trauma, oncology, and peritoneal dialysis
  • Provide skil nursing care for patients spanning the pediatric medical spectrum including hematology, immunology, oncology, neurology and endocrinology.
  • Show more

Traveling nurse example responsibilities.

  • Manage critically ill patient as a result of trauma, including vent management, ICP monitoring, and CRRT.
  • Manage and further help stabilize elective and/or urgent surgical patient in their post-operative, post PACU admission to the floor.
  • Manage bedside care per MD orders, administering medications, ensuring patient safety, assisting in ADL care, etc.
  • Monitor chemotherapy and administration of oral chemo medication, obtain laboratory specimens to manage client status via central lines.
  • Travel nurse who provide care to patients in SICU, MICU, CCU, and CVICU.
  • Work in both MICU and SICU
  • Show more

Clinical research nurse vs traveling nurse skills

Common clinical research nurse skills
  • Patients, 28%
  • BLS, 10%
  • Acute Care, 5%
  • Acls, 3%
  • Surgery, 3%
  • Quality Care, 3%
Common traveling nurse skills
  • Patients, 15%
  • Acute Care, 10%
  • Healthcare, 9%
  • Acls, 6%
  • Surgery, 6%
  • Telemetry, 4%

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