Combat medic vs nurse

The differences between combat medics and nurses can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a nurse has an average salary of $57,564, which is higher than the $37,945 average annual salary of a combat medic.

The top three skills for a combat medic include patients, emergency care and triage. The most important skills for a nurse are patients, home health, and CPR.

Combat medic vs nurse overview

	Combat Medic	Nurse
Yearly salary	$37,945	$57,564
Hourly rate	$18.24	$27.68
Growth rate	7%	6%
Number of jobs	3,291	696,124
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Average age	36	44
Years of experience	-	2

Combat medic vs nurse salary

Combat medics and nurses have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Combat Medic	Nurse
Average salary	$37,945	$57,564
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $50,000	Between $38,000 And $86,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Connecticut	California
Best paying company	DLH	Conviva
Best paying industry	Government	Government

Differences between combat medic and nurse education

There are a few differences between a combat medic and a nurse in terms of educational background:

	Combat Medic	Nurse
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	-	Duke University

Combat medic vs nurse demographics

Here are the differences between combat medics' and nurses' demographics:

	Combat Medic	Nurse
Average age	36	44
Gender ratio	Male, 71.9% Female, 28.1%	Male, 14.0% Female, 86.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 4.5% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	8%	9%

Differences between combat medic and nurse duties and responsibilities

Combat medic example responsibilities.

Manage chart completion (ICD-9-CM and CPT coding/abstracting), chart assembly and analysis, patient admission and patient information privacy/security.
Regulate & enforce fire safety procedures, current CPR & BLS requirements for all40+ staff members.
Preform proper triage procedures on patients accordingly.
Receive extensive medical training and EMT-B certification.
Learn and perfect BLS techniques.
Train hundreds of troops in BLS prior to deployment

Nurse example responsibilities.

Monitor patients' status during surgery (circulate in operating room) and manage patients in PACU.
Manage high-acuity cardiac/pulmonary and psychiatric patients
Monitor patients for cardiac rhythm changes and implement medication according to ACLS guidelines.
Educate patients and families on diseases processes, medications, wind care, and iv infusion.
Provide care for patients on medical/surgical, transplant, cardiac, orthopedic, postpartum, neonatal ICU, and psychiatric units
Demonstrate competence in CPR and other medical emergency situations.

Combat medic vs nurse skills

Common combat medic skills

Patients, 17%
Emergency Care, 11%
Triage, 7%
Medical Care, 5%
IV, 4%
CPR, 4%

Common nurse skills

Patients, 21%
Home Health, 7%
CPR, 6%
BLS, 6%
Acute Care, 5%
Acls, 4%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Combat Medic
Combat Medic vs Nurse

Updated January 8, 2025

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