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The differences between community health workers and community health nurses can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a community health worker, becoming a community health nurse takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a community health nurse has an average salary of $59,638, which is higher than the $37,079 average annual salary of a community health worker.
The top three skills for a community health worker include patients, community health and social work. The most important skills for a community health nurse are patients, community health, and home health.
| Community Health Worker | Community Health Nurse | |
| Yearly salary | $37,079 | $59,638 |
| Hourly rate | $17.83 | $28.67 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 82,445 | 403,240 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Average age | 43 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
A community health worker is a health professional who is a lay member of the community that provides health care in both urban and rural environments. Community health workers offer the health needs of the community they serve and provide some direct services such as first aid and blood pressure screening. They help people understand their health conditions and deliver health information by using appropriate cultural terms and concepts. Community health workers also make home visits to patients who are clinically ill, pregnant women, and individuals at high risk of health problems.
The main role of a community health nurse is to provide care to patients. Community health nurses make a plan on educational assemblies, conduct health screenings, and hand-out fliers. These nurses administer immunizations and dispense medications. They distribute health-associated items such as pregnancy tests and condoms. Part of their job is to assist the elderly, pregnant women, disabled, or homeless by directing them to social service centers. Also, they may concentrate on offering community health nursing.
Community health workers and community health nurses have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Community Health Worker | Community Health Nurse | |
| Average salary | $37,079 | $59,638 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $49,000 | Between $41,000 And $85,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | New York |
| Best paying company | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory | Cottage Health |
| Best paying industry | Insurance | Government |
There are a few differences between a community health worker and a community health nurse in terms of educational background:
| Community Health Worker | Community Health Nurse | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Nursing |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | Duke University |
Here are the differences between community health workers' and community health nurses' demographics:
| Community Health Worker | Community Health Nurse | |
| Average age | 43 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 23.5% Female, 76.5% | Male, 9.2% Female, 90.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 6.4% Hispanic or Latino, 22.8% Asian, 5.8% White, 54.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 21% | 9% |