Consultant nurse vs head nurse

The differences between consultants nurse 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 consultant nurse and a head nurse. Additionally, a head nurse has an average salary of $80,173, which is higher than the $71,690 average annual salary of a consultant nurse.

The top three skills for a consultant nurse include excellent interpersonal, patients and discharge planning. The most important skills for a head nurse are patients, BLS, and compassion.

Consultant nurse vs head nurse overview

	Consultant Nurse	Head Nurse
Yearly salary	$71,690	$80,173
Hourly rate	$34.47	$38.54
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	58,140	649,127
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	2

Consultant nurse vs head nurse salary

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

	Consultant Nurse	Head Nurse
Average salary	$71,690	$80,173
Salary range	Between $50,000 And $101,000	Between $48,000 And $132,000
Highest paying City	Stockton, CA	Minneapolis, MN
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	CVS Health	AstraZeneca
Best paying industry	Pharmaceutical	Education

Differences between consultant nurse and head nurse education

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

	Consultant Nurse	Head Nurse
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Consultant nurse vs head nurse demographics

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

	Consultant Nurse	Head Nurse
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 10.6% Female, 89.4%	Male, 13.1% Female, 86.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 9.0% White, 66.1% 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 Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between consultant nurse and head nurse duties and responsibilities

Consultant nurse example responsibilities.

Monitor patients' status during surgery (circulate in operating room) and manage patients in PACU.
Subpoena, organize and review medical records for defense counsel in medical malpractice, product liability and personal injury litigation.
Conduct medical record analysis and provide case summation in complex personal injury, product liability, employment and insurance defense litigation.
course for the LTC R.N.
Conform to all applicable HIPAA, billing compliance and safety guidelines.
Create new staffing patterns for surgical and medical and ICU units.

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.

Consultant nurse vs head nurse skills

Common consultant nurse skills

Excellent Interpersonal, 8%
Patients, 7%
Discharge Planning, 6%
Customer Service, 6%
Patient Care, 5%
Rehabilitation, 4%

Common head nurse skills

Patients, 31%
BLS, 9%
Compassion, 6%
Acute Care, 6%
Acls, 4%
CPR, 3%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Consultant Nurse
Consultant Nurse vs Head Nurse

Updated January 8, 2025

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