Critical care nurse vs clinical research nurse

The differences between critical care nurses and clinical research nurses can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a critical care nurse has an average salary of $76,788, which is higher than the $60,347 average annual salary of a clinical research nurse.

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

Critical care nurse vs clinical research nurse overview

	Critical Care Nurse	Clinical Research Nurse
Yearly salary	$76,788	$60,347
Hourly rate	$36.92	$29.01
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	594,859	703,983
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	-	2

What does a critical care nurse do?

A critical care nurse is responsible for providing quality care for patients confined in the intensive care unit of a health care facility. Critical care nurses maintain an organized medical chart to report the patient's condition to an attending physician and other medical professionals. They also administer medication, regularly check the patient's vital signs, and assist the doctors in conducting medical procedures and laboratory examinations. A critical care nurse also suggests care plans for the patients, especially during discharge, to ensure total recovery.

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.

Critical care nurse vs clinical research nurse salary

Critical care nurses and clinical research nurses have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Critical Care Nurse	Clinical Research Nurse
Average salary	$76,788	$60,347
Salary range	Between $45,000 And $130,000	Between $44,000 And $82,000
Highest paying City	Palo Alto, CA	Sacramento, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Dignity Health	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	Health Care	Education

Differences between critical care nurse and clinical research nurse education

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

	Critical Care Nurse	Clinical Research Nurse
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Critical care nurse vs clinical research nurse demographics

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

	Critical Care Nurse	Clinical Research Nurse
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 18.9% Female, 81.1%	Male, 10.9% Female, 89.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black 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%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between critical care nurse and clinical research nurse duties and responsibilities

Critical care nurse example responsibilities.

Interpret laboratory results, EKG readings, cardiac monitors, managing medication drips, and ventilator settings.
Monitor chemotherapy and administration of oral chemo medication, obtain laboratory specimens to manage client status via central lines.
Work on the general units of rehabilitation, geriatrics, and telemetry.
Work in critical care floors ranging from MICU to SICU to regular ICU.
Perform emergency medical procedures such as BLS, ACLS, and other condition stabilizing interventions.
Care for patients with a wide variety of critical illnesses and are CCRN certify for many years.

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.

Critical care nurse vs clinical research nurse skills

Common critical care nurse skills

Patients, 31%
BLS, 11%
Acls, 8%
Life Support, 5%
Quality Care, 3%
Compassion, 3%

Common clinical research nurse skills

Patients, 28%
BLS, 10%
Acute Care, 5%
Acls, 3%
Surgery, 3%
Quality Care, 3%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Critical Care Nurse
Critical Care Nurse vs Clinical Research Nurse

Updated January 8, 2025

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