Discharge planner vs home care nurse

The differences between discharge planners and home care 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 discharge planner and a home care nurse. Additionally, a home care nurse has an average salary of $53,762, which is higher than the $52,855 average annual salary of a discharge planner.

The top three skills for a discharge planner include patients, social work and home health. The most important skills for a home care nurse are patients, home health, and CPR.

Discharge planner vs home care nurse overview

	Discharge Planner	Home Care Nurse
Yearly salary	$52,855	$53,762
Hourly rate	$25.41	$25.85
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	31,021	692,730
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	2

What does a discharge planner do?

In the health industry, a discharge planner is primarily responsible for assessing and meeting the patients' needs as they transition to their lives after being in the hospital. It is their duty to study the patients' medical history, provide discharge summaries to the patients' insurance providers, arrange services with external parties such as rehabilitation centers or therapists, and develop discharge plans that would guide the patients' on their journey to recovery. Moreover, they coordinate with medical experts and work with the patients' families to ensure the patient's welfare.

What does a home care nurse do?

A home care nurse is responsible for providing quality health care for patients, usually in a private home setting. Home care nurses monitor patients' conditions and their medication and other treatments as prescribed by the attending physician or other health care professionals. They assist with the patients' daily activities such as bathing, feeding, and performing procedures such as taking the patients' temperature and vital signs, collecting specimens, and updating their medical chart.

Discharge planner vs home care nurse salary

Discharge planners and home care nurses have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Discharge Planner	Home Care Nurse
Average salary	$52,855	$53,762
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $82,000	Between $34,000 And $84,000
Highest paying City	-	Eugene, OR
Highest paying state	-	Oregon
Best paying company	-	Overlake Medical Center & Clinics
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between discharge planner and home care nurse education

There are a few differences between a discharge planner and a home care nurse in terms of educational background:

	Discharge Planner	Home Care Nurse
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Most common major	Social Work	Nursing
Most common college	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	Duke University

Discharge planner vs home care nurse demographics

Here are the differences between discharge planners' and home care nurses' demographics:

	Discharge Planner	Home Care Nurse
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 13.6% Female, 86.4%	Male, 13.5% Female, 86.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between discharge planner and home care nurse duties and responsibilities

Discharge planner example responsibilities.

Manage full caseload of patients providing both supportive and educational counseling as well as utilization review and case management services.
Assist patients with completing Medicaid applications.
Coordinate and facilitate patient placement post discharge in clinical facilities, including SNF and rehabilitation programs.
Maintain verbal contact with family/petitioner, in compliance with HIPAA and JCAHO policy, with regards to consumer needs.
Facilitate transportation prior to approval from Medicaid including ambulance transfer.
Follow and adhere to facility policies and procedures implementing HIPAA requirements

Home care nurse example responsibilities.

Manage patient care monitoring vital signs, performing physical assessment, checking patients medications for effectiveness.
Enter the nursing profession working in an ICU step down unit, with medical and surgical patients.
Care for many patients with complex issues with compassion and care and enhances the standard of care within the clinical area.
Provide care for pediatric patients with chronic illnesses and pediatric ventilator and tracheostomy patients.
Provide home dialysis services to patients receiving rehabilitation in a nursing home setting utilizing NxStage machines.
Monitor cardiac rhythms and treat per ACLS protocols

Discharge planner vs home care nurse skills

Common discharge planner skills

Patients, 23%
Social Work, 18%
Home Health, 5%
Acute Care, 5%
Patient Care, 4%
Social Services, 3%

Common home care nurse skills

Patients, 25%
Home Health, 18%
CPR, 8%
Companionship, 8%
Social Work, 3%
Primary Care, 3%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Discharge Planner
Discharge Planner vs Home Care Nurse

Updated January 8, 2025

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