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The differences between discharge planners and home health 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 health nurse. Additionally, a home health nurse has an average salary of $69,393, 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 health nurse are home health, patients, and quality care.
| Discharge Planner | Home Health Nurse | |
| Yearly salary | $52,855 | $69,393 |
| Hourly rate | $25.41 | $33.36 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 31,021 | 687,941 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Associate Degree, 39% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
A home health nurse is responsible for assisting patients usually in their households, strictly monitoring their health conditions and treatment plans for fast recovery. Home health nurses work with the patients' attending physicians and other health professionals to develop healthcare plans and administer timely medications. They update the patient's chart regularly, record temperature and vital signs, manage food intake, and respond to the patients' inquiries and requests. A home health nurse must have strong organizational and time-management skills to perform various nursing duties under certain conditions.
Discharge planners and home health nurses have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Discharge Planner | Home Health Nurse | |
| Average salary | $52,855 | $69,393 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $82,000 | Between $48,000 And $99,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Petaluma, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | Senior Living Properties |
| Best paying industry | - | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a discharge planner and a home health nurse in terms of educational background:
| Discharge Planner | Home Health Nurse | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Associate Degree, 39% |
| Most common major | Social Work | Nursing |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | Duke University |
Here are the differences between discharge planners' and home health nurses' demographics:
| Discharge Planner | Home Health Nurse | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 13.6% Female, 86.4% | Male, 10.6% Female, 89.4% |
| 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, 11.8% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |