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Head nurse vs nurse clinician

The differences between head nurses and nurse clinicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a head nurse and a nurse clinician. Additionally, a head nurse has an average salary of $80,173, which is higher than the $65,159 average annual salary of a nurse clinician.

The top three skills for a head nurse include patients, BLS and compassion. The most important skills for a nurse clinician are patients, patient education, and CPR.

Head nurse vs nurse clinician overview

Head NurseNurse Clinician
Yearly salary$80,173$65,159
Hourly rate$38.54$31.33
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs649,127596,073
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 49%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age4444
Years of experience22

Head nurse vs nurse clinician salary

Head nurses and nurse clinicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Head NurseNurse Clinician
Average salary$80,173$65,159
Salary rangeBetween $48,000 And $132,000Between $48,000 And $88,000
Highest paying CityMinneapolis, MNNew York, NY
Highest paying stateCaliforniaNew York
Best paying companyAstraZenecaHealthpoint
Best paying industryEducationEducation

Differences between head nurse and nurse clinician education

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

Head NurseNurse Clinician
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 49%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common majorNursingNursing
Most common collegeDuke UniversityDuke University

Head nurse vs nurse clinician demographics

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

Head NurseNurse Clinician
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 13.1% Female, 86.9%Male, 10.9% Female, 89.1%
Race ratioBlack 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%Black or African American, 12.1% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 9.6% White, 64.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between head nurse and nurse clinician duties and responsibilities

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.
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Nurse clinician example responsibilities.

  • Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
  • Provide high level nursing care for ER step down and ICU patients prior to transfer to critical care units.
  • Instruct ACLS and BLS classes.
  • Specialize care for telemetry and orthopedic patients.
  • Provide specialized nursing care to ICU medical cardiac patient populations.
  • Provide education regarding care of surgical patients as part of orientation to orienting telemetry nurses.
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Head nurse vs nurse clinician skills

Common head nurse skills
  • Patients, 31%
  • BLS, 9%
  • Compassion, 6%
  • Acute Care, 6%
  • Acls, 4%
  • CPR, 3%
Common nurse clinician skills
  • Patients, 33%
  • Patient Education, 5%
  • CPR, 5%
  • Emergency Situations, 5%
  • Patient Outcomes, 3%
  • Educational Programs, 3%

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