Home care nurse vs critical care nurse

The differences between home care nurses and critical care 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 $53,762 average annual salary of a home care nurse.

The top three skills for a home care nurse include patients, home health and CPR. The most important skills for a critical care nurse are patients, BLS, and acls.

Home care nurse vs critical care nurse overview

	Home Care Nurse	Critical Care Nurse
Yearly salary	$53,762	$76,788
Hourly rate	$25.85	$36.92
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	692,730	594,859
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	-

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.

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.

Home care nurse vs critical care nurse salary

Home care nurses and critical care nurses have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Home Care Nurse	Critical Care Nurse
Average salary	$53,762	$76,788
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $84,000	Between $45,000 And $130,000
Highest paying City	Eugene, OR	Palo Alto, CA
Highest paying state	Oregon	California
Best paying company	Overlake Medical Center & Clinics	Dignity Health
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between home care nurse and critical care nurse education

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

	Home Care Nurse	Critical Care Nurse
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Home care nurse vs critical care nurse demographics

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

	Home Care Nurse	Critical Care Nurse
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 13.5% Female, 86.5%	Male, 18.9% Female, 81.1%
Race ratio	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%	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%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between home care nurse and critical care nurse duties and responsibilities

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

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.

Home care nurse vs critical care nurse skills

Common home care nurse skills

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

Common critical care nurse skills

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

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Home Care Nurse
Home Care Nurse vs Critical Care Nurse

Updated January 8, 2025

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