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The differences between home health nurses and visiting 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 home health nurse and a visiting nurse. Additionally, a home health nurse has an average salary of $69,393, which is higher than the $66,671 average annual salary of a visiting nurse.
The top three skills for a home health nurse include home health, patients and quality care. The most important skills for a visiting nurse are patients, home health, and acute care.
| Home Health Nurse | Visiting Nurse | |
| Yearly salary | $69,393 | $66,671 |
| Hourly rate | $33.36 | $32.05 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 687,941 | 387,797 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
A visiting nurse is responsible for providing quality health care services for the patients in health care institutions, community centers, or private household setting. Visiting nurses assist the patients in their daily activities, administer medications, update their medical charts, and inform the family and attending physicians for the health progress reports. They also support in doing medical procedures, such as taking temperatures and vital signs, collecting specimens for laboratory examinations, and guide the patients on their therapy sessions.
Home health nurses and visiting nurses have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Home Health Nurse | Visiting Nurse | |
| Average salary | $69,393 | $66,671 |
| Salary range | Between $48,000 And $99,000 | Between $46,000 And $95,000 |
| 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 home health nurse and a visiting nurse in terms of educational background:
| Home Health Nurse | Visiting Nurse | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | Duke University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between home health nurses' and visiting nurses' demographics:
| Home Health Nurse | Visiting Nurse | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 10.6% Female, 89.4% | Male, 15.5% Female, 84.5% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 10.0% Asian, 9.0% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |