Icu staff nurse staff vs head nurse

The differences between icu staff nurse staff and head nurses can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an icu staff nurse staff and a head nurse. Additionally, a head nurse has an average salary of $80,173, which is higher than the $77,504 average annual salary of an icu staff nurse staff.

The top three skills for an icu staff nurse staff include patients, BLS and acls. The most important skills for a head nurse are patients, BLS, and compassion.

Icu staff nurse staff vs head nurse overview

	ICU Staff Nurse Staff	Head Nurse
Yearly salary	$77,504	$80,173
Hourly rate	$37.26	$38.54
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	642,142	649,127
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	2

Icu staff nurse staff vs head nurse salary

Icu staff nurse staff and head nurses have different pay scales, as shown below.

	ICU Staff Nurse Staff	Head Nurse
Average salary	$77,504	$80,173
Salary range	Between $49,000 And $121,000	Between $48,000 And $132,000
Highest paying City	Pacifica, CA	Minneapolis, MN
Highest paying state	Hawaii	California
Best paying company	Washington Hospital Healthcare System	AstraZeneca
Best paying industry	Health Care	Education

Differences between icu staff nurse staff and head nurse education

There are a few differences between an icu staff nurse staff and a head nurse in terms of educational background:

	ICU Staff Nurse Staff	Head Nurse
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Icu staff nurse staff vs head nurse demographics

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

	ICU Staff Nurse Staff	Head Nurse
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 17.5% Female, 82.5%	Male, 13.1% Female, 86.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black 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%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between icu staff nurse staff and head nurse duties and responsibilities

Icu staff nurse staff example responsibilities.

Manage patients requiring blood transfusions, iv antibiotic therapy, complications from chemotherapy and radiation.
Maintain BLS, ACLS and CCRN certifications.
Obtain BLS and ACLS instructor status.
Promote a compassion and a therapeutic environment for all patients and family members.
Perform EKG interpretation, vital sign monitoring and respond according to patient needs and physician orders.
Provide emergency resuscitation utilizing ACLS protocol when necessary.

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.

Icu staff nurse staff vs head nurse skills

Common icu staff nurse staff skills

Patients, 30%
BLS, 10%
Acls, 8%
Life Support, 6%
Good Interpersonal, 3%
Family Education, 3%

Common head nurse skills

Patients, 31%
BLS, 9%
Compassion, 6%
Acute Care, 6%
Acls, 4%
CPR, 3%

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ICU Staff Nurse Staff
ICU Staff Nurse Staff vs Head Nurse

Updated January 8, 2025

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