Infection control nurse vs home care nurse

The differences between infection control nurses and home care 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 infection control nurse and a home care nurse. Additionally, an infection control nurse has an average salary of $75,171, which is higher than the $53,762 average annual salary of a home care nurse.

The top three skills for an infection control nurse include patients, infection prevention and infection control. The most important skills for a home care nurse are patients, home health, and CPR.

Infection control nurse vs home care nurse overview

	Infection Control Nurse	Home Care Nurse
Yearly salary	$75,171	$53,762
Hourly rate	$36.14	$25.85
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	279,739	692,730
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	2

What does an infection control nurse do?

Infection Control Nurses are the first responders to an outbreak of an infection. They must quickly contain an infection and ensure that it is not spread to other individuals. They also helps in spreading information about disease prevention and protecting public health. After the initial containment of the disease, it is the nurse's job to take care of the patient and work under a doctor to help the patient recover and become healthy again.

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.

Infection control nurse vs home care nurse salary

Infection control nurses and home care nurses have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Infection Control Nurse	Home Care Nurse
Average salary	$75,171	$53,762
Salary range	Between $50,000 And $110,000	Between $34,000 And $84,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Eugene, OR
Highest paying state	California	Oregon
Best paying company	Connecticut Children's Medical Center	Overlake Medical Center & Clinics
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between infection control nurse and home care nurse education

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

	Infection Control Nurse	Home Care Nurse
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Infection control nurse vs home care nurse demographics

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

	Infection Control Nurse	Home Care Nurse
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 12.5% Female, 87.5%	Male, 13.5% Female, 86.5%
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, 11.0% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between infection control nurse and home care nurse duties and responsibilities

Infection control nurse example responsibilities.

Manage cases of patients recently hospitalize, afflict with chronic debilitating conditions and other long-term care needs.
Provide all in-service instruction to all employees and new staff members base on OSHA and state regulations.
Maintain regulatory compliance with national and regulatory bodies such as JCAHO, CDC, OSHA, and FDA.
Track CPR renewals for medical staff.
Update and maintain TB and vaccination records for all employees and residents.
Perform annual TB skin test for employees and MDOC inmates in prison.

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

Infection control nurse vs home care nurse skills

Common infection control nurse skills

Patients, 17%
Infection Prevention, 9%
Infection Control, 6%
Public Health, 6%
Infection Control Practices, 5%
Infection Control Policies, 4%

Common home care nurse skills

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

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Infection Control Nurse
Infection Control Nurse vs Home Care Nurse

Updated January 8, 2025

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