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Infection control practitioner vs home care nurse

The differences between infection control practitioners 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 practitioner and a home care nurse. Additionally, an infection control practitioner has an average salary of $73,111, which is higher than the $53,762 average annual salary of a home care nurse.

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

Infection control practitioner vs home care nurse overview

Infection Control PractitionerHome Care Nurse
Yearly salary$73,111$53,762
Hourly rate$35.15$25.85
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs58,850692,730
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 53%Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Average age4444
Years of experience22

What does an infection control practitioner do?

An infection control practitioner is a highly qualified and sought-after medical practitioner. They operate in a wide range of environments and help prevent, investigate, monitor, and report infectious diseases in these environments. They must be able to formulate and execute effective approaches to minimize the spread of infections and have up-to-date awareness of infection-control methods. Due to the risk of infection in their work environment, they must strictly adhere to safety protocol.

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 practitioner vs home care nurse salary

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

Infection Control PractitionerHome Care Nurse
Average salary$73,111$53,762
Salary rangeBetween $50,000 And $106,000Between $34,000 And $84,000
Highest paying CitySpringfield, MAEugene, OR
Highest paying stateMassachusettsOregon
Best paying companyChildren's Hospital New OrleansOverlake Medical Center & Clinics
Best paying industryHealth CareHealth Care

Differences between infection control practitioner and home care nurse education

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

Infection Control PractitionerHome Care Nurse
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 53%Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Most common majorNursingNursing
Most common collegeDuke UniversityDuke University

Infection control practitioner vs home care nurse demographics

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

Infection Control PractitionerHome Care Nurse
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 14.1% Female, 85.9%Male, 13.5% Female, 86.5%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% 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 Percentage9%9%

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

Infection control practitioner example responsibilities.

  • Treat acute illnesses and manage chronic conditions such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, chronic pain, and diabetes.
  • Manage team of medical support personnel, orient new clinical employees and develop new guidelines for chemotherapy administration.
  • Provision of care includes health maintenance, disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment with specialty consultations as indicated.
  • Develop IC plans, ICRA, performing CDC NHSN surveillance.
  • Develop blood borne pathogen policy and exposure management program to meet OSHA and CDC requirements.
  • Work collaboratively with staff, departments and administration to reduce the risk of hospital-acquir infections among patients.
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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
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Infection control practitioner vs home care nurse skills

Common infection control practitioner skills
  • Patients, 18%
  • Infection Prevention, 8%
  • Infection Control, 7%
  • Public Health, 6%
  • Infection Control Policies, 6%
  • Infection Control Practices, 5%
Common home care nurse skills
  • Patients, 25%
  • Home Health, 18%
  • CPR, 8%
  • Companionship, 8%
  • Social Work, 3%
  • Primary Care, 3%

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