Infection control practitioner vs student nurse

The differences between infection control practitioners and student 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 student nurse. Additionally, an infection control practitioner has an average salary of $73,111, which is higher than the $37,281 average annual salary of a student nurse.

The top three skills for an infection control practitioner include patients, infection prevention and infection control. The most important skills for a student nurse are patients, vital signs, and direct patient care.

Infection control practitioner vs student nurse overview

	Infection Control Practitioner	Student Nurse
Yearly salary	$73,111	$37,281
Hourly rate	$35.15	$17.92
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	58,850	578,210
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	2

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 student nurse do?

A Student Nurse is responsible for treating and taking care of a patient's needs while upholding all the rules and medical regulations of a hospital or clinic. They work and function under the supervision of a Clinical Instructor while still gaining practical experience. Furthermore, among the duties of a Student Nurse revolves around following guidelines given by superiors, administering medication according to schedule, dressing patients, handing meals and changing beds, gathering and charting data, and coordinating with the instructor at all times.

Infection control practitioner vs student nurse salary

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

	Infection Control Practitioner	Student Nurse
Average salary	$73,111	$37,281
Salary range	Between $50,000 And $106,000	Between $26,000 And $52,000
Highest paying City	Springfield, MA	Oxnard, CA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Hawaii
Best paying company	Children's Hospital New Orleans	Boston Medical Center
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between infection control practitioner and student nurse education

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

	Infection Control Practitioner	Student Nurse
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Infection control practitioner vs student nurse demographics

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

	Infection Control Practitioner	Student Nurse
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 14.1% Female, 85.9%	Male, 15.5% Female, 84.5%
Race ratio	Black 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, 10.8% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 11.3% White, 64.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between infection control practitioner and student 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.

Student nurse example responsibilities.

Manage surgical recovery patients including vascular, ENT, GI urological and neurological cases, coronary bypass surgery patients.
Experience in plastics, general, podiatry, ortho, gyn, GI and pain services
Administer intravenous infusions, PO, IM, IVP, SubQ prescriptions and monitoring patients for adverse reactions.
Provide competent nursing care within scope of practice on the Med-Surg, and ICU floor as a student nurse.
Experience inserting IVs, total patient care, charting, and logging with SRHS computer system on multiple MED-SURG units.
Provide general patient care ADL's, administering dressing changes, providing nurses notes, and other aide duties for patient.

Infection control practitioner vs student 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 student nurse skills

Patients, 26%
Vital Signs, 9%
Direct Patient Care, 6%
Administer Medications, 4%
IV, 4%
CPR, 3%

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Infection Control Practitioner vs Student Nurse

Updated January 8, 2025

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