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Instructor nurse vs head nurse

The differences between instructor nurses and head nurses can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an instructor nurse, becoming a head nurse takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a head nurse has an average salary of $80,173, which is higher than the $68,098 average annual salary of an instructor nurse.

The top three skills for an instructor nurse include BSN, professional development and MSN. The most important skills for a head nurse are patients, BLS, and compassion.

Instructor nurse vs head nurse overview

Instructor NurseHead Nurse
Yearly salary$68,098$80,173
Hourly rate$32.74$38.54
Growth rate12%6%
Number of jobs50,341649,127
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 47%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age4644
Years of experience42

Instructor nurse vs head nurse salary

Instructor nurses and head nurses have different pay scales, as shown below.

Instructor NurseHead Nurse
Average salary$68,098$80,173
Salary rangeBetween $43,000 And $107,000Between $48,000 And $132,000
Highest paying CityWashington, DCMinneapolis, MN
Highest paying stateNorth DakotaCalifornia
Best paying companyUniversity of Mississippi Medical CenterAstraZeneca
Best paying industryHealth CareEducation

Differences between instructor nurse and head nurse education

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

Instructor NurseHead Nurse
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 47%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common majorNursingNursing
Most common collegeDuke UniversityDuke University

Instructor nurse vs head nurse demographics

Here are the differences between instructor nurses' and head nurses' demographics:

Instructor NurseHead Nurse
Average age4644
Gender ratioMale, 12.3% Female, 87.7%Male, 13.1% Female, 86.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 7.3% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 11.2% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%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 Percentage16%9%

Differences between instructor nurse and head nurse duties and responsibilities

Instructor nurse example responsibilities.

  • Assess clinical education deliver to patients and clients utilizing a variety of health education delivery methods.
  • Serve as clinical instructor in Med-Surg, TCU and ICU settings.
  • Provide clinical instruction in community health nursing in the downtown Orlando area to first year BSN students.
  • Provide program syllabus per requirements.
  • Develop courses and assist in syllabus development.
  • Specialize in medical-surgical, fundamentals and pediatrics.
  • Show more

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.
  • Show more

Instructor nurse vs head nurse skills

Common instructor nurse skills
  • BSN, 14%
  • Professional Development, 11%
  • MSN, 9%
  • Student Learning, 7%
  • CPR, 5%
  • NCLEX, 5%
Common head nurse skills
  • Patients, 31%
  • BLS, 9%
  • Compassion, 6%
  • Acute Care, 6%
  • Acls, 4%
  • CPR, 3%

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