Nurse clinician vs licensed practical nurse

The differences between nurse clinicians and licensed practical nurses can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a nurse clinician and a licensed practical nurse. Additionally, a nurse clinician has an average salary of $65,159, which is higher than the $52,912 average annual salary of a licensed practical nurse.

The top three skills for a nurse clinician include patients, patient education and CPR. The most important skills for a licensed practical nurse are patients, CPR, and home health.

Nurse clinician vs licensed practical nurse overview

	Nurse Clinician	Licensed Practical Nurse
Yearly salary	$65,159	$52,912
Hourly rate	$31.33	$25.44
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	596,073	614,369
Job satisfaction	-	3.33
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Associate Degree, 33%
Average age	44	46
Years of experience	2	2

What does a nurse clinician do?

A nurse clinician is a health expert who provides care and assistance to patients in hospitals, clinics, or similar establishments. Among their responsibilities include preparing equipment and documents, administering medication, monitoring the patient's condition, maintaining charts, and regularly reporting to physicians. In some establishments, they may also perform administrative support tasks such as answering calls and correspondence, preparing and processing documents, and organizing records. Moreover, a nurse clinician must maintain an active communication line with fellow medical staff to provide optimal services to patients.

What does a licensed practical nurse do?

Licensed practical nurses are considered leading front liners in the clinic or hospital setting. They assist nurses and doctors in conducting various activities related to sick or injured patients. Licensed practical nurses are primarily expected to provide routine care for patients and assist registered nurses in creating care plans. They maintain and update medical records, prepare patients for medical examinations, help patients dress, bath, or eat, take vital signs, administer and monitor medicine intake, monitor patients and update nurses and doctors on patient status, and assist during medical examinations.

Nurse clinician vs licensed practical nurse salary

Nurse clinicians and licensed practical nurses have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Nurse Clinician	Licensed Practical Nurse
Average salary	$65,159	$52,912
Salary range	Between $48,000 And $88,000	Between $37,000 And $74,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	New York	Hawaii
Best paying company	Healthpoint	The Citadel
Best paying industry	Education	Health Care

Differences between nurse clinician and licensed practical nurse education

There are a few differences between a nurse clinician and a licensed practical nurse in terms of educational background:

	Nurse Clinician	Licensed Practical Nurse
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Associate Degree, 33%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	Duke University	Emory University

Nurse clinician vs licensed practical nurse demographics

Here are the differences between nurse clinicians' and licensed practical nurses' demographics:

	Nurse Clinician	Licensed Practical Nurse
Average age	44	46
Gender ratio	Male, 10.9% Female, 89.1%	Male, 11.3% Female, 88.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.1% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 9.6% White, 64.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 12.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 6.5% White, 59.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	9%	7%

Differences between nurse clinician and licensed practical nurse duties and responsibilities

Nurse clinician example responsibilities.

Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
Provide high level nursing care for ER step down and ICU patients prior to transfer to critical care units.
Instruct ACLS and BLS classes.
Specialize care for telemetry and orthopedic patients.
Provide specialized nursing care to ICU medical cardiac patient populations.
Provide education regarding care of surgical patients as part of orientation to orienting telemetry nurses.

Licensed practical nurse example responsibilities.

Manage all operational aspects of the organizations open heart program while also serving in the role of APN.
Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
Provide nursing care for med/surg patients in the transitional phase of recovery.
Work up patients for the Dr, administer allergy testing, mix allergens.
Perform emergency medical procedures, such as BLS, ACLS, and other condition stabilizing interventions.
Drug screens, phlebotomy wind care education of safety practices communications with treatment facilities as indicated/.

Nurse clinician vs licensed practical nurse skills

Common nurse clinician skills

Patients, 33%
Patient Education, 5%
CPR, 5%
Emergency Situations, 5%
Patient Outcomes, 3%
Educational Programs, 3%

Common licensed practical nurse skills

Patients, 23%
CPR, 11%
Home Health, 10%
Medication Administration, 4%
Quality Care, 4%
Vital Signs, 4%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Nurse Clinician
Nurse Clinician vs Licensed Practical Nurse

Updated January 8, 2025

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