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Nurse coordinator vs staff nurse

The differences between nurse coordinators and staff 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 coordinator and a staff nurse. Additionally, a nurse coordinator has an average salary of $79,040, which is higher than the $68,342 average annual salary of a staff nurse.

The top three skills for a nurse coordinator include patients, CPR and customer service. The most important skills for a staff nurse are patients, BLS, and CPR.

Nurse coordinator vs staff nurse overview

Nurse CoordinatorStaff Nurse
Yearly salary$79,040$68,342
Hourly rate$38.00$32.86
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs428,775699,636
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 47%Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Average age4444
Years of experience22

What does a nurse coordinator do?

A nurse coordinator is primarily in charge of overseeing all nurses and their activities in a hospital or clinic. Their responsibilities include managing and rotating schedules, assessing nurse performance, organizing nursing programs, and developing strategies to optimize procedures. They may also assist patients and answer inquiries, studying their conditions to develop specific care plans to suit their needs. Furthermore, as a nurse coordinator, it is essential to lead and encourage teams to reach goals, all while implementing the facility's policies and regulations.

What does a staff nurse do?

Staff nurses are registered nurses who are usually assigned to work in a care home, a company, or in a clinical setting. They advise the physical assessments of patients, employees, and residents. They also handle the checking of vital signs, providing basic medical procedures, giving first aid, and, if possible, providing over the counter medication. Staff nurses provide medical attention to the people in their place of assignment. They help pave the path to their patients' full recovery. Staff nurses are expected to be patient and have good interpersonal skills.

Nurse coordinator vs staff nurse salary

Nurse coordinators and staff nurses have different pay scales, as shown below.

Nurse CoordinatorStaff Nurse
Average salary$79,040$68,342
Salary rangeBetween $61,000 And $102,000Between $42,000 And $109,000
Highest paying CityPalo Alto, CABurlingame, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyTenet HealthcareWashington Hospital Healthcare System
Best paying industryHealth CareHealth Care

Differences between nurse coordinator and staff nurse education

There are a few differences between a nurse coordinator and a staff nurse in terms of educational background:

Nurse CoordinatorStaff Nurse
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 47%Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Most common majorNursingNursing
Most common collegeDuke UniversityDuke University

Nurse coordinator vs staff nurse demographics

Here are the differences between nurse coordinators' and staff nurses' demographics:

Nurse CoordinatorStaff Nurse
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 9.5% Female, 90.5%Male, 12.3% Female, 87.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between nurse coordinator and staff nurse duties and responsibilities

Nurse coordinator example responsibilities.

  • Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
  • Assume administrative oversight of medical, pediatric and chemical dependency rehabilitation units during leaves of absence or vacancy.
  • Communicate with patients regarding test results and plan after participating in review of diagnostic testing results with attending physician.
  • Organize and schedule patients for multiple testing procedures and responsible for extensive patient teaching regarding all aspects of fertility and infertility.
  • Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
  • Contribute to the telemetry and radiology departments
  • Show more

Staff nurse example responsibilities.

  • Manage and further help stabilize elective and urgent care surgical patients in their post-operative/post PACU admission to the floor.
  • Accomplish extensive critical care course with EKG interpretation and yearly critical care medication exam.
  • Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
  • Participate in discharge planning including teaching family members and patients wind care and medication administration process after discharge.
  • Provide direct nursing care to patients in a variety of settings with an emphasis in critical care and PACU settings.
  • Prepare patients for surgery and endoscopy procedures including initiating intravenous lines, physical assessments and administering medications.
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Nurse coordinator vs staff nurse skills

Common nurse coordinator skills
  • Patients, 27%
  • CPR, 6%
  • Customer Service, 5%
  • Data Collection, 3%
  • Direct Patient Care, 3%
  • Quality Care, 3%
Common staff nurse skills
  • Patients, 28%
  • BLS, 9%
  • CPR, 6%
  • Acls, 5%
  • Acute Care, 4%
  • Direct Patient Care, 3%

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