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Nurse extern vs head nurse

The differences between nurse externs and head 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 extern and a head nurse. Additionally, a head nurse has an average salary of $80,173, which is higher than the $37,156 average annual salary of a nurse extern.

The top three skills for a nurse extern include patients, vital signs and CPR. The most important skills for a head nurse are patients, BLS, and compassion.

Nurse extern vs head nurse overview

Nurse ExternHead Nurse
Yearly salary$37,156$80,173
Hourly rate$17.86$38.54
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs569,180649,127
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 53%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age4444
Years of experience22

Nurse extern vs head nurse salary

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

Nurse ExternHead Nurse
Average salary$37,156$80,173
Salary rangeBetween $29,000 And $47,000Between $48,000 And $132,000
Highest paying CityHuntington Park, CAMinneapolis, MN
Highest paying stateHawaiiCalifornia
Best paying companyMenorah Medical CenterAstraZeneca
Best paying industryHealth CareEducation

Differences between nurse extern and head nurse education

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

Nurse ExternHead Nurse
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 53%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common majorNursingNursing
Most common collegeEmory UniversityDuke University

Nurse extern vs head nurse demographics

Here are the differences between nurse externs' and head nurses' demographics:

Nurse ExternHead Nurse
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 14.3% Female, 85.7%Male, 13.1% Female, 86.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 9.9% White, 64.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%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 Percentage9%9%

Differences between nurse extern and head nurse duties and responsibilities

Nurse extern example responsibilities.

  • Organize and manage regular clinics involving external physicians, including ophthalmology, ENT, Med/Surg, orthopedics, and podiatry professionals.
  • Assist patients with activities of daily living, obtain vital signs and assessments, and perform 12 lead EKG's.
  • Perform initial assessments on patients in outpatient oncology clinic; recording vital signs, significant medical history and chief complaints.
  • Shadow to adult medical-surgical nurse staff- head-to-toe assessment, assist with medication administration, computer charting with co-signor, and telemetry monitoring
  • Obtain ACLS, to ensure patients receive the best quality of care.
  • Obtain ACLS certification and then float to all critical care areas as needed.
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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.
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Nurse extern vs head nurse skills

Common nurse extern skills
  • Patients, 39%
  • Vital Signs, 11%
  • CPR, 4%
  • Direct Patient Care, 4%
  • Direct Supervision, 4%
  • Patient Care, 3%
Common head nurse skills
  • Patients, 31%
  • BLS, 9%
  • Compassion, 6%
  • Acute Care, 6%
  • Acls, 4%
  • CPR, 3%

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