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The differences between nurse externs and registered nurses charge 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 registered nurse charge nurse. Additionally, a registered nurse charge nurse has an average salary of $71,342, 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 registered nurse charge nurse are patients, BLS, and CPR.
| Nurse Extern | Registered Nurse Charge Nurse | |
| Yearly salary | $37,156 | $71,342 |
| Hourly rate | $17.86 | $34.30 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 569,180 | 645,134 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Associate Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
The job of a nurse extern is to assist the mentor nurse in their nursing duties. They help the mentor nurse in various medical procedures such as administering medications or starting intravenous therapies. They provide or help with personal patient care, including changing bed linens, oral hygiene, and bathing. Nurse externships typically have different requirements that include having finished nursing school, completing a clinical nursing course before the training, and being registered in a nursing program.
A registered charge nurse is responsible for supervising nurses' workflow in a particular department or area, ensuring every patient gets the proper care that they need. A registered charge nurse has the discretion to direct tasks, arrange schedules, and monitor patients, such as in the aspects of admission and discharge. Furthermore, a registered charge nurse must maintain an active line of communication and coordination among nurses, physicians, and other personnel involved as the conditions in a hospital can be unpredictable.
Nurse externs and registered nurses charge nurses have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Nurse Extern | Registered Nurse Charge Nurse | |
| Average salary | $37,156 | $71,342 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $47,000 | Between $46,000 And $110,000 |
| Highest paying City | Huntington Park, CA | San Diego, CA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Menorah Medical Center | Alameda Health System |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a nurse extern and a registered nurse charge nurse in terms of educational background:
| Nurse Extern | Registered Nurse Charge Nurse | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Associate Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | Emory University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between nurse externs' and registered nurses charge nurses' demographics:
| Nurse Extern | Registered Nurse Charge Nurse | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 14.3% Female, 85.7% | Male, 12.1% Female, 87.9% |
| Race ratio | Black 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, 11.7% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |