Post job

Nurse extern vs registered nurse

The differences between nurse externs and registered 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. Additionally, a registered nurse has an average salary of $73,349, 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 are patients, BLS, and CPR.

Nurse extern vs registered nurse overview

Nurse ExternRegistered Nurse
Yearly salary$37,156$73,349
Hourly rate$17.86$35.26
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs569,180646,159
Job satisfaction-2.75
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 53%Associate Degree, 46%
Average age4444
Years of experience22

What does a nurse extern do?

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.

What does a registered nurse do?

The primary responsibilities of a registered nurse involve caring for a variety of patients, from ill and injured to those who are healthy and wanting to stay that way. Nurses have different specialization and work with particular patients, such as newborn babies or those who are suffering from particular medical conditions. They work on different settings which includes hospital, outpatient facility, rehabilitation center, nursing home, dialysis center, home healthcare agency, and other offices. They can administer medications, wound care, and other aids or treatment plan. They also conduct medical tests, interpret the results, and monitor patients' recovery and progress.

Nurse extern vs registered nurse salary

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

Nurse ExternRegistered Nurse
Average salary$37,156$73,349
Salary rangeBetween $29,000 And $47,000Between $45,000 And $117,000
Highest paying CityHuntington Park, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateHawaiiCalifornia
Best paying companyMenorah Medical CenterNORCAL Ambulance
Best paying industryHealth CareHealth Care

Differences between nurse extern and registered nurse education

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

Nurse ExternRegistered Nurse
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 53%Associate Degree, 46%
Most common majorNursingNursing
Most common collegeEmory UniversityDuke University

Nurse extern vs registered nurse demographics

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

Nurse ExternRegistered Nurse
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 14.3% Female, 85.7%Male, 12.3% Female, 87.7%
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, 11.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 9.0% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between nurse extern and registered 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.
  • Show more

Registered nurse example responsibilities.

  • Manage patient care for individuals with multiple diagnoses including COPD, diabetes, stroke and cardiac issues.
  • Organize and manage regular clinics involving external physicians, including ophthalmology, ENT, Med/Surg, orthopedics, and podiatry professionals.
  • Manage surgical recovery patients including vascular, ENT, GI urological and neurological cases, coronary bypass surgery patients.
  • Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
  • Provide care for cardiac patients in arrhythmia critical care unit, providing patient education and monitoring telemetry
  • Re-Cover surgical patients immediately after heart and vascular surgery until transfer out of ICU.
  • Show more

Nurse extern vs registered nurse skills

Common nurse extern skills
  • Patients, 39%
  • Vital Signs, 11%
  • CPR, 4%
  • Direct Patient Care, 4%
  • Direct Supervision, 4%
  • Patient Care, 3%
Common registered nurse skills
  • Patients, 24%
  • BLS, 10%
  • CPR, 6%
  • Acute Care, 5%
  • Acls, 5%
  • Home Health, 4%

Browse healthcare practitioner and technical jobs