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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 | Registered Nurse | |
| Yearly salary | $37,156 | $73,349 |
| Hourly rate | $17.86 | $35.26 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 569,180 | 646,159 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 2.75 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Associate Degree, 46% |
| 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.
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 externs and registered nurses have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Nurse Extern | Registered Nurse | |
| Average salary | $37,156 | $73,349 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $47,000 | Between $45,000 And $117,000 |
| Highest paying City | Huntington Park, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | California |
| Best paying company | Menorah Medical Center | NORCAL Ambulance |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a nurse extern and a registered nurse in terms of educational background:
| Nurse Extern | Registered Nurse | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Associate Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | Emory University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between nurse externs' and registered nurses' demographics:
| Nurse Extern | Registered Nurse | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 14.3% Female, 85.7% | Male, 12.3% Female, 87.7% |
| 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, 11.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 9.0% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |