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The differences between nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a nurse practitioner, becoming a clinical nurse specialist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a nurse practitioner has an average salary of $100,033, which is higher than the $77,086 average annual salary of a clinical nurse specialist.
The top three skills for a nurse practitioner include patients, diagnosis and home health. The most important skills for a clinical nurse specialist are patients, BLS, and clinical practice.
| Nurse Practitioner | Clinical Nurse Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $100,033 | $77,086 |
| Hourly rate | $48.09 | $37.06 |
| Growth rate | 40% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 27,912 | 268,303 |
| Job satisfaction | 2.67 | - |
| Most common degree | Master's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 45% |
| Average age | 43 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
A nurse practitioner's role is diverse. It revolves around supervising nurses in a particular area and providing immediate care and treatment to patients through extensive knowledge and clinical experience. Among the duties of a nurse practitioner involves diagnosing and treating medical conditions, performing research and analysis through various tests, evaluating data and results, operating different kinds of medical equipment, and gathering samples from patients. Furthermore, a nurse practitioner must maintain an active line of communication and coordination among fellow health workers in a hospital or clinic.
Clinical nurse specialists (CNS) serve as experts in practicing nursing based on evidence in one or more specialty areas. These nurses use their advanced knowledge and experience in assessing, diagnosing, and treating patients. CNS is known to be called nurse educators for being assigned to conduct lectures in educational institutions due to their extensive effort to improve their craft. Additionally, their experience and expertise in a certain medical specialty qualify them to do case research.
Nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Nurse Practitioner | Clinical Nurse Specialist | |
| Average salary | $100,033 | $77,086 |
| Salary range | Between $62,000 And $161,000 | Between $54,000 And $109,000 |
| Highest paying City | Richmond, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Pace University | Mayo Clinic |
| Best paying industry | - | Government |
There are a few differences between a nurse practitioner and a clinical nurse specialist in terms of educational background:
| Nurse Practitioner | Clinical Nurse Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Master's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 45% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | Duke University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between nurse practitioners' and clinical nurse specialists' demographics:
| Nurse Practitioner | Clinical Nurse Specialist | |
| Average age | 43 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 13.1% Female, 86.9% | Male, 9.9% Female, 90.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 6.7% Asian, 6.3% White, 77.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 8.9% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 9% |