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Nursing attendant vs prn

The differences between nursing attendants and prns can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-3 months to become both a nursing attendant and an prn. Additionally, an prn has an average salary of $39,642, which is higher than the $30,630 average annual salary of a nursing attendant.

The top three skills for a nursing attendant include patients, vital signs and blood pressure. The most important skills for an prn are patients, healthcare, and occupational therapy.

Nursing attendant vs prn overview

Nursing AttendantPRN
Yearly salary$30,630$39,642
Hourly rate$14.73$19.06
Growth rate9%9%
Number of jobs192,62272,309
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 32%Associate Degree, 41%
Average age4242
Years of experience33

What does a nursing attendant do?

Also called a nursing aide, a nursing attendant provides fundamental patient care in residents and hospitals of long-term care facilities. Nursing attendants are supervised by registered nurses and follow physician or registered nurses' care instructions. The attendants monitor important signs and dispense medication, which depends on the experience level and the environment. They should have a good foundation of clinical knowledge and skills. Among the other skills for this job include attention to detail, good teamwork, work schedules and duties flexibility, and great verbal and written communication.

What does an prn do?

A PRN or a "pro re nata" employee is responsible for covering a shift or a specific situation, especially during short-staffing or the need to complete a particular task. The PRNs often work for a medical industry without a regular or full-time commitment, having the freedom to manage their time and take multiple assignments from different organizations. A PRN must have excellent communication and organization skills, providing quality healthcare services to the patients and the organization.

Nursing attendant vs prn salary

Nursing attendants and prns have different pay scales, as shown below.

Nursing AttendantPRN
Average salary$30,630$39,642
Salary rangeBetween $19,000 And $47,000Between $17,000 And $89,000
Highest paying City-Davis, CA
Highest paying state-Hawaii
Best paying company-Erlanger Health System
Best paying industry-Professional

Differences between nursing attendant and prn education

There are a few differences between a nursing attendant and an prn in terms of educational background:

Nursing AttendantPRN
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 32%Associate Degree, 41%
Most common majorNursingNursing
Most common college--

Nursing attendant vs prn demographics

Here are the differences between nursing attendants' and prns' demographics:

Nursing AttendantPRN
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 24.8% Female, 75.2%Male, 21.0% Female, 79.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 6.9% White, 56.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 13.6% Asian, 8.3% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage7%7%

Differences between nursing attendant and prn duties and responsibilities

Nursing attendant example responsibilities.

  • Insert straight catheters and manage Foley catheters.
  • Maintain guidelines of OSHA and HIPPA standard requirements.
  • Initiate cardiopulmonary resuscitation in emergency situations.
  • Initiate cardiopulmonary resuscitation in emergency situations.

Prn example responsibilities.

  • Develop discharge plans base on individual patients' medical and ADL needs to ensure safety and security issues are addressed.
  • Experience with ICU patients including ventilator and non-ventilator dependent patients.
  • Tend to the physical and emotional needs of patients recovering from critical injury or extensive orthopedic surgery.
  • Provide patient rehabilitation to primarily geriatric short/long term care patients of different diagnosis and document treatment sessions appropriately.
  • Provide PRN speech services including evaluation and treatments in acute care, inpatient rehabilitation, and outpatient settings with adult populations
  • Incorporate invasive monitoring and CPR skills as needed.
  • Show more

Nursing attendant vs prn skills

Common nursing attendant skills
  • Patients, 32%
  • Vital Signs, 8%
  • Blood Pressure, 7%
  • BLS, 7%
  • Cleanliness, 6%
  • ADL, 5%
Common prn skills
  • Patients, 29%
  • Healthcare, 9%
  • Occupational Therapy, 7%
  • CPR, 5%
  • Rehabilitation, 5%
  • Customer Service, 4%

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