Private duty nurse vs home care nurse

The differences between private duty nurses and home care 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 private duty nurse and a home care nurse. Additionally, a private duty nurse has an average salary of $55,518, which is higher than the $53,762 average annual salary of a home care nurse.

The top three skills for a private duty nurse include home health, patients and medication administration. The most important skills for a home care nurse are patients, home health, and CPR.

Private duty nurse vs home care nurse overview

	Private Duty Nurse	Home Care Nurse
Yearly salary	$55,518	$53,762
Hourly rate	$26.69	$25.85
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	256,740	692,730
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	2

What does a private duty nurse do?

A private duty nurse is responsible for providing quality health care services for a specific patient's medical needs. Private duty nurses work within a large health care institution or in a private household setting, depending on their scope and availability. They assist the medical staff in administering medications for the patients, conducting medical procedures, evaluating the patients' condition, and reporting progress and any updates to the attending physician for immediate attention. A private duty nurse must be highly attentive, especially on supporting the patient's daily activities and self-care needs.

What does a home care nurse do?

A home care nurse is responsible for providing quality health care for patients, usually in a private home setting. Home care nurses monitor patients' conditions and their medication and other treatments as prescribed by the attending physician or other health care professionals. They assist with the patients' daily activities such as bathing, feeding, and performing procedures such as taking the patients' temperature and vital signs, collecting specimens, and updating their medical chart.

Private duty nurse vs home care nurse salary

Private duty nurses and home care nurses have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Private Duty Nurse	Home Care Nurse
Average salary	$55,518	$53,762
Salary range	Between $41,000 And $74,000	Between $34,000 And $84,000
Highest paying City	Springfield, MA	Eugene, OR
Highest paying state	Rhode Island	Oregon
Best paying company	Health First	Overlake Medical Center & Clinics
Best paying industry	Government	Health Care

Differences between private duty nurse and home care nurse education

There are a few differences between a private duty nurse and a home care nurse in terms of educational background:

	Private Duty Nurse	Home Care Nurse
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Private duty nurse vs home care nurse demographics

Here are the differences between private duty nurses' and home care nurses' demographics:

	Private Duty Nurse	Home Care Nurse
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 9.6% Female, 90.4%	Male, 13.5% Female, 86.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between private duty nurse and home care nurse duties and responsibilities

Private duty nurse example responsibilities.

Manage Ventriculostomies and interpret ICP and CVP readings.
Manage patient care monitoring vital signs, performing physical assessment, checking patients medications for effectiveness.
Communicate with medicaid, and insurance companies to ensure patients receive appropriate care and payment of procedures and medication.
Provide daily assessments, ADL's medication management and any necessary medical treatments.
Monitor ventilator and oxygen saturation regularly; offer medication, treatments, and tracheostomy care.
Provide care to home bound individuals with tracheostomy, ventilator assistance patients, administration of medications, referrals

Home care nurse example responsibilities.

Manage patient care monitoring vital signs, performing physical assessment, checking patients medications for effectiveness.
Enter the nursing profession working in an ICU step down unit, with medical and surgical patients.
Care for many patients with complex issues with compassion and care and enhances the standard of care within the clinical area.
Provide care for pediatric patients with chronic illnesses and pediatric ventilator and tracheostomy patients.
Provide home dialysis services to patients receiving rehabilitation in a nursing home setting utilizing NxStage machines.
Monitor cardiac rhythms and treat per ACLS protocols

Private duty nurse vs home care nurse skills

Common private duty nurse skills

Home Health, 34%
Patients, 31%
Medication Administration, 3%
Hospice Care, 3%
Vital Signs, 3%
Trach Care, 3%

Common home care nurse skills

Patients, 25%
Home Health, 18%
CPR, 8%
Companionship, 8%
Social Work, 3%
Primary Care, 3%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Private Duty Nurse
Private Duty Nurse vs Home Care Nurse

Updated January 8, 2025

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