Prn vs nurse

The differences between prns and nurses can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-3 months to become an prn, becoming a nurse takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a nurse has an average salary of $57,564, which is higher than the $39,642 average annual salary of an prn.

The top three skills for an prn include patients, healthcare and occupational therapy. The most important skills for a nurse are patients, home health, and CPR.

Prn vs nurse overview

	PRN	Nurse
Yearly salary	$39,642	$57,564
Hourly rate	$19.06	$27.68
Growth rate	9%	6%
Number of jobs	72,309	696,124
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 41%	Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Average age	42	44
Years of experience	3	2

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.

What does a nurse do?

Nurses are medical professionals assigned to a specific department in the hospital and provide their trusted department services. Nurses are in charge of taking patients' medical histories, getting vital signs, preparing patients for checkups or procedures, explaining upcoming practices, answering any questions, and communicating any concerns to the assigned doctor. Nurses should ensure that patients follow the medical advice given to them. They also assist patients in completing administrative requirements, such as filling out forms, validating details, and endorsing payments.

Prn vs nurse salary

Prns and nurses have different pay scales, as shown below.

	PRN	Nurse
Average salary	$39,642	$57,564
Salary range	Between $17,000 And $89,000	Between $38,000 And $86,000
Highest paying City	Davis, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Hawaii	California
Best paying company	Erlanger Health System	Conviva
Best paying industry	Professional	Government

Differences between prn and nurse education

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

	PRN	Nurse
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 41%	Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	-	Duke University

Prn vs nurse demographics

Here are the differences between prns' and nurses' demographics:

	PRN	Nurse
Average age	42	44
Gender ratio	Male, 21.0% Female, 79.0%	Male, 14.0% Female, 86.0%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	7%	9%

Differences between prn and nurse duties and responsibilities

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.

Nurse example responsibilities.

Monitor patients' status during surgery (circulate in operating room) and manage patients in PACU.
Manage high-acuity cardiac/pulmonary and psychiatric patients
Monitor patients for cardiac rhythm changes and implement medication according to ACLS guidelines.
Educate patients and families on diseases processes, medications, wind care, and iv infusion.
Provide care for patients on medical/surgical, transplant, cardiac, orthopedic, postpartum, neonatal ICU, and psychiatric units
Demonstrate competence in CPR and other medical emergency situations.

Prn vs nurse skills

Common prn skills

Patients, 29%
Healthcare, 9%
Occupational Therapy, 7%
CPR, 5%
Rehabilitation, 5%
Customer Service, 4%

Common nurse skills

Patients, 21%
Home Health, 7%
CPR, 6%
BLS, 6%
Acute Care, 5%
Acls, 4%