Prn vs patient sitter

The differences between prns and patient sitters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-3 months to become both an prn and a patient sitter. Additionally, an prn has an average salary of $39,642, which is higher than the $29,649 average annual salary of a patient sitter.

The top three skills for an prn include patients, healthcare and occupational therapy. The most important skills for a patient sitter are patients, BLS, and CPR.

Prn vs patient sitter overview

	PRN	Patient Sitter
Yearly salary	$39,642	$29,649
Hourly rate	$19.06	$14.25
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	72,309	188,756
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 41%	Bachelor's Degree, 30%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	3	3

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 patient sitter do?

The primary job of a patient sitter is to provide patients with care and companionship. You will be responsible for a few duties that always include supervising patients, assisting them with basic personal hygiene and care, and monitoring their vital signs. As a patient sitter, you are expected to refrain from doing unauthorized or additional functions, identifying changes in patient's conditions, and maintaining patient information confidentiality. You are also expected to comply with relevant standards, procedures, and policies.

Prn vs patient sitter salary

Prns and patient sitters have different pay scales, as shown below.

	PRN	Patient Sitter
Average salary	$39,642	$29,649
Salary range	Between $17,000 And $89,000	Between $21,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	Davis, CA	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Washington
Best paying company	Erlanger Health System	Carondelet High School
Best paying industry	Professional	Health Care

Differences between prn and patient sitter education

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

	PRN	Patient Sitter
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 41%	Bachelor's Degree, 30%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	-	-

Prn vs patient sitter demographics

Here are the differences between prns' and patient sitters' demographics:

	PRN	Patient Sitter
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 21.0% Female, 79.0%	Male, 21.5% Female, 78.5%
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, 10.6% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 7.5% White, 61.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between prn and patient sitter 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.

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Patient sitter example responsibilities.

Conduct and facilitate PCA lead group activities as scheduled
Apply restraints to violent and combative patients.
Maintain OSHA and HIPAA compliance with regulatory standards.
Train in techniques for physical restraints (CPI).
Provide therapeutic companionship and close observation of patients in a safe and clean environment
Transport patient to MRI department.

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Prn vs patient sitter skills

Common prn skills

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

Common patient sitter skills

Patients, 41%
BLS, 12%
CPR, 7%
Customer Service, 6%
Patient Observation, 5%
Continuous Observation, 4%

PRN vs. similar jobs

PRN related careers

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Updated January 8, 2025

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