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What does an prn do?

Updated January 8, 2025
6 min read
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.

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Prn responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real prn resumes:

  • 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.
  • Provide PRN coverage for multiple locations in SNF setting.
  • Train on and implement new functions within the EMR system.
  • Perform EKG and basic lab test according to specific ICD-9 codes.
  • Read EKG strips and report any abnormalities to the MD on call.
  • Perform hearing assessment on newborn infants and NICU babies, and record results into EMR.
  • Perform all respiratory treatments, colostomy care, wound/incision care, catheter and PICC line care.
  • Assist in emergency situations, including but not limit to, performance of CPR and necessary medication administration.
  • Monitor and record patient progress in response to therapy; educate patients and family members regarding diagnosis and therapeutic treatments
  • Work directly with doctors in surgery clinic to administer anesthesia for plastic surgeries.

Prn skills and personality traits

We calculated that 29% of PRNs are proficient in Patients, Healthcare, and Occupational Therapy. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Compassion, and Patience.

We break down the percentage of PRNs that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Patients, 29%

    Phase II: (Outpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation) Monitoring patients cardiac status with telemetry monitors during activity and exercise.

  • Healthcare, 9%

    Affiliated hospitals are dedicated to providing quality healthcare for local residents and contribute to the economic development of their communities.

  • Occupational Therapy, 7%

    Document safe and effective daily treatments in occupational therapy records to assist in continuing towards progress with individualized treatment plans.

  • CPR, 5%

    Attend medicare, stand up meetings and care plans o PTA indirect license o APTA CI o CPR Certified

  • Rehabilitation, 5%

    Provided PRN speech services including evaluation and treatments in acute care, inpatient rehabilitation, and outpatient settings with adult populations

  • Customer Service, 4%

    Provide excellent customer service and patient teaching for stabilization/successful recovery and maintaining optimal patient health and family relationships.

Common skills that an prn uses to do their job include "patients," "healthcare," and "occupational therapy." You can find details on the most important prn responsibilities below.

Communication skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for an prn to have is communication skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "nursing assistants and orderlies must communicate effectively to address patients’ or residents’ concerns." Prns often use communication skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "evaluated and treated cognitive communication disorders resulting from cva and other neurological disorders. "

Compassion. Many prn duties rely on compassion. "nursing assistants and orderlies assist and care for the sick, injured, and elderly," so an prn will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways prn responsibilities rely on compassion: "provide comprehensive and compassionate therapy services in inpatient rehab unit. "

Patience. prns are also known for patience, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to prn responsibilities, because "the routine tasks of cleaning, feeding, and bathing patients or residents can be stressful." An prn resume example shows how patience is used in the workplace: "take patience vital signs 2. "

Physical stamina. For certain prn responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "physical stamina." The day-to-day duties of an prn rely on this skill, as "nursing assistants and orderlies spend much of their time on their feet." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what prns do: "assisted mentally and physically challenged clients with daily needs, medication administration, outings, and appointments. "

See the full list of prn skills

The three companies that hire the most prns are:

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Compare different prns

Prn vs. Clinical medical assistant

A clinical medical assistant specializes in performing administrative and clinical tasks in a hospital or similar setting. Their responsibilities revolve around gathering a patient's information, medical history, test results, and other essential documentation, and updating patient medical records. Other tasks include reaching out to patients' families and guardians, assisting health workers with room preparation and patient care, and preparing medications and other treatments, all in adherence to a physician's directives. Furthermore, a clinical medical assistant may conduct inspections to ensure that the hospital complies with government regulations.

The annual salary of clinical medical assistants is $2,590 lower than the average salary of prns.Even though prns and clinical medical assistants are distinct careers, a few of the skills required for both jobs are similar. For example, both careers require patients, cpr, and rehabilitation in the day-to-day roles and responsibilities.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between prns and clinical medical assistant. For instance, prn responsibilities require skills such as "healthcare," "occupational therapy," "physical therapy," and "acute care." Whereas a clinical medical assistant is skilled in "patient care," "medical assistants," "phlebotomy," and "exam rooms." This is part of what separates the two careers.

Clinical medical assistants tend to make the most money working in the health care industry, where they earn an average salary of $35,264. In contrast, prns make the biggest average salary, $49,871, in the professional industry.clinical medical assistants tend to reach lower levels of education than prns. In fact, clinical medical assistants are 8.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.8% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Prn vs. Care associate

Patient care associates typically work at different healthcare settings where their primary job is to provide basic patient needs and comfort. They are also responsible for several patient care tasks, including bathing patients, changing the pillows and bedsheets of patients, and serving patients' meals. They should comply with safety protocols when performing these tasks. Some of them can give patients medication depending on the level of their training. To become a patient care specialist, one should possess several skills, such as good communication.

Care associate positions earn lower pay than prn roles. They earn a $7,084 lower salary than prns per year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Prns and care associates both require similar skills like "patients," "cpr," and "rehabilitation" to carry out their responsibilities.

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that prn responsibilities requires skills like "healthcare," "occupational therapy," "physical therapy," and "acute care." But a care associate might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "pca," "phlebotomy," "medical terminology," and "infection control."

Care associates earn a lower average salary than prns. But care associates earn the highest pay in the health care industry, with an average salary of $31,845. Additionally, prns earn the highest salaries in the professional with average pay of $49,871 annually.In general, care associates achieve lower levels of education than prns. They're 6.9% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.8% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Prn vs. Hospital corpsman

Hospital corpsmen are U.S. Navy enlisted medical specialists who perform the initial treatment during combat. The medical specialists serve as assistants in injury and disease prevention and treatment. They assist the health care professionals in the medical care of the Marine Corps and Navy personnel. Among their duties and responsibilities include preventive care, maintenance of patient treatment records, and administration of injections and medications. Also, it is their job to carry out emergency dental or medical treatment to marines and sailors.

On average, hospital corpsmen earn lower salaries than prns, with a $5,285 difference per year.By looking over several prns and hospital corpsmen resumes, we found that both roles require similar skills in their day-to-day duties, such as "patients," "cpr," and "vital signs." But beyond that, the careers look very different.

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, an prn is likely to be skilled in "healthcare," "occupational therapy," "rehabilitation," and "customer service," while a typical hospital corpsman is skilled in "emergency medicine," "clinical laboratory tests," "laboratory specimens," and "medical care."

Hospital corpsmen typically earn lower educational levels compared to prns. Specifically, they're 5.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Prn vs. Medication aide

A medication aide is a healthcare professional who is responsible for administering medication to patients daily in a hospital or medical facility. As certified nursing assistants, medication aides should possess knowledge of patient care procedures so that they can coordinate with different nurses to deliver them. They follow written or verbal instructions from physicians on how to manage their patients' medications. Medication aides are also required to observe their patients and document changes in their conditions.

Medication aides average a higher salary than the annual salary of prns. The difference is about $1,157 per year.While both prns and medication aides complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like patients, cpr, and rehabilitation, the two careers vary in some skills.

Even though a few skill sets overlap between prns and medication aides, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an prn might have more use for skills like "healthcare," "occupational therapy," "physical therapy," and "acute care." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of medication aides require skills like "compassion," "resident care," "state regulations," and "infection control. "

In general, medication aides earn the most working in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $39,103. The highest-paying industry for an prn is the professional industry.The average resume of medication aides showed that they earn lower levels of education compared to prns. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 8.0% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 1.4%.

Types of prn

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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