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The differences between psychiatric nursing assistants 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 psychiatric nursing assistant and an prn. Additionally, an prn has an average salary of $39,642, which is higher than the $30,184 average annual salary of a psychiatric nursing assistant.
The top three skills for a psychiatric nursing assistant include patients, mental health and vital signs. The most important skills for an prn are patients, healthcare, and occupational therapy.
| Psychiatric Nursing Assistant | PRN | |
| Yearly salary | $30,184 | $39,642 |
| Hourly rate | $14.51 | $19.06 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 181,338 | 72,309 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | Associate Degree, 41% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 3 | 3 |
Psychiatric Nursing Assistants require the ability to carry out individual patient treatment programs, as well as verbalization of patients' needs, clear and concise communication of information, and ensuring patient safety and well-being. Paying out at around $26K per year, this position requires no formal education outside of a diploma or GED, but postsecondary courses in psychology may help. Those who choose this career will be called on to assist mentally impaired or emotionally disturbed patients under nursing or medical staff direction, assist patients with their daily living activities, lead them to and from examinations and treatment, and restrain patients who become violent.
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.
Psychiatric nursing assistants and prns have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Psychiatric Nursing Assistant | PRN | |
| Average salary | $30,184 | $39,642 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $40,000 | Between $17,000 And $89,000 |
| Highest paying City | Olympia, WA | Davis, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Maine Health/maine Mental Health Partners | Erlanger Health System |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Professional |
There are a few differences between a psychiatric nursing assistant and an prn in terms of educational background:
| Psychiatric Nursing Assistant | PRN | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | Associate Degree, 41% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between psychiatric nursing assistants' and prns' demographics:
| Psychiatric Nursing Assistant | PRN | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 41.7% Female, 58.3% | Male, 21.0% Female, 79.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 16.8% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 20.8% Asian, 7.3% White, 49.4% 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 Percentage | 7% | 7% |