Post job

Registered nurse vs nurse practitioner

The differences between registered nurses and nurse practitioners can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a registered nurse and a nurse practitioner. Additionally, a nurse practitioner has an average salary of $100,033, which is higher than the $73,349 average annual salary of a registered nurse.

The top three skills for a registered nurse include patients, BLS and CPR. The most important skills for a nurse practitioner are patients, diagnosis, and home health.

Registered nurse vs nurse practitioner overview

Registered NurseNurse Practitioner
Yearly salary$73,349$100,033
Hourly rate$35.26$48.09
Growth rate6%40%
Number of jobs646,15927,912
Job satisfaction2.752.67
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 46%Master's Degree, 47%
Average age4443
Years of experience22

What does a registered nurse do?

The primary responsibilities of a registered nurse involve caring for a variety of patients, from ill and injured to those who are healthy and wanting to stay that way. Nurses have different specialization and work with particular patients, such as newborn babies or those who are suffering from particular medical conditions. They work on different settings which includes hospital, outpatient facility, rehabilitation center, nursing home, dialysis center, home healthcare agency, and other offices. They can administer medications, wound care, and other aids or treatment plan. They also conduct medical tests, interpret the results, and monitor patients' recovery and progress.

What does a nurse practitioner do?

A nurse practitioner's role is diverse. It revolves around supervising nurses in a particular area and providing immediate care and treatment to patients through extensive knowledge and clinical experience. Among the duties of a nurse practitioner involves diagnosing and treating medical conditions, performing research and analysis through various tests, evaluating data and results, operating different kinds of medical equipment, and gathering samples from patients. Furthermore, a nurse practitioner must maintain an active line of communication and coordination among fellow health workers in a hospital or clinic.

Registered nurse vs nurse practitioner salary

Registered nurses and nurse practitioners have different pay scales, as shown below.

Registered NurseNurse Practitioner
Average salary$73,349$100,033
Salary rangeBetween $45,000 And $117,000Between $62,000 And $161,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CARichmond, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyNORCAL AmbulancePace University
Best paying industryHealth Care-

Differences between registered nurse and nurse practitioner education

There are a few differences between a registered nurse and a nurse practitioner in terms of educational background:

Registered NurseNurse Practitioner
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 46%Master's Degree, 47%
Most common majorNursingNursing
Most common collegeDuke UniversityDuke University

Registered nurse vs nurse practitioner demographics

Here are the differences between registered nurses' and nurse practitioners' demographics:

Registered NurseNurse Practitioner
Average age4443
Gender ratioMale, 12.3% Female, 87.7%Male, 13.1% Female, 86.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 9.0% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 6.7% Asian, 6.3% White, 77.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage9%12%

Differences between registered nurse and nurse practitioner duties and responsibilities

Registered nurse example responsibilities.

  • Manage patient care for individuals with multiple diagnoses including COPD, diabetes, stroke and cardiac issues.
  • Organize and manage regular clinics involving external physicians, including ophthalmology, ENT, Med/Surg, orthopedics, and podiatry professionals.
  • Manage surgical recovery patients including vascular, ENT, GI urological and neurological cases, coronary bypass surgery patients.
  • Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
  • Provide care for cardiac patients in arrhythmia critical care unit, providing patient education and monitoring telemetry
  • Re-Cover surgical patients immediately after heart and vascular surgery until transfer out of ICU.
  • Show more

Nurse practitioner example responsibilities.

  • Manage care of chronic pediatric patients in PICU.
  • Assess, diagnose and medically manage patients with various GI diseases and dysfunctions
  • Manage medical illnesses including diabetes, hypertension, thyroid conditions and asthma and other medical conditions.
  • Manage pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment of diabetes and provide prescriptions and education before discharge from the hospital.
  • Manage appropriate changes to individualize care plan to ensure cost and time efficacy in an outpatient physical medicine and rehabilitation office.
  • Document correctly the patients' information in electronic health record and observe HIPAA.
  • Show more

Registered nurse vs nurse practitioner skills

Common registered nurse skills
  • Patients, 24%
  • BLS, 10%
  • CPR, 6%
  • Acute Care, 5%
  • Acls, 5%
  • Home Health, 4%
Common nurse practitioner skills
  • Patients, 29%
  • Diagnosis, 7%
  • Home Health, 5%
  • Diagnostic Tests, 5%
  • Acute Care, 3%
  • EMR, 3%

Browse healthcare practitioner and technical jobs