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Registered nursing assistant vs prn

The differences between registered 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 registered nursing assistant and an prn. Additionally, a registered nursing assistant has an average salary of $50,644, which is higher than the $39,642 average annual salary of an prn.

The top three skills for a registered nursing assistant include patients, BLS and surgery. The most important skills for an prn are patients, healthcare, and occupational therapy.

Registered nursing assistant vs prn overview

Registered Nursing AssistantPRN
Yearly salary$50,644$39,642
Hourly rate$24.35$19.06
Growth rate9%9%
Number of jobs231,22472,309
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 38%Associate Degree, 41%
Average age4242
Years of experience33

What does a registered nursing assistant do?

The main role of a certified nurse assistant is to provide basic care to patients and help them with daily activities they might have trouble doing on their own, such as bathing and getting dressed. Their responsibilities include taking vital signs, providing food to patients and helping them eat, and lifting and moving patients who cannot move by themselves. Cleaning patients and maintaining a clean and sanitized environment is also important in this role.

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.

Registered nursing assistant vs prn salary

Registered nursing assistants and prns have different pay scales, as shown below.

Registered Nursing AssistantPRN
Average salary$50,644$39,642
Salary rangeBetween $31,000 And $80,000Between $17,000 And $89,000
Highest paying CityKaneohe, HIDavis, CA
Highest paying stateHawaiiHawaii
Best paying companyHuntington HospitalErlanger Health System
Best paying industryHealth CareProfessional

Differences between registered nursing assistant and prn education

There are a few differences between a registered nursing assistant and an prn in terms of educational background:

Registered Nursing AssistantPRN
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 38%Associate Degree, 41%
Most common majorNursingNursing
Most common college--

Registered nursing assistant vs prn demographics

Here are the differences between registered nursing assistants' and prns' demographics:

Registered Nursing AssistantPRN
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 14.0% Female, 86.0%Male, 21.0% Female, 79.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 7.5% White, 64.3% 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 Percentage7%7%

Differences between registered nursing assistant and prn duties and responsibilities

Registered nursing assistant example responsibilities.

  • Train in Phlebotomy, CPR, EKG, blood draws and train new staff.
  • Provide ACLS care to patients.
  • Learned how to use a Hoyer lift, sit-to-stand, and automatic blood pressure machine.
  • Select to train new staff in resident care, resulting in more team cohesion/increas collaboration and compassion for residents.
  • Maintain strict monitoring, diagnosis, and troubleshooting of specialize hemodialysis equipment to ensure patient safety.
  • Provide one-on-one rehabilitative physical therapy care to geriatric, orthopedic, and neurological cases in a home healthcare setting.
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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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Registered nursing assistant vs prn skills

Common registered nursing assistant skills
  • Patients, 20%
  • BLS, 12%
  • Surgery, 7%
  • Quality Care, 5%
  • Home Health, 4%
  • CPR, 4%
Common prn skills
  • Patients, 29%
  • Healthcare, 9%
  • Occupational Therapy, 7%
  • CPR, 5%
  • Rehabilitation, 5%
  • Customer Service, 4%

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