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School nurse vs head nurse

The differences between school nurses and head nurses can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a school nurse and a head nurse. Additionally, a head nurse has an average salary of $80,173, which is higher than the $54,998 average annual salary of a school nurse.

The top three skills for a school nurse include CPR, school health and health education. The most important skills for a head nurse are patients, BLS, and compassion.

School nurse vs head nurse overview

School NurseHead Nurse
Yearly salary$54,998$80,173
Hourly rate$26.44$38.54
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs282,124649,127
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 50%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age4444
Years of experience22

School nurse vs head nurse salary

School nurses and head nurses have different pay scales, as shown below.

School NurseHead Nurse
Average salary$54,998$80,173
Salary rangeBetween $39,000 And $77,000Between $48,000 And $132,000
Highest paying CityProvidence, RIMinneapolis, MN
Highest paying stateRhode IslandCalifornia
Best paying companyPreston High SchoolAstraZeneca
Best paying industryHealth CareEducation

Differences between school nurse and head nurse education

There are a few differences between a school nurse and a head nurse in terms of educational background:

School NurseHead Nurse
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 50%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common majorNursingNursing
Most common collegeDuke UniversityDuke University

School nurse vs head nurse demographics

Here are the differences between school nurses' and head nurses' demographics:

School NurseHead Nurse
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 6.3% Female, 93.7%Male, 13.1% Female, 86.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 8.8% White, 65.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 8.8% White, 65.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between school nurse and head nurse duties and responsibilities

School nurse example responsibilities.

  • Create and manage care plans for students with chronic health conditions (such as diabetes, food allergies and depression).
  • Evaluate and manage post-exposure of blood-borne pathogens.
  • Administer medications, evaluate prescription needs and facilitate prescription management, chemotherapy teaching, assess and manage chemotherapy side effects.
  • Perform employee physical exams including hearing and spirometry as required.
  • Provide patient care for PCI patients, mechanically-ventilate patients and an overall variety of critically ill patients.
  • Perform drug testing, physicals, PFT and xrays.
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Head nurse example responsibilities.

  • Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
  • Receive intensive training for critical care skill development upon transferring to the medical ICU.
  • Perform advanced nursing care to acute/chronic medical/surgical, cardiac, thoracic surgery, neurosurgery, orthopedic and oncology/ hematology patients.
  • Certify staff in CPR and blood glucose monitoring.
  • Develop and implement an intensive care class for the staff; implement ACLS class for all staff.
  • Develop process improvement plan with bundles for sedation and ventilation.
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School nurse vs head nurse skills

Common school nurse skills
  • CPR, 13%
  • School Health, 10%
  • Health Education, 6%
  • Health Problems, 5%
  • Health Services, 5%
  • Emergency Care, 4%
Common head nurse skills
  • Patients, 31%
  • BLS, 9%
  • Compassion, 6%
  • Acute Care, 6%
  • Acls, 4%
  • CPR, 3%

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