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The differences between school nurses and public health 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 public health nurse. Additionally, a public health nurse has an average salary of $60,319, 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 public health nurse are community health, patients, and health education.
| School Nurse | Public Health Nurse | |
| Yearly salary | $54,998 | $60,319 |
| Hourly rate | $26.44 | $29.00 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 282,124 | 310,843 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A school nurse is in charge of advocating and providing healthcare services to students, faculty, and staff daily. Their responsibilities revolve around providing necessary treatments to someone in need, developing programs that promote students' health, and administering proper medication. When a school nurse must reach out to parents to inform them of their children's visits or any emergencies, it must be documented. Furthermore, a school nurse must appropriately store all equipment and medication in adherence to the school's safety and health standards.
A Public Health Nurse maintains the public's health through providing health services and information. They promote a healthy lifestyle, take part in health campaigns, and educate and inform the public about issues, such as preventing disease.
School nurses and public health nurses have different pay scales, as shown below.
| School Nurse | Public Health Nurse | |
| Average salary | $54,998 | $60,319 |
| Salary range | Between $39,000 And $77,000 | Between $42,000 And $84,000 |
| Highest paying City | Providence, RI | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Preston High School | Dignity Health |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Government |
There are a few differences between a school nurse and a public health nurse in terms of educational background:
| School Nurse | Public Health Nurse | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | Duke University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between school nurses' and public health nurses' demographics:
| School Nurse | Public Health Nurse | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 6.3% Female, 93.7% | Male, 7.5% Female, 92.5% |
| Race ratio | Black 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, 11.6% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |