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The differences between staff nurses and psychiatric registered 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 staff nurse and a psychiatric registered nurse. Additionally, a psychiatric registered nurse has an average salary of $73,053, which is higher than the $68,342 average annual salary of a staff nurse.
The top three skills for a staff nurse include patients, BLS and CPR. The most important skills for a psychiatric registered nurse are patients, home health, and patient safety.
| Staff Nurse | Psychiatric Registered Nurse | |
| Yearly salary | $68,342 | $73,053 |
| Hourly rate | $32.86 | $35.12 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 699,636 | 640,480 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Associate Degree, 43% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Staff nurses are registered nurses who are usually assigned to work in a care home, a company, or in a clinical setting. They advise the physical assessments of patients, employees, and residents. They also handle the checking of vital signs, providing basic medical procedures, giving first aid, and, if possible, providing over the counter medication. Staff nurses provide medical attention to the people in their place of assignment. They help pave the path to their patients' full recovery. Staff nurses are expected to be patient and have good interpersonal skills.
A registered psychiatric nurse works alongside mental health experts to develop and administer psychiatric treatment plans according to the patients' needs. Among their responsibilities include gathering and organizing patient information, studying the patients' medical histories, conducting interviews and assessments, providing counseling, administering medicine, and restraining unsettled patients. There are also instances when they must conduct inspections to remove potentially harmful objects and provide psychoeducation to the patients' families. Above all, a registered psychiatric nurse must closely monitor the behavior of patients, record their daily progress, and report to the psychiatrists regularly.
Staff nurses and psychiatric registered nurses have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Staff Nurse | Psychiatric Registered Nurse | |
| Average salary | $68,342 | $73,053 |
| Salary range | Between $42,000 And $109,000 | Between $45,000 And $117,000 |
| Highest paying City | Burlingame, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | California | New York |
| Best paying company | Washington Hospital Healthcare System | Scripps Health |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a staff nurse and a psychiatric registered nurse in terms of educational background:
| Staff Nurse | Psychiatric Registered Nurse | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Associate Degree, 43% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | Duke University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between staff nurses' and psychiatric registered nurses' demographics:
| Staff Nurse | Psychiatric Registered Nurse | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 12.3% Female, 87.7% | Male, 16.7% Female, 83.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |