What does a staff nurse do?
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.
Staff nurse responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real staff nurse resumes:
- Manage and further help stabilize elective and urgent care surgical patients in their post-operative/post PACU admission to the floor.
- Accomplish extensive critical care course with EKG interpretation and yearly critical care medication exam.
- Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
- Participate in discharge planning including teaching family members and patients wind care and medication administration process after discharge.
- Provide direct nursing care to patients in a variety of settings with an emphasis in critical care and PACU settings.
- Prepare patients for surgery and endoscopy procedures including initiating intravenous lines, physical assessments and administering medications.
- Initiated/Assist with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and emergency procedures, to include receiving ambulance and giving report.
- Direct patient care in a hospital environment with a focus on hematology/ oncology and medical surgical care patients.
- Collaborate with a dynamic multidisciplinary oncology team in counseling patients and significant others on advance directives and treatment choices.
- Deliver patient/family education in CPR, crisis intervention and physiological warning signs; assist with discharge planning and community resource coordination
- Oversee care and treatment for patients undergoing various plastic surgery procedures regarding correction of trauma-relate injuries, cosmetic imperfections and genetic influences
- Organize and administer individualized age specific professional care to patients within telemetry unit of the hospital in support of medical care.
- Perform primary care and team care nursing in medical-surgical, telemetry and rehabilitation units in various hospitals and clinics in Sacramento.
- Orient newer members of the ICU staff to the unit, teaching and evaluating clinical care and critical thinking skills.
- Travel assignments and contract local agency nursing at various facilities as RN in NICU, ER, PICU and adult ICU.
Staff nurse skills and personality traits
We calculated that 28% of Staff Nurses are proficient in Patients, BLS, and CPR. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Compassion, and Detail oriented.
We break down the percentage of Staff Nurses that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 28%
Monitored and recorded data pertaining to ventilation for tracheotomy patients, administered oxygen and other therapy needed safely.
- BLS, 9%
Maintained certification as BLS instructor and Lactation Counselor.
- CPR, 6%
Delivered patient/family education in CPR, crisis intervention and physiological warning signs; assisted with discharge planning and community resource coordination
- Acls, 5%
Maintained ACLS Instructor status implemented and initiated regularly scheduled mock codes.
- Acute Care, 4%
Monitored acute care patients to ensure optimal response to treatment, identified early deterioration and recommended interventions to ensure patient safety.
- Direct Patient Care, 3%
Registered nurse on Oncology/Pulmonary Unit accountable for direct patient care and monitoring of care provided by other professional and ancillary personnel.
Most staff nurses use their skills in "patients," "bls," and "cpr" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential staff nurse responsibilities here:
Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for a staff nurse to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what staff nurses do because "registered nurses must be able to communicate effectively with patients in order to understand their concerns and evaluate their health conditions." Additionally, a staff nurse resume shows how staff nurses use communication skills: "emphasized technical skills, medication administration, and effective communication among hospital staff and patients. "
Compassion. Many staff nurse duties rely on compassion. "registered nurses should be caring and empathetic when working with patients.," so a staff nurse will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways staff nurse responsibilities rely on compassion: "provide compassionate above standard care to post-op, med/surg and telemetry patients within a 342 bed hospital. "
Detail oriented. This is an important skill for staff nurses to perform their duties. For an example of how staff nurse responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "registered nurses must be precise because they must ensure that patients get the correct treatments and medicines at the right time." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a staff nurse: "create detailed computer documentation of nursing notes and vital signs, and accurate paper documentation of medication administration. ".
Emotional stability. staff nurse responsibilities often require "emotional stability." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "registered nurses need emotional resilience and the ability to cope with human suffering, emergencies, and other stressors." This resume example shows what staff nurses do with emotional stability on a typical day: "completed all tasks including medication administration, treatments, nutritional needs, emotional needs and physical needs with a patient-centered focus. "
Organizational skills. Another common skill required for staff nurse responsibilities is "organizational skills." This skill comes up in the duties of staff nurses all the time, as "nurses often work with multiple patients who have a variety of health needs." An excerpt from a real staff nurse resume shows how this skill is central to what a staff nurse does: "team leader with excellent organizational and communication skills, patient safety number one priority. "
Physical stamina. Another skill commonly found on staff nurse job descriptions is "physical stamina." It can come up quite often in staff nurse duties, since "nurses should be comfortable performing physical tasks, such as lifting patients." Here's an example from a resume of how this skill fits into day-to-day staff nurse responsibilities: "care included physical assessment, medication administration, intravenous therapy, education, and discharge planning. "
The three companies that hire the most staff nurses are:
- Aya Healthcare1,219 staff nurses jobs
- UPMC960 staff nurses jobs
- Sutter Health933 staff nurses jobs
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Compare different staff nurses
Staff nurse vs. Emergency department registered nurse
An emergency registered nurse is first in line for patients who need a response. These nurses are first to respond to emergency cases such as trauma, allergic reactions, and injuries. They assist doctors and other medical staff in emergency medical care. It is their responsibility to always provide high-quality standards for nursing. The skills they should possess include diligence, attention to detail, levelheadedness, and strong communication. They also need to be knowledgeable about emergency care.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, staff nurse responsibilities require skills like "bls," "surgery," "telemetry," and "family education." Meanwhile a typical emergency department registered nurse has skills in areas such as "life support," "patient outcomes," "compassion," and "tncc." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Emergency department registered nurses earn the highest salaries when working in the health care industry, with an average yearly salary of $77,094. On the other hand, staff nurses are paid more in the health care industry with an average salary of $58,739.emergency department registered nurses tend to reach similar levels of education than staff nurses. In fact, emergency department registered nurses are 2.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Staff nurse vs. Registered nurse charge nurse
A registered charge nurse is responsible for supervising nurses' workflow in a particular department or area, ensuring every patient gets the proper care that they need. A registered charge nurse has the discretion to direct tasks, arrange schedules, and monitor patients, such as in the aspects of admission and discharge. Furthermore, a registered charge nurse must maintain an active line of communication and coordination among nurses, physicians, and other personnel involved as the conditions in a hospital can be unpredictable.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that staff nurse responsibilities requires skills like "surgery," "dexterity," "quality care," and "manual dexterity." But a registered nurse charge nurse might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "resident care," "quality patient care," "compassion," and "emergency situations."
On average, registered nurses charge nurses earn a higher salary than staff nurses. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, registered nurses charge nurses earn the most pay in the health care industry with an average salary of $68,929. Whereas staff nurses have higher pay in the health care industry, with an average salary of $58,739.registered nurses charge nurses earn similar levels of education than staff nurses in general. They're 0.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for staff nurses in the next 3-5 years?
Lisa Rebeschi Ph.D.
Associate Dean of the School of Nursing Professor of Nursing, Quinnipiac University
Staff nurse vs. Psychiatric registered nurse
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.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from staff nurse resumes include skills like "bls," "cpr," "acls," and "acute care," whereas a psychiatric registered nurse is more likely to list skills in "home health," "substance abuse," "mental illness," and "chemical dependency. "
Psychiatric registered nurses earn the best pay in the health care industry, where they command an average salary of $79,959. Staff nurses earn the highest pay from the health care industry, with an average salary of $58,739.When it comes to education, psychiatric registered nurses tend to earn similar degree levels compared to staff nurses. In fact, they're 2.0% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Staff nurse vs. Registered nurse in the icu
A registered nurse in the ICU, or intensive care unit, is responsible for monitoring a patient's progress and performing regular reports to physicians and families. Most ICU patients require extensive attention and assessment, which will require a nurse to be more observant and proactive. A nurse may also have duties producing paperwork, arranging schedules, responding to various inquiries, and crafting a particular care plan. Furthermore, should there be any emergencies, it is crucial to inform the assigned physician right away.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between staff nurses and registered nurse in the icus, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a staff nurse might have more use for skills like "surgery," "infection control," "triage," and "dexterity." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of registered nurse in the icus require skills like "life support," "compassion," "home health," and "assessment data. "
Registered nurse in the icus enjoy the best pay in the health care industry, with an average salary of $79,394. For comparison, staff nurses earn the highest salary in the health care industry.registered nurse in the icus reach similar levels of education compared to staff nurses, in general. The difference is that they're 1.0% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of staff nurse
Updated January 8, 2025
