Student nurse vs consultant nurse

The differences between student nurses and consultants nurse can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a student nurse and a consultant nurse. Additionally, a consultant nurse has an average salary of $71,690, which is higher than the $37,281 average annual salary of a student nurse.

The top three skills for a student nurse include patients, vital signs and direct patient care. The most important skills for a consultant nurse are excellent interpersonal, patients, and discharge planning.

Student nurse vs consultant nurse overview

	Student Nurse	Consultant Nurse
Yearly salary	$37,281	$71,690
Hourly rate	$17.92	$34.47
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	578,210	58,140
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	2

What does a student nurse do?

A Student Nurse is responsible for treating and taking care of a patient's needs while upholding all the rules and medical regulations of a hospital or clinic. They work and function under the supervision of a Clinical Instructor while still gaining practical experience. Furthermore, among the duties of a Student Nurse revolves around following guidelines given by superiors, administering medication according to schedule, dressing patients, handing meals and changing beds, gathering and charting data, and coordinating with the instructor at all times.

What does a consultant nurse do?

A Consultant Nurse is responsible for providing healthcare consultations and technical advice to patients. This job also involves consulting with nursing groups about professional and educational problems.

Student nurse vs consultant nurse salary

Student nurses and consultants nurse have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Student Nurse	Consultant Nurse
Average salary	$37,281	$71,690
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $52,000	Between $50,000 And $101,000
Highest paying City	Oxnard, CA	Stockton, CA
Highest paying state	Hawaii	California
Best paying company	Boston Medical Center	CVS Health
Best paying industry	Health Care	Pharmaceutical

Differences between student nurse and consultant nurse education

There are a few differences between a student nurse and a consultant nurse in terms of educational background:

	Student Nurse	Consultant Nurse
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Student nurse vs consultant nurse demographics

Here are the differences between student nurses' and consultants nurse' demographics:

	Student Nurse	Consultant Nurse
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 15.5% Female, 84.5%	Male, 10.6% Female, 89.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 11.3% White, 64.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 9.0% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between student nurse and consultant nurse duties and responsibilities

Student nurse example responsibilities.

Manage surgical recovery patients including vascular, ENT, GI urological and neurological cases, coronary bypass surgery patients.
Experience in plastics, general, podiatry, ortho, gyn, GI and pain services
Administer intravenous infusions, PO, IM, IVP, SubQ prescriptions and monitoring patients for adverse reactions.
Provide competent nursing care within scope of practice on the Med-Surg, and ICU floor as a student nurse.
Experience inserting IVs, total patient care, charting, and logging with SRHS computer system on multiple MED-SURG units.
Provide general patient care ADL's, administering dressing changes, providing nurses notes, and other aide duties for patient.

Consultant nurse example responsibilities.

Monitor patients' status during surgery (circulate in operating room) and manage patients in PACU.
Subpoena, organize and review medical records for defense counsel in medical malpractice, product liability and personal injury litigation.
Conduct medical record analysis and provide case summation in complex personal injury, product liability, employment and insurance defense litigation.
course for the LTC R.N.
Conform to all applicable HIPAA, billing compliance and safety guidelines.
Create new staffing patterns for surgical and medical and ICU units.

Student nurse vs consultant nurse skills

Common student nurse skills

Patients, 26%
Vital Signs, 9%
Direct Patient Care, 6%
Administer Medications, 4%
IV, 4%
CPR, 3%

Common consultant nurse skills

Excellent Interpersonal, 8%
Patients, 7%
Discharge Planning, 6%
Customer Service, 6%
Patient Care, 5%
Rehabilitation, 4%

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Student Nurse
Student Nurse vs Consultant Nurse

Updated January 8, 2025

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