Trauma nurse vs head nurse

The differences between trauma 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 trauma nurse and a head nurse. Additionally, a trauma nurse has an average salary of $80,928, which is higher than the $80,173 average annual salary of a head nurse.

The top three skills for a trauma nurse include patients, BLS and acls. The most important skills for a head nurse are patients, BLS, and compassion.

Trauma nurse vs head nurse overview

	Trauma Nurse	Head Nurse
Yearly salary	$80,928	$80,173
Hourly rate	$38.91	$38.54
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	580,560	649,127
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	2

Trauma nurse vs head nurse salary

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

	Trauma Nurse	Head Nurse
Average salary	$80,928	$80,173
Salary range	Between $51,000 And $128,000	Between $48,000 And $132,000
Highest paying City	-	Minneapolis, MN
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	AstraZeneca
Best paying industry	-	Education

Differences between trauma nurse and head nurse education

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

	Trauma Nurse	Head Nurse
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Trauma nurse vs head nurse demographics

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

	Trauma Nurse	Head Nurse
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 21.5% Female, 78.5%	Male, 13.1% Female, 86.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.7% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.3% 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 Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between trauma nurse and head nurse duties and responsibilities

Trauma nurse example responsibilities.

Manage surgical recovery patients including vascular, ENT, GI urological and neurological cases, coronary bypass surgery patients.
PAL's instructor, TNCC, ENPC and ACLS obtain.
Provide both BLS and ACLS emergency care to sick and injure
Respond to various traumas and emergency situations and triage numerous phone calls.
Document clinical findings in medical records and perform triage survey on new patients.
Provide continuity of care for all trauma patients from resuscitation through outpatient follow up.

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.

Trauma nurse vs head nurse skills

Common trauma nurse skills

Patients, 25%
BLS, 14%
Acls, 9%
Critical Care, 3%
ICU, 3%
Triage, 3%

Common head nurse skills

Patients, 31%
BLS, 9%
Compassion, 6%
Acute Care, 6%
Acls, 4%
CPR, 3%

Trauma Nurse vs. similar jobs

Trauma Nurse related careers

Trauma Nurse related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Trauma Nurse
Trauma Nurse vs Head Nurse

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse healthcare practitioner and technical jobs