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Traveling nurse vs registered nurse

The differences between traveling nurses and 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 traveling nurse and a registered nurse. Additionally, a traveling nurse has an average salary of $83,961, which is higher than the $73,349 average annual salary of a registered nurse.

The top three skills for a traveling nurse include patients, acute care and healthcare. The most important skills for a registered nurse are patients, BLS, and CPR.

Traveling nurse vs registered nurse overview

Traveling NurseRegistered Nurse
Yearly salary$83,961$73,349
Hourly rate$40.37$35.26
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs585,515646,159
Job satisfaction-2.75
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 47%Associate Degree, 46%
Average age4444
Years of experience22

What does a traveling nurse do?

Often employed under a staffing agency, a travel nurse primarily works short-term on different limited-staffed hospitals in cities all over a country, and even abroad on rare occasions. They are mainly responsible for providing treatment and immediate care to patients, administering medicine, assisting in various tasks, preparing meals, and other functions that the supervising colleague delegates. Furthermore, as a travel nurse, one must quickly familiarize the surroundings and colleagues to work efficiently, all while upholding their oath as health care workers.

What does a registered nurse do?

The primary responsibilities of a registered nurse involve caring for a variety of patients, from ill and injured to those who are healthy and wanting to stay that way. Nurses have different specialization and work with particular patients, such as newborn babies or those who are suffering from particular medical conditions. They work on different settings which includes hospital, outpatient facility, rehabilitation center, nursing home, dialysis center, home healthcare agency, and other offices. They can administer medications, wound care, and other aids or treatment plan. They also conduct medical tests, interpret the results, and monitor patients' recovery and progress.

Traveling nurse vs registered nurse salary

Traveling nurses and registered nurses have different pay scales, as shown below.

Traveling NurseRegistered Nurse
Average salary$83,961$73,349
Salary rangeBetween $53,000 And $132,000Between $45,000 And $117,000
Highest paying CityDetroit, MISan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateHawaiiCalifornia
Best paying companyMaxim Healthcare GroupNORCAL Ambulance
Best paying industryProfessionalHealth Care

Differences between traveling nurse and registered nurse education

There are a few differences between a traveling nurse and a registered nurse in terms of educational background:

Traveling NurseRegistered Nurse
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 47%Associate Degree, 46%
Most common majorNursingNursing
Most common collegeDuke UniversityDuke University

Traveling nurse vs registered nurse demographics

Here are the differences between traveling nurses' and registered nurses' demographics:

Traveling NurseRegistered Nurse
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 15.9% Female, 84.1%Male, 12.3% Female, 87.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 9.0% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between traveling nurse and registered nurse duties and responsibilities

Traveling nurse example responsibilities.

  • Manage critically ill patient as a result of trauma, including vent management, ICP monitoring, and CRRT.
  • Manage and further help stabilize elective and/or urgent surgical patient in their post-operative, post PACU admission to the floor.
  • Manage bedside care per MD orders, administering medications, ensuring patient safety, assisting in ADL care, etc.
  • Monitor chemotherapy and administration of oral chemo medication, obtain laboratory specimens to manage client status via central lines.
  • Travel nurse who provide care to patients in SICU, MICU, CCU, and CVICU.
  • Work in both MICU and SICU
  • Show more

Registered nurse example responsibilities.

  • Manage patient care for individuals with multiple diagnoses including COPD, diabetes, stroke and cardiac issues.
  • Organize and manage regular clinics involving external physicians, including ophthalmology, ENT, Med/Surg, orthopedics, and podiatry professionals.
  • Manage surgical recovery patients including vascular, ENT, GI urological and neurological cases, coronary bypass surgery patients.
  • Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
  • Provide care for cardiac patients in arrhythmia critical care unit, providing patient education and monitoring telemetry
  • Re-Cover surgical patients immediately after heart and vascular surgery until transfer out of ICU.
  • Show more

Traveling nurse vs registered nurse skills

Common traveling nurse skills
  • Patients, 15%
  • Acute Care, 10%
  • Healthcare, 9%
  • Acls, 6%
  • Surgery, 6%
  • Telemetry, 4%
Common registered nurse skills
  • Patients, 24%
  • BLS, 10%
  • CPR, 6%
  • Acute Care, 5%
  • Acls, 5%
  • Home Health, 4%

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