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Traveling nurse vs utilization review nurse

The differences between traveling nurses and utilization review 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 utilization review nurse. Additionally, a traveling nurse has an average salary of $83,961, which is higher than the $65,425 average annual salary of a utilization review nurse.

The top three skills for a traveling nurse include patients, acute care and healthcare. The most important skills for a utilization review nurse are medical necessity, patients, and acute care.

Traveling nurse vs utilization review nurse overview

Traveling NurseUtilization Review Nurse
Yearly salary$83,961$65,425
Hourly rate$40.37$31.45
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs585,51529,776
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 47%Bachelor's Degree, 43%
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 utilization review nurse do?

The primary role of an Utilization Review Nurse is to analyze the condition of each patient carefully and decide if the patient still needs to stay in the hospital or be sent home. They deal with patients' relatives, doctors, and people from insurance companies.

Traveling nurse vs utilization review nurse salary

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

Traveling NurseUtilization Review Nurse
Average salary$83,961$65,425
Salary rangeBetween $53,000 And $132,000Between $47,000 And $89,000
Highest paying CityDetroit, MIAlameda, CA
Highest paying stateHawaiiRhode Island
Best paying companyMaxim Healthcare GroupMolina Healthcare
Best paying industryProfessionalHealth Care

Differences between traveling nurse and utilization review nurse education

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

Traveling NurseUtilization Review Nurse
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 47%Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Most common majorNursingNursing
Most common collegeDuke UniversityDuke University

Traveling nurse vs utilization review nurse demographics

Here are the differences between traveling nurses' and utilization review nurses' demographics:

Traveling NurseUtilization Review Nurse
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 15.9% Female, 84.1%Male, 8.5% Female, 91.5%
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, 12.0% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between traveling nurse and utilization review 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

Utilization review nurse example responsibilities.

  • Monitor patients' status during surgery (circulate in operating room) and manage patients in PACU.
  • Case management for acute patients refer to LTC
  • Advise insurance carriers on recommend reimbursement for charges following automate bill audit utilizing ICD-9 and CPT codes.
  • Provide caregiver oversight relate to care, medication administration and emergency situations.
  • Identify inappropriate utilization of services/settings through the application of establish clinical criteria using InterQual and CMS guidelines for medical necessity.
  • Direct contact with IPA providers.
  • Show more

Traveling nurse vs utilization review nurse skills

Common traveling nurse skills
  • Patients, 15%
  • Acute Care, 10%
  • Healthcare, 9%
  • Acls, 6%
  • Surgery, 6%
  • Telemetry, 4%
Common utilization review nurse skills
  • Medical Necessity, 9%
  • Patients, 7%
  • Acute Care, 7%
  • Discharge Planning, 7%
  • Utilization Management, 6%
  • Utilization Review, 6%

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