Post job

Triage nurse vs nurse extern

The differences between triage nurses and nurse externs can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a triage nurse and a nurse extern. Additionally, a triage nurse has an average salary of $64,592, which is higher than the $37,156 average annual salary of a nurse extern.

The top three skills for a triage nurse include patients, home health and patient education. The most important skills for a nurse extern are patients, vital signs, and CPR.

Triage nurse vs nurse extern overview

Triage NurseNurse Extern
Yearly salary$64,592$37,156
Hourly rate$31.05$17.86
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs345,410569,180
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 40%Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Average age4444
Years of experience22

What does a triage nurse do?

A triage nurse provides patient care and overall nursing duties alongside the resident doctor in a clinic or hospital. It is the task of a triage nurse to oversee the condition of each patient and to report immediately to a doctor when emergencies occur. Added tasks of a triage nurse are monitoring and administering doctor prescriptions, and providing a caring environment for patients and their relatives through constant communication. The triage nurse is an essential part of a healthcare facility and is in-demand in many places around the world.

What does a nurse extern do?

The job of a nurse extern is to assist the mentor nurse in their nursing duties. They help the mentor nurse in various medical procedures such as administering medications or starting intravenous therapies. They provide or help with personal patient care, including changing bed linens, oral hygiene, and bathing. Nurse externships typically have different requirements that include having finished nursing school, completing a clinical nursing course before the training, and being registered in a nursing program.

Triage nurse vs nurse extern salary

Triage nurses and nurse externs have different pay scales, as shown below.

Triage NurseNurse Extern
Average salary$64,592$37,156
Salary rangeBetween $43,000 And $95,000Between $29,000 And $47,000
Highest paying City-Huntington Park, CA
Highest paying state-Hawaii
Best paying company-Menorah Medical Center
Best paying industry-Health Care

Differences between triage nurse and nurse extern education

There are a few differences between a triage nurse and a nurse extern in terms of educational background:

Triage NurseNurse Extern
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 40%Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Most common majorNursingNursing
Most common collegeDuke UniversityEmory University

Triage nurse vs nurse extern demographics

Here are the differences between triage nurses' and nurse externs' demographics:

Triage NurseNurse Extern
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 9.1% Female, 90.9%Male, 14.3% Female, 85.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 8.9% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 9.9% White, 64.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between triage nurse and nurse extern duties and responsibilities

Triage nurse example responsibilities.

  • Recognize and manage maternal complications: hemorrhage, preeclampsia, endometritis.
  • Provide outpatient chemotherapy administration, patient education and telephone triage of patients undergoing cancer treatment.
  • Follow up on denials and appeals.
  • Experience in initiating prior authorizations, denials, and appeals.
  • Perform EKG's, labs, vision screening, hearing tests, pulmonary function tests.
  • Handle all heavy phone scheduling which include visits, blood work, diagnostic testing and cardiac rehabilitation.
  • Show more

Nurse extern example responsibilities.

  • Organize and manage regular clinics involving external physicians, including ophthalmology, ENT, Med/Surg, orthopedics, and podiatry professionals.
  • Assist patients with activities of daily living, obtain vital signs and assessments, and perform 12 lead EKG's.
  • Perform initial assessments on patients in outpatient oncology clinic; recording vital signs, significant medical history and chief complaints.
  • Shadow to adult medical-surgical nurse staff- head-to-toe assessment, assist with medication administration, computer charting with co-signor, and telemetry monitoring
  • Obtain ACLS, to ensure patients receive the best quality of care.
  • Obtain ACLS certification and then float to all critical care areas as needed.
  • Show more

Triage nurse vs nurse extern skills

Common triage nurse skills
  • Patients, 30%
  • Home Health, 10%
  • Patient Education, 4%
  • Test Results, 3%
  • Symptom Management, 3%
  • Urgent Care, 3%
Common nurse extern skills
  • Patients, 39%
  • Vital Signs, 11%
  • CPR, 4%
  • Direct Patient Care, 4%
  • Direct Supervision, 4%
  • Patient Care, 3%

Browse healthcare practitioner and technical jobs