Post job

Visiting nurse vs registered nurse

The differences between visiting 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 visiting nurse and a registered nurse. Additionally, a registered nurse has an average salary of $73,349, which is higher than the $66,671 average annual salary of a visiting nurse.

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

Visiting nurse vs registered nurse overview

Visiting NurseRegistered Nurse
Yearly salary$66,671$73,349
Hourly rate$32.05$35.26
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs387,797646,159
Job satisfaction-2.75
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 47%Associate Degree, 46%
Average age4444
Years of experience22

What does a visiting nurse do?

A visiting nurse is responsible for providing quality health care services for the patients in health care institutions, community centers, or private household setting. Visiting nurses assist the patients in their daily activities, administer medications, update their medical charts, and inform the family and attending physicians for the health progress reports. They also support in doing medical procedures, such as taking temperatures and vital signs, collecting specimens for laboratory examinations, and guide the patients on their therapy sessions.

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.

Visiting nurse vs registered nurse salary

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

Visiting NurseRegistered Nurse
Average salary$66,671$73,349
Salary rangeBetween $46,000 And $95,000Between $45,000 And $117,000
Highest paying City-San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state-California
Best paying company-NORCAL Ambulance
Best paying industry-Health Care

Differences between visiting nurse and registered nurse education

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

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

Visiting nurse vs registered nurse demographics

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

Visiting NurseRegistered Nurse
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 15.5% Female, 84.5%Male, 12.3% Female, 87.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 10.0% Asian, 9.0% White, 66.0% 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 visiting nurse and registered nurse duties and responsibilities

Visiting nurse example responsibilities.

  • Provide care and manage gastrostomy, colostomy, and tracheostomy.
  • Consult and teach HHA the best ways of achieving goals direct to improvement of functional status of patient and safety.
  • Assist with obtaining proper DME and permanent services which permit patients to safely manage their medical treatment from their own home.
  • Case management of Medicare and manage care patients, including coordination of services, obtaining insurance authorization, interdisciplinary communication.
  • Complete CPI training to physically restrain patients.
  • Assess clients for eligibility for preventive TB therapy and administer tuberculosis medication.
  • 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

Visiting nurse vs registered nurse skills

Common visiting nurse skills
  • Patients, 27%
  • Home Health, 23%
  • Acute Care, 5%
  • HomeCare, 4%
  • Wound Care, 3%
  • Per Diem, 3%
Common registered nurse skills
  • Patients, 24%
  • BLS, 10%
  • CPR, 6%
  • Acute Care, 5%
  • Acls, 5%
  • Home Health, 4%

Browse healthcare practitioner and technical jobs