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The differences between anesthesia technicians and surgical scrub technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both an anesthesia technician and a surgical scrub technician. Additionally, a surgical scrub technician has an average salary of $52,701, which is higher than the $39,640 average annual salary of an anesthesia technician.
The top three skills for an anesthesia technician include patients, patient care and BLS. The most important skills for a surgical scrub technician are patients, surgical procedures, and CPR.
| Anesthesia Technician | Surgical Scrub Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $39,640 | $52,701 |
| Hourly rate | $19.06 | $25.34 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 78,132 | 40,168 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | Associate Degree, 40% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
Anesthesia technicians are healthcare professionals who oversee activities related to anesthetics. They administer anesthesia to patients and assist doctors in related activities. They also monitor the patient after the anesthesia is administered to ensure that no harmful side effects occurred. Anesthesia technicians are expected to know how to test for anesthetic allergies and to spot signs of such allergies. They should be familiar with the different techniques, solutions, and equipment used for anesthetic procedures. Aside from those, anesthesia technicians are also expected to manage the inventory of anesthetic solutions and to trigger purchase requests for new stocks.
A surgical Scrub Technician can be referred to as a doctor because he/she is a committed technician who does multiple tasks like providing the surgeon with nice instruments for surgery. They provide sterile instruments to the surgeon, prepare the operating table, sterilize the instruments, and make the room neat and clean.
Anesthesia technicians and surgical scrub technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Anesthesia Technician | Surgical Scrub Technician | |
| Average salary | $39,640 | $52,701 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $52,000 | Between $35,000 And $77,000 |
| Highest paying City | Redwood City, CA | - |
| Highest paying state | California | - |
| Best paying company | Children's Hospital Los Angeles | - |
| Best paying industry | Education | - |
There are a few differences between an anesthesia technician and a surgical scrub technician in terms of educational background:
| Anesthesia Technician | Surgical Scrub Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | Associate Degree, 40% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | University of Connecticut | University of Connecticut |
Here are the differences between anesthesia technicians' and surgical scrub technicians' demographics:
| Anesthesia Technician | Surgical Scrub Technician | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 50.5% Female, 49.5% | Male, 28.3% Female, 71.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 13.2% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 4.8% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 13.2% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 4.8% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 13% |