Circulator vs scrub nurse

The differences between circulators and scrub nurses can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a circulator, becoming a scrub nurse takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a scrub nurse has an average salary of $66,672, which is higher than the $60,663 average annual salary of a circulator.

The top three skills for a circulator include patients, BLS and patient care. The most important skills for a scrub nurse are patients, surgery site, and direct patient care.

Circulator vs scrub nurse overview

	Circulator	Scrub Nurse
Yearly salary	$60,663	$66,672
Hourly rate	$29.16	$32.05
Growth rate	19%	6%
Number of jobs	20,607	635,835
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 41%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Average age	37	44
Years of experience	6	2

Circulator vs scrub nurse salary

Circulators and scrub nurses have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Circulator	Scrub Nurse
Average salary	$60,663	$66,672
Salary range	Between $40,000 And $91,000	Between $43,000 And $103,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between circulator and scrub nurse education

There are a few differences between a circulator and a scrub nurse in terms of educational background:

	Circulator	Scrub Nurse
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 41%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	University of Wisconsin - Madison	Duke University

Circulator vs scrub nurse demographics

Here are the differences between circulators' and scrub nurses' demographics:

	Circulator	Scrub Nurse
Average age	37	44
Gender ratio	Male, 27.9% Female, 72.1%	Male, 15.4% Female, 84.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.3% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 9.5% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%	Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	10%	9%

Differences between circulator and scrub nurse duties and responsibilities

Circulator example responsibilities.

Achieve departmental goals and objectives by instituting SGNA standards and processes for inpatient and outpatient care.
Transport patient to PACU and reports off to recovery nurse.
Implement, write, and enforce department policies in accordance with AORN standards.
Circulate all specialties to include ENT, cataracts, spine, total knees, orthopedics, plastics and general
Complete initial assessment of the patients including vital signs and gathering pertinent information.
Administer medications, position patients, prep patients, provide patient advocacy, and monitor sterility in the operating room.

Scrub nurse example responsibilities.

Organize and manage regular clinics involving external physicians, including ophthalmology, ENT, Med/Surg, orthopedics, and podiatry professionals.
Assist scrub nurse in the setup, arrangement and count of surgical equipment and sponges.
Maintain and accurately document proper counting of instruments, sponges and needles as per policy.
Include teaching at community outreach seminars and optometry seminars for patients and physicians
Provide teaching to patients and families regarding health care preparation in ambulatory/outpatient care.
Perform and participate in cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Circulator vs scrub nurse skills

Common circulator skills

Patients, 27%
BLS, 22%
Patient Care, 15%
Acls, 9%
Surgical Procedures, 4%
AORN, 3%

Common scrub nurse skills

Patients, 23%
Surgery Site, 11%
Direct Patient Care, 6%
Surgical Procedures, 6%
GYN, 5%
Ortho, 5%