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Clinical nursing coordinator vs surgical nurse

The differences between clinical nursing coordinators and surgical 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 clinical nursing coordinator and a surgical nurse. Additionally, a clinical nursing coordinator has an average salary of $69,669, which is higher than the $64,025 average annual salary of a surgical nurse.

The top three skills for a clinical nursing coordinator include patients, patient safety and surgery. The most important skills for a surgical nurse are patients, BLS, and acute care.

Clinical nursing coordinator vs surgical nurse overview

Clinical Nursing CoordinatorSurgical Nurse
Yearly salary$69,669$64,025
Hourly rate$33.49$30.78
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs425,554638,444
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 50%Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age4444
Years of experience22

What does a clinical nursing coordinator do?

A clinical nursing coordinator oversees the clinical operations and performance of nurses in a particular unit or area. They are mostly in charge of managing nurses and their activities, delegating responsibilities and schedules, maintaining the flow of accurate patient information between shifting nurses, supervising the performance of staff, and making sure that the hospital is well-staffed. There are also instances when a clinical nursing coordinator must coordinate different departments, provide care and assistance to patients, and address issues and concerns, resolving them promptly and efficiently.

What does a surgical nurse do?

Generally, a surgical nurse provides patient care before, during, and after surgery. Surgical nurses assist the surgeons and anesthetists whenever necessary. They prepare patients for their surgery and serve the actual procedure. It is part of their job to mark incision sites and sterilize them. They give preoperative instructions, prepare the operating room, and administer medication. The roles they play include being circulating and scrub nurses. Also, they intervene whenever complications occur.

Clinical nursing coordinator vs surgical nurse salary

Clinical nursing coordinators and surgical nurses have different pay scales, as shown below.

Clinical Nursing CoordinatorSurgical Nurse
Average salary$69,669$64,025
Salary rangeBetween $54,000 And $89,000Between $39,000 And $103,000
Highest paying CitySan Jose, CAThousand Oaks, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaHawaii
Best paying companyTenet HealthcareUniversity of California, Berkeley
Best paying industryHealth CareProfessional

Differences between clinical nursing coordinator and surgical nurse education

There are a few differences between a clinical nursing coordinator and a surgical nurse in terms of educational background:

Clinical Nursing CoordinatorSurgical Nurse
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 50%Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common majorNursingNursing
Most common collegeDuke UniversityDuke University

Clinical nursing coordinator vs surgical nurse demographics

Here are the differences between clinical nursing coordinators' and surgical nurses' demographics:

Clinical Nursing CoordinatorSurgical Nurse
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 10.2% Female, 89.8%Male, 11.2% Female, 88.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between clinical nursing coordinator and surgical nurse duties and responsibilities

Clinical nursing coordinator example responsibilities.

  • Manage team of medical support personnel, orient new clinical employees and develop new guidelines for chemotherapy administration.
  • Demonstrate clinical competency and compassion in providing care, using technology, administering medications, performing procedures and managing emergencies
  • Care include pre-operative teaching, postoperative follow-up care, liaison between patient, physician, hospital, home health and/or rehabilitation.
  • Perform duties of staff nurse; assist in writing nursing care plans; carry out medical care plans; ACLS certify.
  • Perform resuscitation procedures according to BLS and ACLS guidelines on life threatening conditions and cardiopulmonary arrest.
  • Render professional nursing care to all telemetry patients including critical medical/surgical patients and chronic ventilator patients.
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Surgical nurse example responsibilities.

  • Manage GI bleeds, asthmatics, bowel resections, fractures, patients with chest and feeding tubes.
  • Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
  • Maintain BLS, NRP, ACLS
  • Prepare patients for procedures, initiate and maintain intravenous therapy, and obtain 12-lead EKG.
  • Establish care plans and perform care for ICU, CCU, cardiac, and neurological patients.
  • Serve as a BLS/ ACLS instructor.
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Clinical nursing coordinator vs surgical nurse skills

Common clinical nursing coordinator skills
  • Patients, 29%
  • Patient Safety, 10%
  • Surgery, 8%
  • Quality Care, 4%
  • Oncology, 4%
  • Compassion, 3%
Common surgical nurse skills
  • Patients, 31%
  • BLS, 15%
  • Acute Care, 7%
  • Acls, 5%
  • Rehabilitation, 4%
  • Quality Care, 3%

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