Emergency room nurse vs surgical nurse

The differences between emergency room nurses 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 an emergency room nurse and a surgical nurse. Additionally, an emergency room nurse has an average salary of $79,886, which is higher than the $64,025 average annual salary of a surgical nurse.

The top three skills for an emergency room nurse include patients, BLS and acls. The most important skills for a surgical nurse are patients, BLS, and acute care.

Emergency room nurse vs surgical nurse overview

	Emergency Room Nurse	Surgical Nurse
Yearly salary	$79,886	$64,025
Hourly rate	$38.41	$30.78
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	610,768	638,444
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	2

What does an emergency room nurse do?

As the name entails, emergency room nurses typically work in emergency rooms of hospitals to provide care for patients in need of immediate treatment for severe medical conditions such as injury or trauma. They work with a team of healthcare professionals such as physicians and other nurses to administer medications to patients, monitor health conditions, and plan for long-term care needs. Other duties of emergency room nurses include assisting with the diagnosis and treatment of patients, maintaining a sanitary, organized, and clean work environment, and providing patients with follow-up care instructions.

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.

Emergency room nurse vs surgical nurse salary

Emergency room nurses and surgical nurses have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Emergency Room Nurse	Surgical Nurse
Average salary	$79,886	$64,025
Salary range	Between $50,000 And $126,000	Between $39,000 And $103,000
Highest paying City	Urban Honolulu, HI	Thousand Oaks, CA
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Hawaii
Best paying company	Baptist Health Care	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	Health Care	Professional

Differences between emergency room nurse and surgical nurse education

There are a few differences between an emergency room nurse and a surgical nurse in terms of educational background:

	Emergency Room Nurse	Surgical Nurse
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Emergency room nurse vs surgical nurse demographics

Here are the differences between emergency room nurses' and surgical nurses' demographics:

	Emergency Room Nurse	Surgical Nurse
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 19.8% Female, 80.2%	Male, 11.2% Female, 88.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% 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 Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between emergency room nurse and surgical nurse duties and responsibilities

Emergency room nurse example responsibilities.

Manage Gyn complaints, in- cluding colposcopy, infertility and minor surgical procedures.
Manage assessments, nursing diagnosis, precept newly employees, rotation from ICU to ER.
Assess patients in active withdrawal and provide interventions to manage physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms.
Care for GYN patients immediately after surgery and until discharge.
Perform CPR and a for patients to restore heart and breathing functions.
Provide conscious sedation for patients in endoscopy department.

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.

Emergency room nurse vs surgical nurse skills

Common emergency room nurse skills

Patients, 22%
BLS, 14%
Acls, 10%
Triage, 6%
Acute Care, 6%
TNCC, 4%

Common surgical nurse skills

Patients, 31%
BLS, 15%
Acute Care, 7%
Acls, 5%
Rehabilitation, 4%
Quality Care, 3%

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Emergency Room Nurse
Emergency Room Nurse vs Surgical Nurse

Updated January 8, 2025

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