First-aid attendant vs operating room assistant

The differences between first-aid attendants and operating room assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-3 months to become both a first-aid attendant and an operating room assistant. Additionally, an operating room assistant has an average salary of $34,177, which is higher than the $27,639 average annual salary of a first-aid attendant.

The top three skills for a first-aid attendant include customer service, fire safety and BLS. The most important skills for an operating room assistant are patients, surgery, and anesthesia.

First-aid attendant vs operating room assistant overview

	First-Aid Attendant	Operating Room Assistant
Yearly salary	$27,639	$34,177
Hourly rate	$13.29	$16.43
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	164,508	218,839
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 38%	Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	3	3

What does a first-aid attendant do?

First-Aid Attendants are responsible for providing immediate medical assistance to employees suffering an injury or illness. Their duties include gathering patient medical information, disinfecting wounds, administering bandages, handling artificial respirators and oxygen administration, and providing medications to relieve pain. They are responsible for arranging transport logistics, maintaining personnel headcount, attending safety meetings, producing first aid reports, and ensuring accurate documentation. First Aid Attendants in health care facilities manage bed changes as well as assist physicians during an emergency.

What does an operating room assistant do?

An operating room assistant works alongside the surgeons in maintaining the orderly and sterile nature of operating rooms. The assistant ensures that all surgical equipment is clean and hygienic, all monitoring equipment is functional, and everything needed by the doctor is present inside the operating room. The assistant position is vital during an operation. The surgeon may become too focused on the operation at hand that helpful assistants must ensure an operation's smooth flow.

First-aid attendant vs operating room assistant salary

First-aid attendants and operating room assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	First-Aid Attendant	Operating Room Assistant
Average salary	$27,639	$34,177
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $35,000	Between $26,000 And $43,000
Highest paying City	-	Santa Monica, CA
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between first-aid attendant and operating room assistant education

There are a few differences between a first-aid attendant and an operating room assistant in terms of educational background:

	First-Aid Attendant	Operating Room Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 38%	Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

First-aid attendant vs operating room assistant demographics

Here are the differences between first-aid attendants' and operating room assistants' demographics:

	First-Aid Attendant	Operating Room Assistant
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 33.2% Female, 66.8%	Male, 46.8% Female, 53.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 6.7% White, 61.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 7.1% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between first-aid attendant and operating room assistant duties and responsibilities

First-aid attendant example responsibilities.

Operate POS cash register to manage cash, credit, and debit card transactions for sell items.
Handle confidential materials and follow HIPPA regulations.
Keep records on individual pet, including daily observations and information activities perform, meals sever, and medication administer.
Work when need in the outpatient ambulatory surgery department.

Operating room assistant example responsibilities.

Manage facility organization and cleanliness, maximizing the utilization of the facility and the efficiency of athlete's training routines.
Attach electrodes to patients in order to monitor electrocardiogram [EKG].
Obtain specimens, perform CPR, provide first aid, and check vital signs.
Facilitate patient safety while under anesthesia and awaking from anesthesia.
Review all group booking reports (Delphi).
Aid surgeons in suturing and management of trauma patients.

First-aid attendant vs operating room assistant skills

Common first-aid attendant skills

Customer Service, 98%
Fire Safety, 0%
BLS, 0%
Emergency Situations, 0%
Front Desk, 0%
Certifications, 0%

Common operating room assistant skills

Patients, 34%
Surgery, 11%
Anesthesia, 5%
Room Turnover, 4%
Direct Patient Care, 3%
Cleanliness, 3%

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Healthcare Support Industry
First-Aid Attendant
First-Aid Attendant vs Operating Room Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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