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What is an operating room aide and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
The average operating room aide salary is $28,902. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an business major. It usually takes 1-3 months of experience to become an operating room aide. Operating room aides with a Advanced First Aid & CPR certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 9% and produce 137,800 job opportunities across the U.S.
ScoreOperating Room AideUS Average
Salary
2.3

Avg. Salary $28,902

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
8.5

Growth rate 9%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
10.0
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.94%

Asian 7.01%

Black or African American 8.90%

Hispanic or Latino 14.94%

Unknown 5.07%

White 63.14%

Gender

female 65.64%

male 34.36%

Age - 41
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41
Stress level
8.5

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
7.0

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
10.0

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Operating room aide career paths

Key steps to become an operating room aide

  1. Explore operating room aide education requirements

    Most common operating room aide degrees

    Bachelor's

    39.7 %

    High School Diploma

    24.5 %

    Associate

    21.7 %
  2. Start to develop specific operating room aide skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Patients48.38%
    Patient Care23.10%
    Medical Terminology3.43%
    Cleanliness3.31%
    Patient Transport3.12%
  3. Complete relevant operating room aide training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New operating room aides learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an operating room aide based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real operating room aide resumes.
  4. Research operating room aide duties and responsibilities

    • Help maintain appearance, cleanliness of dining halls as well as kept them stock and organize.
    • Transport patients within facility and maintain a clean and orderly patient environment.
    • Assist patients with personal hygiene and ambulate patients according to specific procedures.
    • Plan activities base on assign student's IEP to encourage appropriate independence and facilitate/support student's participation in all activities.
  5. Prepare your operating room aide resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your operating room aide resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an operating room aide resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable operating room aide resume templates

    Build a professional operating room aide resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your operating room aide resume.
    Operating Room Aide Resume
    Operating Room Aide Resume
    Operating Room Aide Resume
    Operating Room Aide Resume
    Operating Room Aide Resume
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    Operating Room Aide Resume
    Operating Room Aide Resume
    Operating Room Aide Resume
  6. Apply for operating room aide jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for an operating room aide job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first operating room aide job

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Average operating room aide salary

The average operating room aide salary in the United States is $28,902 per year or $14 per hour. Operating room aide salaries range between $23,000 and $36,000 per year.

Average operating room aide salary
$28,902 Yearly
$13.90 hourly

What am I worth?

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How do operating room aides rate their job?

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Operating room aide reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2019
Pros

Being a staff member of Surgical Services

Cons

Communicating with masks in operating rooms


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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