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The differences between operating room assistants and prns can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-3 months to become both an operating room assistant and an prn. Additionally, an prn has an average salary of $39,642, which is higher than the $34,177 average annual salary of an operating room assistant.
The top three skills for an operating room assistant include patients, surgery and anesthesia. The most important skills for an prn are patients, healthcare, and occupational therapy.
| Operating Room Assistant | PRN | |
| Yearly salary | $34,177 | $39,642 |
| Hourly rate | $16.43 | $19.06 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 218,839 | 72,309 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 43% | Associate Degree, 41% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 3 | 3 |
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.
A PRN or a "pro re nata" employee is responsible for covering a shift or a specific situation, especially during short-staffing or the need to complete a particular task. The PRNs often work for a medical industry without a regular or full-time commitment, having the freedom to manage their time and take multiple assignments from different organizations. A PRN must have excellent communication and organization skills, providing quality healthcare services to the patients and the organization.
Operating room assistants and prns have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Operating Room Assistant | PRN | |
| Average salary | $34,177 | $39,642 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $43,000 | Between $17,000 And $89,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Monica, CA | Davis, CA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | University of California, Berkeley | Erlanger Health System |
| Best paying industry | - | Professional |
There are a few differences between an operating room assistant and an prn in terms of educational background:
| Operating Room Assistant | PRN | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 43% | Associate Degree, 41% |
| Most common major | Business | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between operating room assistants' and prns' demographics:
| Operating Room Assistant | PRN | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 46.8% Female, 53.2% | Male, 21.0% Female, 79.0% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 13.6% Asian, 8.3% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |