Post job

Post-anesthesia care unit nurse vs traveling nurse

The differences between post-anesthesia care unit nurses and traveling 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 post-anesthesia care unit nurse and a traveling nurse. Additionally, a traveling nurse has an average salary of $83,961, which is higher than the $81,716 average annual salary of a post-anesthesia care unit nurse.

The top three skills for a post-anesthesia care unit nurse include patients, BLS and PACU. The most important skills for a traveling nurse are patients, acute care, and healthcare.

Post-anesthesia care unit nurse vs traveling nurse overview

Post-Anesthesia Care Unit NurseTraveling Nurse
Yearly salary$81,716$83,961
Hourly rate$39.29$40.37
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs417,150585,515
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 52%Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age4444
Years of experience22

Post-anesthesia care unit nurse vs traveling nurse salary

Post-anesthesia care unit nurses and traveling nurses have different pay scales, as shown below.

Post-Anesthesia Care Unit NurseTraveling Nurse
Average salary$81,716$83,961
Salary rangeBetween $50,000 And $131,000Between $53,000 And $132,000
Highest paying CityBoston, MADetroit, MI
Highest paying stateMassachusettsHawaii
Best paying companyDignity HealthMaxim Healthcare Group
Best paying industryHealth CareProfessional

Differences between post-anesthesia care unit nurse and traveling nurse education

There are a few differences between a post-anesthesia care unit nurse and a traveling nurse in terms of educational background:

Post-Anesthesia Care Unit NurseTraveling Nurse
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 52%Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common majorNursingNursing
Most common collegeDuke UniversityDuke University

Post-anesthesia care unit nurse vs traveling nurse demographics

Here are the differences between post-anesthesia care unit nurses' and traveling nurses' demographics:

Post-Anesthesia Care Unit NurseTraveling Nurse
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 15.7% Female, 84.3%Male, 15.9% Female, 84.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.9% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between post-anesthesia care unit nurse and traveling nurse duties and responsibilities

Post-anesthesia care unit nurse example responsibilities.

  • Manage patients' pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions and monitoring patients' responses.
  • Do preop teaching, draw labs and perform EKG's prior to surgery.
  • Maintain and care for arterial/venous sheaths sites, as well as medication titration pre and post op.
  • Provide leadership in improving and sustaining the quality and effectiveness of the care provide by PACU nursing and ancillary staff.
  • Assess post-operative surgical patients for anesthesia complications
  • Monitor for hemorrhagic changes and lingering affects of anesthesia.
  • Show more

Traveling nurse example responsibilities.

  • Manage critically ill patient as a result of trauma, including vent management, ICP monitoring, and CRRT.
  • Manage and further help stabilize elective and/or urgent surgical patient in their post-operative, post PACU admission to the floor.
  • Manage bedside care per MD orders, administering medications, ensuring patient safety, assisting in ADL care, etc.
  • Monitor chemotherapy and administration of oral chemo medication, obtain laboratory specimens to manage client status via central lines.
  • Travel nurse who provide care to patients in SICU, MICU, CCU, and CVICU.
  • Work in both MICU and SICU
  • Show more

Post-anesthesia care unit nurse vs traveling nurse skills

Common post-anesthesia care unit nurse skills
  • Patients, 22%
  • BLS, 16%
  • PACU, 16%
  • Acls, 12%
  • Anesthesia Care, 9%
  • Acute Care, 6%
Common traveling nurse skills
  • Patients, 15%
  • Acute Care, 10%
  • Healthcare, 9%
  • Acls, 6%
  • Surgery, 6%
  • Telemetry, 4%

Browse healthcare practitioner and technical jobs