Private duty nurse vs surgical nurse

The differences between private duty 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 a private duty nurse and a surgical nurse. Additionally, a surgical nurse has an average salary of $64,025, which is higher than the $55,518 average annual salary of a private duty nurse.

The top three skills for a private duty nurse include home health, patients and medication administration. The most important skills for a surgical nurse are patients, BLS, and acute care.

Private duty nurse vs surgical nurse overview

	Private Duty Nurse	Surgical Nurse
Yearly salary	$55,518	$64,025
Hourly rate	$26.69	$30.78
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	256,740	638,444
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	2

What does a private duty nurse do?

A private duty nurse is responsible for providing quality health care services for a specific patient's medical needs. Private duty nurses work within a large health care institution or in a private household setting, depending on their scope and availability. They assist the medical staff in administering medications for the patients, conducting medical procedures, evaluating the patients' condition, and reporting progress and any updates to the attending physician for immediate attention. A private duty nurse must be highly attentive, especially on supporting the patient's daily activities and self-care needs.

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.

Private duty nurse vs surgical nurse salary

Private duty nurses and surgical nurses have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Private Duty Nurse	Surgical Nurse
Average salary	$55,518	$64,025
Salary range	Between $41,000 And $74,000	Between $39,000 And $103,000
Highest paying City	Springfield, MA	Thousand Oaks, CA
Highest paying state	Rhode Island	Hawaii
Best paying company	Health First	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	Government	Professional

Differences between private duty nurse and surgical nurse education

There are a few differences between a private duty nurse and a surgical nurse in terms of educational background:

	Private Duty Nurse	Surgical Nurse
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Private duty nurse vs surgical nurse demographics

Here are the differences between private duty nurses' and surgical nurses' demographics:

	Private Duty Nurse	Surgical Nurse
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 9.6% Female, 90.4%	Male, 11.2% Female, 88.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% 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 private duty nurse and surgical nurse duties and responsibilities

Private duty nurse example responsibilities.

Manage Ventriculostomies and interpret ICP and CVP readings.
Manage patient care monitoring vital signs, performing physical assessment, checking patients medications for effectiveness.
Communicate with medicaid, and insurance companies to ensure patients receive appropriate care and payment of procedures and medication.
Provide daily assessments, ADL's medication management and any necessary medical treatments.
Monitor ventilator and oxygen saturation regularly; offer medication, treatments, and tracheostomy care.
Provide care to home bound individuals with tracheostomy, ventilator assistance patients, administration of medications, referrals

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.

Private duty nurse vs surgical nurse skills

Common private duty nurse skills

Home Health, 34%
Patients, 31%
Medication Administration, 3%
Hospice Care, 3%
Vital Signs, 3%
Trach Care, 3%

Common surgical nurse skills

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

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Private Duty Nurse
Private Duty Nurse vs Surgical Nurse

Updated January 8, 2025

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