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Professional nursing assistant vs operating room assistant

The differences between professional nursing assistants 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 professional nursing assistant and an operating room assistant. Additionally, a professional nursing assistant has an average salary of $44,336, which is higher than the $34,177 average annual salary of an operating room assistant.

The top three skills for a professional nursing assistant include vital signs, PNA and patient care. The most important skills for an operating room assistant are patients, surgery, and anesthesia.

Professional nursing assistant vs operating room assistant overview

Professional Nursing AssistantOperating Room Assistant
Yearly salary$44,336$34,177
Hourly rate$21.32$16.43
Growth rate9%9%
Number of jobs131,582218,839
Job satisfaction-4
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 65%Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Average age4242
Years of experience33

Professional nursing assistant vs operating room assistant salary

Professional nursing assistants and operating room assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Professional Nursing AssistantOperating Room Assistant
Average salary$44,336$34,177
Salary rangeBetween $28,000 And $69,000Between $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 professional nursing assistant and operating room assistant education

There are a few differences between a professional nursing assistant and an operating room assistant in terms of educational background:

Professional Nursing AssistantOperating Room Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 65%Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Most common majorNursingBusiness
Most common college--

Professional nursing assistant vs operating room assistant demographics

Here are the differences between professional nursing assistants' and operating room assistants' demographics:

Professional Nursing AssistantOperating Room Assistant
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 26.2% Female, 73.8%Male, 46.8% Female, 53.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 7.1% White, 61.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%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 Percentage7%7%

Differences between professional nursing assistant and operating room assistant duties and responsibilities

Professional nursing assistant example responsibilities.

  • Initiate cardiopulmonary resuscitation in emergency situations.
  • Cycle through all areas of perioperative care, including pediatric and adult pre-op and post-op, and the short stay unit.
  • Provide behavioral/emotional support and supervision for those with dementia and Alzheimer's.

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.
  • Show more

Professional nursing assistant vs operating room assistant skills

Common professional nursing assistant skills
  • Vital Signs, 41%
  • PNA, 13%
  • Patient Care, 10%
  • Administer Medications, 9%
  • ADL, 8%
  • Mental Health, 7%
Common operating room assistant skills
  • Patients, 34%
  • Surgery, 11%
  • Anesthesia, 5%
  • Room Turnover, 4%
  • Direct Patient Care, 3%
  • Cleanliness, 3%

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