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The differences between registered nurse med/surgs 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 registered nurse med/surg and a surgical nurse. Additionally, a registered nurse med/surg has an average salary of $84,812, which is higher than the $64,025 average annual salary of a surgical nurse.
The top three skills for a registered nurse med/surg include patients, BLS and acute care. The most important skills for a surgical nurse are patients, BLS, and acute care.
| Registered Nurse Med/Surg | Surgical Nurse | |
| Yearly salary | $84,812 | $64,025 |
| Hourly rate | $40.77 | $30.78 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 515,200 | 638,444 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
The job of registered medical-surgical nurses is to care for patients with either surgical or non-surgical conditions. They are responsible for aiding patients to cope with their illness, prevent diseases, and promote good health. Entry-level registered nurses often rely on standardized care plans and medical procedures and make scientific-based nursing judgments. On the other hand, intermediate level nurses are more skilled in developing care plans that meet client needs. Requirements to become a medical-surgical nurse include a college degree in nursing, excellent assessment and observation skills, and patient education skills.
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.
Registered nurse med/surgs and surgical nurses have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Registered Nurse Med/Surg | Surgical Nurse | |
| Average salary | $84,812 | $64,025 |
| Salary range | Between $49,000 And $145,000 | Between $39,000 And $103,000 |
| Highest paying City | Lancaster, CA | Thousand Oaks, CA |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Dignity Health | University of California, Berkeley |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Professional |
There are a few differences between a registered nurse med/surg and a surgical nurse in terms of educational background:
| Registered Nurse Med/Surg | Surgical Nurse | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | Duke University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between registered nurse med/surgs' and surgical nurses' demographics:
| Registered Nurse Med/Surg | Surgical Nurse | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 10.9% Female, 89.1% | Male, 11.2% Female, 88.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 9.1% White, 65.9% 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% |