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Scrub nurse vs registered nurse

The differences between scrub nurses and registered 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 scrub nurse and a registered nurse. Additionally, a registered nurse has an average salary of $73,349, which is higher than the $66,672 average annual salary of a scrub nurse.

The top three skills for a scrub nurse include patients, surgery site and direct patient care. The most important skills for a registered nurse are patients, BLS, and CPR.

Scrub nurse vs registered nurse overview

Scrub NurseRegistered Nurse
Yearly salary$66,672$73,349
Hourly rate$32.05$35.26
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs635,835646,159
Job satisfaction-2.75
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 42%Associate Degree, 46%
Average age4444
Years of experience22

Scrub nurse vs registered nurse salary

Scrub nurses and registered nurses have different pay scales, as shown below.

Scrub NurseRegistered Nurse
Average salary$66,672$73,349
Salary rangeBetween $43,000 And $103,000Between $45,000 And $117,000
Highest paying City-San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state-California
Best paying company-NORCAL Ambulance
Best paying industry-Health Care

Differences between scrub nurse and registered nurse education

There are a few differences between a scrub nurse and a registered nurse in terms of educational background:

Scrub NurseRegistered Nurse
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 42%Associate Degree, 46%
Most common majorNursingNursing
Most common collegeDuke UniversityDuke University

Scrub nurse vs registered nurse demographics

Here are the differences between scrub nurses' and registered nurses' demographics:

Scrub NurseRegistered Nurse
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 15.4% Female, 84.6%Male, 12.3% Female, 87.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 9.0% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between scrub nurse and registered nurse duties and responsibilities

Scrub nurse example responsibilities.

  • Organize and manage regular clinics involving external physicians, including ophthalmology, ENT, Med/Surg, orthopedics, and podiatry professionals.
  • Assist scrub nurse in the setup, arrangement and count of surgical equipment and sponges.
  • Maintain and accurately document proper counting of instruments, sponges and needles as per policy.
  • Include teaching at community outreach seminars and optometry seminars for patients and physicians
  • Provide teaching to patients and families regarding health care preparation in ambulatory/outpatient care.
  • Perform and participate in cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
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Registered nurse example responsibilities.

  • Manage patient care for individuals with multiple diagnoses including COPD, diabetes, stroke and cardiac issues.
  • Organize and manage regular clinics involving external physicians, including ophthalmology, ENT, Med/Surg, orthopedics, and podiatry professionals.
  • Manage surgical recovery patients including vascular, ENT, GI urological and neurological cases, coronary bypass surgery patients.
  • Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
  • Provide care for cardiac patients in arrhythmia critical care unit, providing patient education and monitoring telemetry
  • Re-Cover surgical patients immediately after heart and vascular surgery until transfer out of ICU.
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Scrub nurse vs registered nurse skills

Common scrub nurse skills
  • Patients, 23%
  • Surgery Site, 11%
  • Direct Patient Care, 6%
  • Surgical Procedures, 6%
  • GYN, 5%
  • Ortho, 5%
Common registered nurse skills
  • Patients, 24%
  • BLS, 10%
  • CPR, 6%
  • Acute Care, 5%
  • Acls, 5%
  • Home Health, 4%

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