Post job

Scrub nurse vs traveling nurse

The differences between scrub 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 scrub nurse and a traveling nurse. Additionally, a traveling nurse has an average salary of $83,961, 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 traveling nurse are patients, acute care, and healthcare.

Scrub nurse vs traveling nurse overview

Scrub NurseTraveling Nurse
Yearly salary$66,672$83,961
Hourly rate$32.05$40.37
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs635,835585,515
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 42%Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age4444
Years of experience22

Scrub nurse vs traveling nurse salary

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

Scrub NurseTraveling Nurse
Average salary$66,672$83,961
Salary rangeBetween $43,000 And $103,000Between $53,000 And $132,000
Highest paying City-Detroit, MI
Highest paying state-Hawaii
Best paying company-Maxim Healthcare Group
Best paying industry-Professional

Differences between scrub nurse and traveling nurse education

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

Scrub NurseTraveling Nurse
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 42%Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common majorNursingNursing
Most common collegeDuke UniversityDuke University

Scrub nurse vs traveling nurse demographics

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

Scrub NurseTraveling Nurse
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 15.4% Female, 84.6%Male, 15.9% Female, 84.1%
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, 11.9% 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 scrub nurse and traveling 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.
  • 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

Scrub nurse vs traveling nurse skills

Common scrub nurse skills
  • Patients, 23%
  • Surgery Site, 11%
  • Direct Patient Care, 6%
  • Surgical Procedures, 6%
  • GYN, 5%
  • Ortho, 5%
Common traveling nurse skills
  • Patients, 15%
  • Acute Care, 10%
  • Healthcare, 9%
  • Acls, 6%
  • Surgery, 6%
  • Telemetry, 4%

Browse healthcare practitioner and technical jobs