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The differences between surgeon's assistants and surgical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a surgeon's assistant, becoming a surgical technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a surgeon's assistant has an average salary of $367,957, which is higher than the $52,193 average annual salary of a surgical technician.
The top three skills for a surgeon's assistant include patients, ortho and EMR. The most important skills for a surgical technician are patients, surgical technologist, and surgical procedures.
| Surgeon's Assistant | Surgical Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $367,957 | $52,193 |
| Hourly rate | $176.90 | $25.09 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 2,715 | 70,920 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 32% | Associate Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 49 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 12 |
Surgeon's assistants and surgical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Surgeon's Assistant | Surgical Technician | |
| Average salary | $367,957 | $52,193 |
| Salary range | Between $189,000 And $715,000 | Between $35,000 And $77,000 |
| Highest paying City | Minneapolis, MN | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Maine | California |
| Best paying company | Bassett Healthcare Network | St. Tammany Health System |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Professional |
There are a few differences between a surgeon's assistant and a surgical technician in terms of educational background:
| Surgeon's Assistant | Surgical Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 32% | Associate Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Medical Technician | Medical Technician |
| Most common college | Duke University | University of Connecticut |
Here are the differences between surgeon's assistants' and surgical technicians' demographics:
| Surgeon's Assistant | Surgical Technician | |
| Average age | 49 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 42.0% Female, 58.0% | Male, 26.6% Female, 73.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 1.8% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 5.0% Asian, 12.7% White, 76.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 13.2% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 4.8% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 13% |