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Surgical nurse vs head nurse

The differences between surgical nurses and head 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 surgical nurse and a head nurse. Additionally, a head nurse has an average salary of $80,173, which is higher than the $64,025 average annual salary of a surgical nurse.

The top three skills for a surgical nurse include patients, BLS and acute care. The most important skills for a head nurse are patients, BLS, and compassion.

Surgical nurse vs head nurse overview

Surgical NurseHead Nurse
Yearly salary$64,025$80,173
Hourly rate$30.78$38.54
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs638,444649,127
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 46%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age4444
Years of experience22

Surgical nurse vs head nurse salary

Surgical nurses and head nurses have different pay scales, as shown below.

Surgical NurseHead Nurse
Average salary$64,025$80,173
Salary rangeBetween $39,000 And $103,000Between $48,000 And $132,000
Highest paying CityThousand Oaks, CAMinneapolis, MN
Highest paying stateHawaiiCalifornia
Best paying companyUniversity of California, BerkeleyAstraZeneca
Best paying industryProfessionalEducation

Differences between surgical nurse and head nurse education

There are a few differences between a surgical nurse and a head nurse in terms of educational background:

Surgical NurseHead Nurse
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 46%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common majorNursingNursing
Most common collegeDuke UniversityDuke University

Surgical nurse vs head nurse demographics

Here are the differences between surgical nurses' and head nurses' demographics:

Surgical NurseHead Nurse
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 11.2% Female, 88.8%Male, 13.1% Female, 86.9%
Race ratioBlack 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%Black or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 8.8% White, 65.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between surgical nurse and head nurse duties and responsibilities

Surgical nurse example responsibilities.

  • Manage GI bleeds, asthmatics, bowel resections, fractures, patients with chest and feeding tubes.
  • Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
  • Maintain BLS, NRP, ACLS
  • Prepare patients for procedures, initiate and maintain intravenous therapy, and obtain 12-lead EKG.
  • Establish care plans and perform care for ICU, CCU, cardiac, and neurological patients.
  • Serve as a BLS/ ACLS instructor.
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Head nurse example responsibilities.

  • Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
  • Receive intensive training for critical care skill development upon transferring to the medical ICU.
  • Perform advanced nursing care to acute/chronic medical/surgical, cardiac, thoracic surgery, neurosurgery, orthopedic and oncology/ hematology patients.
  • Certify staff in CPR and blood glucose monitoring.
  • Develop and implement an intensive care class for the staff; implement ACLS class for all staff.
  • Develop process improvement plan with bundles for sedation and ventilation.
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Surgical nurse vs head nurse skills

Common surgical nurse skills
  • Patients, 31%
  • BLS, 15%
  • Acute Care, 7%
  • Acls, 5%
  • Rehabilitation, 4%
  • Quality Care, 3%
Common head nurse skills
  • Patients, 31%
  • BLS, 9%
  • Compassion, 6%
  • Acute Care, 6%
  • Acls, 4%
  • CPR, 3%

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