Surgical nurse vs psychiatric nurse

The differences between surgical nurses and psychiatric 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 psychiatric nurse. Additionally, a psychiatric nurse has an average salary of $64,922, 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 psychiatric nurse are patients, mental illness, and CPR.

Surgical nurse vs psychiatric nurse overview

	Surgical Nurse	Psychiatric Nurse
Yearly salary	$64,025	$64,922
Hourly rate	$30.78	$31.21
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	638,444	608,055
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	2

What does a surgical nurse do?

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.

What does a psychiatric nurse do?

A Psychiatric Nurses role is to supervise the medication and treatment of patients diagnosed with mental disabilities, illnesses, or distresses. They have an essential role in the administration of psychiatric treatment and care.

Surgical nurse vs psychiatric nurse salary

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

	Surgical Nurse	Psychiatric Nurse
Average salary	$64,025	$64,922
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $103,000	Between $42,000 And $99,000
Highest paying City	Thousand Oaks, CA	Santa Rosa, CA
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Rhode Island
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	Highland General Hospital
Best paying industry	Professional	Health Care

Differences between surgical nurse and psychiatric nurse education

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

	Surgical Nurse	Psychiatric Nurse
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Surgical nurse vs psychiatric nurse demographics

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

	Surgical Nurse	Psychiatric Nurse
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 11.2% Female, 88.8%	Male, 18.1% Female, 81.9%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between surgical nurse and psychiatric 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.

Psychiatric nurse example responsibilities.

Organize and manage regular clinics involving external physicians, including ophthalmology, ENT, Med/Surg, orthopedics, and podiatry professionals.
Staff register nurse, acute medical rehabilitation unit.
Perform emergency triage differentiating psychiatric versus medical conditions.
Perform triage assessment, psychiatric evaluations, medication administration, psychotherapy and case management.
Provide comprehensive medical-psychiatric care to patients via assessment, planning, evaluation and supervision of therapeutic interactions.
Provide therapeutic communication and psychiatric rehabilitation with residents to assist with their recovery to return to the community.

Surgical nurse vs psychiatric nurse skills

Common surgical nurse skills

Patients, 31%
BLS, 15%
Acute Care, 7%
Acls, 5%
Rehabilitation, 4%
Quality Care, 3%

Common psychiatric nurse skills

Patients, 25%
Mental Illness, 11%
CPR, 7%
Therapeutic Interventions, 5%
Psychiatric Care, 4%
IV, 4%

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Surgical Nurse
Surgical Nurse vs Psychiatric Nurse

Updated January 8, 2025

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