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Surgical supervisor vs surgical technician

The differences between surgical supervisors and surgical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a surgical supervisor, becoming a surgical technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a surgical supervisor has an average salary of $70,205, which is higher than the $52,193 average annual salary of a surgical technician.

The top three skills for a surgical supervisor include acls, patient satisfaction and quality patient care. The most important skills for a surgical technician are patients, surgical technologist, and surgical procedures.

Surgical supervisor vs surgical technician overview

Surgical SupervisorSurgical Technician
Yearly salary$70,205$52,193
Hourly rate$33.75$25.09
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs34,11570,920
Job satisfaction-4
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 46%Associate Degree, 49%
Average age4441
Years of experience212

Surgical supervisor vs surgical technician salary

Surgical supervisors and surgical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Surgical SupervisorSurgical Technician
Average salary$70,205$52,193
Salary rangeBetween $45,000 And $107,000Between $35,000 And $77,000
Highest paying City-San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state-California
Best paying company-St. Tammany Health System
Best paying industry-Professional

Differences between surgical supervisor and surgical technician education

There are a few differences between a surgical supervisor and a surgical technician in terms of educational background:

Surgical SupervisorSurgical Technician
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 46%Associate Degree, 49%
Most common majorNursingMedical Technician
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Connecticut

Surgical supervisor vs surgical technician demographics

Here are the differences between surgical supervisors' and surgical technicians' demographics:

Surgical SupervisorSurgical Technician
Average age4441
Gender ratioMale, 18.2% Female, 81.8%Male, 26.6% Female, 73.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 9.1% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%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 Percentage9%13%

Differences between surgical supervisor and surgical technician duties and responsibilities

Surgical supervisor example responsibilities.

  • Organize and manage regular clinics involving external physicians, including ophthalmology, ENT, Med/Surg, orthopedics, and podiatry professionals.
  • Rotate to assist in ER and PACU when available.
  • Cultivate non-judgmental listening skills in order to provide unbias care and counseling to patients facing life-changing diagnoses and prognoses.
  • Provide training and education for updates on ICD-9-CM / PC for facility compliance.
  • Initiate and maintain oxygen therapy to include tracheostomy care and inhalation therapy.

Surgical technician example responsibilities.

  • Manage sterilization of field during surgical procedures, ensuring cleanliness and sanitation meet organization protocol.
  • Function in scrub role in Cardio-Thoracic cases in adult and pediatrics surgeries.
  • Experience in on-site and real life crisis situations with patients needing Heimlich maneuver and/or CPR.
  • Certify nurse of the operating room, register first assistant, BLS and ACLS certify.
  • Operate as part of the anesthesia team by assisting the anesthesiologist and the CRNA before and during routine surgical cases.
  • Distribute instruments, sponges, sutures and other supplies to surgeons using aseptic technique and assists in a variety of specialties.
  • Show more

Surgical supervisor vs surgical technician skills

Common surgical supervisor skills
  • Acls, 25%
  • Patient Satisfaction, 19%
  • Quality Patient Care, 14%
  • ICU, 10%
  • Direct Patient Care, 9%
  • Epic, 7%
Common surgical technician skills
  • Patients, 19%
  • Surgical Technologist, 12%
  • Surgical Procedures, 9%
  • Patient Care, 8%
  • CST, 6%
  • Sterile Technique, 5%

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