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The differences between surgical technicians and operating room nurses can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a surgical technician, becoming an operating room nurse takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, an operating room nurse has an average salary of $68,255, which is higher than the $52,193 average annual salary of a surgical technician.
The top three skills for a surgical technician include patients, surgical technologist and surgical procedures. The most important skills for an operating room nurse are patients, BLS, and acls.
| Surgical Technician | Operating Room Nurse | |
| Yearly salary | $52,193 | $68,255 |
| Hourly rate | $25.09 | $32.81 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 70,920 | 545,487 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 41 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 2 |
A Surgical Technician is an essential member of a medical operating team. They serve as an additional hand of a surgeon. Surgical Technicians have the vital responsibility of assisting surgeons during operations, such as passing and providing instruments and tools such as Graspers, Clasps, Suction, and more. Furthermore, Surgical Technicians are also responsible for preparing all of the required surgical devices and instruments, making sure they are all up to the standards of hospital and medical regulations. And post-surgery, their duties include applying bandages to a patient and even cleaning the operating room.
An Operating Room Nurse assists surgeons during operations and keeps the operating room sterile at all times. They ensure that patients are ready for transport to the recovery room.
Surgical technicians and operating room nurses have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Surgical Technician | Operating Room Nurse | |
| Average salary | $52,193 | $68,255 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $77,000 | Between $42,000 And $108,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Urban Honolulu, HI |
| Highest paying state | California | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | St. Tammany Health System | University of California, Berkeley |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Professional |
There are a few differences between a surgical technician and an operating room nurse in terms of educational background:
| Surgical Technician | Operating Room Nurse | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Medical Technician | Nursing |
| Most common college | University of Connecticut | Duke University |
Here are the differences between surgical technicians' and operating room nurses' demographics:
| Surgical Technician | Operating Room Nurse | |
| Average age | 41 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 26.6% Female, 73.4% | Male, 14.8% Female, 85.2% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 9% |