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The differences between surgical technicians and surgical 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 a surgical nurse takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a surgical nurse has an average salary of $64,025, 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 a surgical nurse are patients, BLS, and acute care.
| Surgical Technician | Surgical Nurse | |
| Yearly salary | $52,193 | $64,025 |
| Hourly rate | $25.09 | $30.78 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 70,920 | 638,444 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| 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.
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.
Surgical technicians and surgical nurses have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Surgical Technician | Surgical Nurse | |
| Average salary | $52,193 | $64,025 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $77,000 | Between $39,000 And $103,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Thousand Oaks, CA |
| 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 a surgical nurse in terms of educational background:
| Surgical Technician | Surgical Nurse | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Medical Technician | Nursing |
| Most common college | University of Connecticut | Duke University |
Here are the differences between surgical technicians' and surgical nurses' demographics:
| Surgical Technician | Surgical Nurse | |
| Average age | 41 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 26.6% Female, 73.4% | Male, 11.2% Female, 88.8% |
| 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, 12.0% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 9% |